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When Mats Steen was a child growing up in Oslo, he was diagnosed with a degenerative disease. His parents Robert and Trude were told it was unlikely Mats would survive long into his 20s. Mats began to spend more and more time at home, playing online games. He died when he was 25, and his parents worried that his life had been lonely and friendless. Then, in the days before the funeral a mysterious group of people started arriving in Oslo. Robert and Trude didn't know them, but they seemed to know Mats extremely well. This interview was first broadcast in November 2019.

Jerald Walker grew up in the Worldwide Church of God – a doomsday cult that convinced its followers the world would end in 1972. Jerald’s life was dominated by fear, isolation, and the belief that his future didn’t exist. When the promised doomsday never came, Jerald and his family were left grappling with shattered beliefs. As his life unravelled, Jerald fell into addiction and crime, struggling to escape the mental and emotional grip of the cult. But through education, an extraordinary teacher and a passion for writing, he found a path to redemption.

Barbados-born Ricky Ellcock had twin ambitions as a boy – to become a cricketer and fly airplanes. His father was, like Ricky, cricket-mad – but on the question of him becoming a pilot his answer was emphatic: black people don’t fly planes.
Ricky’s talents as a fast bowler won him many plaudits and a scholarship to come to England. Before long he was playing at the top of the sport, but the stresses on his body meant he kept breaking down. When those injuries threatened to end his career completely, Ricky looked to disprove his dad and make history in the skies.

Presenter: India Rakusen

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(Photo: Cassette tape. Credit: Getty Images)