Lives Less Ordinary
BBC World ServiceHave you ever locked eyes with a stranger and wondered, "What’s their story?" Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected. Extraordinary stories from around the world.
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 305 | Founded | 17 years ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | Personal JournalsDocumentarySociety & Culture | |||
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Latest Episodes
Many years after he’d held a gun to her daughter’s head, Michelle wrote to Robert Ortiz seeking closure. It took him years to write back – and then they met.
In 2000, Michelle Renee was at home with her seven-year-old daughter Breea when armed men b... more
In 2000, armed men burst into Michelle Renee's home and held her child hostage while she was forced to rob her own bank. None of them could have predicted what happened next.
Michelle Renee was at home with her seven-year-old daughter Breea when ar... more
Chris 'Brolga' Barns fell in love with joeys and became a kangaroo 'mum'. He rescues orphaned baby kangaroos, or joeys, carrying them around in a pillowcase to mimic their mum’s pouch. While working as a tour guide in the Australian outback, Brolga w... more
Ramla Ali's family fled Somalia and settled in the UK; she then went from overweight bullied child to champion boxer and model who later brought the sport back to her homeland.
Ramla Ali was a baby when her older brother was killed by a stray grenad... more
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Reviews
- Best Podcast Ever!
I love the variety of stories, incredible individuals and brilliant interviewers.
Apple Podcasts5MJ29MO
United Kingdoma month ago - Usually good, but not today
The NZ couple was SO hard to listen to. Sniff sniff every few words. Surely that could have been edited out
Apple Podcasts3nivlag8
Australia4 months ago - Good show
Interviewing different people about interesting experiences and incidents, would recommend.
Apple Podcasts5Ishaan Shetty 1411
Singapore6 months ago - Simply perfect
Love it!
Apple Podcasts5jeckles88United Kingdom7 months ago - Zarna Gary
What an amazing story of how she got where she is! I love her!!
Apple Podcasts5Cuca Girl
United States9 months ago
Listeners Say
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Chart Rankings
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Apple Podcasts | #77 | United States/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #25 |  Canada/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #33 | United Kingdom/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #222 | United Kingdom/Society & Culture |
Apple Podcasts | #13 | Australia/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Apple Podcasts | #42 |  Italy/Society & Culture/Personal Journals |
Talking Points
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Audience Metrics
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Frequently Asked Questions About Lives Less Ordinary
What is Lives Less Ordinary about and what kind of topics does it cover?
A contemporary, globally minded collection of intimate, often resilience-focused narratives. Episodes center on personal survival, healing from trauma, identity, and social change, featuring survivors of crime, conflict, displacement, and systemic injustice. The show tends to pair deeply personal storytelling with broader themes like forgiveness, restorative justice, motherhood, migration, and artistic or cultural reinvention, frequently highlighting overlooked or marginalized perspectives. Noteworthy are the globe-spanning settings, brave disclosures, and a steady emphasis on hope, growth, and human connection that can be both enlightening and uplifting for listeners seeking authentic, human-centered storytelling.
Where can I find podcast stats for Lives Less Ordinary?
Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Lives Less Ordinary. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Lives Less Ordinary and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.
How many listeners does Lives Less Ordinary get?
Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Lives Less Ordinary, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.
What are the audience demographics for Lives Less Ordinary?
Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Lives Less Ordinary, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.
How many subscribers and views does Lives Less Ordinary have?
To see how many followers or subscribers Lives Less Ordinary has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.
Which podcasts are similar to Lives Less Ordinary?
These podcasts share a similar audience with Lives Less Ordinary:
1. The Documentary Podcast
2. Life Changing
3. Witness History
4. The History Hour
5. The Audio Long Read
How many episodes of Lives Less Ordinary are there?
Lives Less Ordinary launched 17 years ago and published 305 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact Lives Less Ordinary?
Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.
Where can I see ratings and reviews for Lives Less Ordinary?
Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Lives Less Ordinary from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.
View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.
How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Lives Less Ordinary?
Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Lives Less Ordinary. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.
What guests have appeared on Lives Less Ordinary?
Recent guests on Lives Less Ordinary include:
1. Michelle Renee
2. Ramla Ali
3. Loung Ung
4. Jackie McCarthy O'Brien
5. Jacqueline McCarthy O'Brien
6. Ify Adenuga
7. Lloyd Kaufman
8. Andrew Lovell
To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.