Outlook

At 18 Nikki Owen set fire to the family home – and she didn’t know why. Nikki awaited trial in solitary confinement, but her father searched for answers in medical science, and started working on a ground-breaking legal defence to get her out. If you've been affected by any of subjects in this programme you can find support and additional information below: BBC Action Line: https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/ Befrienders Worldwide: https://www.befrienders.org/ The International Association for Premenstrual Disorders: https://iapmd.org/ National Association for Premenstrual Syndromes https://www.pms.org.uk Presenter: Emily Webb Producer:  Tom Harding Assinder

How the friendship of a stranger helped Betsy Sailor when she needed it most. Betsy was living alone at university in the late 1970s when a man broke into her apartment and raped her at knifepoint. He was later caught, and it turned out he was a student, and a player on the successful Penn State football team. Taking him to court was a daunting task but then a fellow football player, Irv Pankey, stepped up and told Betsy he was on her side and would look after her. Their remarkable friendship changed the course of Betsy’s life. Film clip: Betsy and Irv/ Nicole Noren/ ESPN Films Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Rebecca Vincent

Analía’s father was accused of being a government torturer — he said it was a lie. A phone call turned Analía Kalinec’s comfortable life upside down. Her father was accused of crimes committed during the Argentine dictatorship twenty years previously, when around 30,000 people were disappeared by security forces. He denied it, but Analía decided to investigate. Her findings would change her view of the father she had loved. Analía has written a book called Llevaré su Nombre (I Carry Your Name). Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Louise Morris Interpreter: Salomé Paulo

Sue-Ellen Doherty was trained by her parents to spy for Australia during the Cold War. For Sue-Ellen Kusher, nee Doherty, growing up in the suburbs of Brisbane was far from normal. Both her parents worked for the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation, ASIO, and in the early days of their marriage, they brought up their three children to be part of the family business. It was the 1950s, and Russian and Chinese communists were regarded as enemies. Sue-Ellen spoke to us in 2021. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Katy Takatsuki Editor: Munazza Khan

Jim is deep undercover in North Korea — but will he find proof of illegal weapons deals... He'd been sent to the isolated country by a documentary film-maker called Mads Brugger, to pose as a fake investor interested in arms. Jim, Mads and the team had spent years infiltrating a North Korean network in Europe, but now they were on North Korean turf the risks were bigger than ever. Jim is treated like a king, but no weapons deals emerge, until suddenly he's driven out of town and taken down into a mysterious basement. Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Harry Graham Editor: Munazza Khan Sound design: Joel Cox

Jim Latrache-Qvortrup posed as a weapons dealer to expose a North Korean criminal network. Jim was an unusual secret agent. He'd grown up poor in Denmark, and had gone on to become a drug dealer to the rich and famous in Copenhagen. After years in prison, he was reformed but bored. Then, a filmmaker called Mads Brügger approached him, and asked him to take part in a high-stakes sting in North Korea. Mads needed someone to pretend to be a dodgy billionaire investor interested in a sanctions-breaking weapons deal. It was a perilous mission, failure would mean prison or death. Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Harry Graham Editor: Munazza Khan

In September 2020, Nicholas Opiyo awoke to a commotion in his flat. There had been a robbery and all his personal electronics had been stolen. He says he tracked his devices to a shocking and impenetrable location: the headquarters of Uganda’s military intelligence. He believes he was targeted because of his work. The Ugandan authorities chose not to respond to these allegations. Opiyo, as he prefers to be known, survived civil war to become one of Uganda’s top human rights lawyers. He’s taken on huge cases, including successfully overturning the country’s anti-LGBTQ legislation in 2014. He’s received awards for his efforts but also hostility. The break-in at his home was ominous. Months later, Opiyo would be arrested – on false charges – and he'd need to make a life-changing choice. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Maryam Maruf (Photo: Nicholas Opiyo. Credit: Courtesy of Nicholas Opiyo)

Silibil N’ Brains found fame as fake American rappers - but how long can you live a lie? A record deal with Sony, celebrity parties and touring with his heroes, life looked good for Gavin Bain, one half of the duo. But with fame came visibility, the pressure mounted and they could no longer outrun the truth. Gavin's written a book about his undercover life called Straight Outta Scotland and is making music with his new band Hopeless Heroic. If you need support relating to any of the issues we've covered in this interview, you can find more information on the BBC Action line website or at Befrienders.org. Clip: MTV TRL/ the MTV Entertainment Group Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Louise Morris

The Scottish rappers who fooled the music industry. Gavin Bain was one half of Silibil N’ Brains, a Californian rap duo on the cusp of greatness. But there was a problem — the story of these hip-hop stars was fake. Gavin’s never even been to America. Film clips: The Mask/Chuck Russell/  New Line Cinema and Dark Horse Entertainment. The Secret of My Success/Herbert Ross/Rastar Beetlejuice/Tim Burton/The Geffen Company Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Louise Morris

Donnie Dunagan was a Disney child star in the 1930s before becoming a US Marine. He was born in 1934 and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, in the midst of the Great Depression. After winning a talent show aged four he was scouted and whisked to Hollywood where he starred in several movies – including a role as the voice of Walt Disney’s iconic animated deer Bambi in 1942. But the Second World War would put a halt to his movie career, and Donnie eventually became a US Marine – never telling anyone about his Hollywood history until he was publicly unmasked in 2004. On the 80th anniversary of Bambi's release, he shares his story. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Zoe Gelber

Growing up as the son of a sex worker and a Black US soldier in South Korea in the 70s, Milton Washington was seen as an outcast, and "not Korean." He couldn't even get a birth certificate. Still, he was loved and protected by his mum, the two of them against the world. She told him his dad was in America, a land of flying cars and ice cream mountains — and that was where Milton wanted to be, too. Milton's story continues. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Laura Thomas

Growing up as the son of a sex worker and a Black US soldier in South Korea in the 70s, Milton Washington was seen as an outcast, and "not Korean." He couldn't even get a birth certificate. Still, he was loved and protected by his mum, the two of them against the world. She told him his dad was in America, a land of flying cars and ice cream mountains — and that was where Milton wanted to be, too. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Laura Thomas

Chasing the aurora helps Hugo grieve. By day Hugo Sanchez works in a school, but by night he hunts glowing light displays across the freezing Canadian wilderness. Capturing the aurora is more than just a hobby for Hugo. He took up photography after his son Emilio was born with complex disabilities. When Emilio died at ten years old Hugo found solace and hope in the dancing night sky. Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Louise Morris

How extreme kayaker Scott Lindgren's illness forced him to face his past. Scott’s hard, uncompromising attitude had made him one of the world’s top expedition kayakers in a sport that’s claimed the lives of many friends. But bottling up a harsh childhood and drinking for a release can only work for so long. When Scott became ill he faced a reckoning – be the tough guy and lose everything you love, or learn to embrace being vulnerable. Archive is from a film about Scott's life called The River Runner directed by Rush Sturges for River Roots productions. Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Louise Morris

Hafsat Abiola Costello's dad was nearly Nigeria's president - but he had powerful enemies His name was Moshood Abiola, also known as MKO, and he was one of Africa's richest men before turning to politics. He was the presumed winner of a 1993 Presidential election, but the incumbent military regime annulled the result and had him arrested. Hafsat and her mother fought for his release, but the family paid a high price for taking on the generals.. Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Harry Graham Editor: Munazza Khan Sound design: Joel Cox

Itto Outini lost her sight but gained her freedom Itto had been born poor in Morocco's Atlas mountains, and after her parents died, she was shunted between extended family members. She wasn't always welcome, and says she suffered frequent violence. This heightened when Itto was 17, when she describes a relative throwing a sharp object at her, taking her sight. Abandoned, Itto had to adapt to life as a blind person on the steets of a Moroccan city. Things were initially tough and disorientating, but she soon taught herself braille and found huge comfort in books and learning. Despite sleeping rough, Itto fought for the education that had been denied her when she was sighted. Itto has a memoir coming out in Autumn called "Blindness is the light of my life" Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Harry Graham

Dr Andrew Kwong fled famine and persecution as a child. He was a proud Maoist, singing revolutionary songs at the top of his voice at school, but then he witnessed an execution, his father was arrested, and famine struck. His family knew their only hope was to smuggle 12-year-old Andrew abroad, though it would mean years of separation. Andrew has written a book about his experience called One Bright Moon. Presenter: Emily Webb Producers: Louise Morris and Fiona Woods

Goalkeeper Briana Scurry knew at eight years old it was her destiny to win Olympic gold – and in 1996 she did it. That was just the beginning: she won the World Cup and another Olympics with the US Women's National Soccer Team. Briana made history on and off the pitch as one of the few African American women on the national side and the only openly gay player on the team. But in 2010 a knee to the head changed her life. Incapacitated by pain and unable to work, Briana spiralled into depression and debt and ended up having to pawn the gold medals she’d spent her whole life working to earn. Things got so bad that she contemplated suicide. But then an ex-girlfriend introduced her to a woman who would change her life. Presenter: Mobeen Azhar Producer: Fiona Woods If you need support relating to any of the issues we've covered in this interview, you can find more information on the BBC Action line website or at Befrienders.org

Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence JP Bimeni is a writer turned soul singer who walked through a massacre unscathed as his country fell into conflict. At just 16 he had a lot more living, and almost dying, to do. Now a successful performer these experiences seep into his songs. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Louise Morris

Content Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence JP Bimeni risked his life to save a book of his verse. He started composing poetry to impress a girl, but was soon writing to address the ethnic tensions which threatened to tear his country apart. When violence did break out he dodged machete-wielding mobs to make it to safety. The mission to rescue his poetry almost cost him everything. Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Louise Morris