The Outlook Podcast Archive

In the 1990s the name 'Thomas Quick' struck fear into the hearts of Swedes across the country. He had confessed to more than 30 murders, and was convicted of eight. He became known as Sweden’s most notorious serial killer and the ‘Swedish Hannibal Lecter’ but almost two decades later he retracted his confessions and said he was innocent. Jenny Küttim is a Swedish journalist who has been covering the case since 2008 and Björn Asplund is the father of Johan Asplund, the first person Thomas Quick confessed to killing. This episode was first broadcast in September 2019.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Tom Harding Assinder (Photo: Sture Bergwall/Thomas Quick after his release. (Credit: HENRIK MONTGOMERY/AFP via Getty Images)

In 1976, the Johannesburg township of Soweto erupted into protest. Students were furious with the government decision to make Afrikaans a language of instruction in South African schools. Afrikaans was associated with apartheid and white rule by many black South Africans, and not everyone could speak it. The protests were met with brutal force by the police, and hundreds of students died in the ensuing gunfire. In the midst of the chaos was Dr Edelstein, a white man involved in various humanitarian causes in the township. Students who had fled the gunfire suddenly turned their anger on him, and he was killed in the street. His daughter Janet was just 12 at the time, and she's spent many years trying to find answers about what happened that day. After the end of apartheid she spoke at South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, telling her father’s story and giving an emotional plea for more information. Now she’s followed in her father's footsteps, and is working to help young people in Soweto. First broadcast 2019.Get in touch: [email protected]: Mpho Lakaje Producer: Harry Graham(Photo: The Edelstein family. Credit: The Edelstein family)

Helene Cooper grew up in Liberia, fled during a bloody military coup and arrived in the US as a child refugee. Her background inspired her to become a journalist but there was one question that still needed to be answered: what had happened to the adopted sister she’d left behind? This interview was first broadcast in May 2019.Get in touch: [email protected]: Emily Webb Producer: Alice Gioia(Photo: Eunice (in striped dress) and Helene Cooper (with sunglasses). Credit: Helene Cooper)

Education has always been important to Virginia Walden Ford. As a child she was part of the process of desegregating schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. Years later, as a parent, she watched as her son's grades dropped and his behaviour changed. She believed his school was failing him and began a long campaign for change in the US education system.Virginia is the subject of a feature film called Miss Virginia.This episode was first broadcast in November 2019.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Tom Harding AssinderPicture: Virginia Walden Ford speaking at a news conference of the Black Republican Congressional Staff Association Credit: Tom Williams / Getty ImagesGet in touch: [email protected]

Wilhelm Verwoerd has spent most of his life wrestling with his surname and what it represents. His grandfather, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, is widely known as the 'architect of apartheid' in South Africa because of the brutal policies he introduced as a government minister and then prime minister of the country in the 1950s and 1960s. But Wilhelm turned his back on his family's apartheid politics and is committed to tearing down its racist legacy. His book is called: Verwoerd: My journey through family betrayals. This episode was first broadcast on 14th December 2019. Get in touch: [email protected]: Andile Masuku Producer: Deiniol Buxton (Photo: Wilhelm Verwoerd. Credit: Wojciech Klimala)

Haben Girma is a Harvard Law School graduate, an attorney, she's been invited to the White House... and she's Deafblind. Haben has published a book called Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law.Get in touch: [email protected]: Emily Webb Producer: Becky Vincent(Photo: Haben Girma meeting Barack Obama in 2015. Credit: White House/ Pete Souza)

Hiram Johnson is a former policeman who decided to use his investigative skills on his own family. He grew up knowing nothing about this father’s ancestry. In his quest for answers, he uncovered a murder case and an incarceration in the notorious Parchman Farm prison that would change the course of his family’s future. Hiram's written a book about his journey called: Reason to Fight: A Search for Truth. This interview was first broadcast on 5th December 2019.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufPicture: Hiram Johnson holding a photo of his father Credit: Courtesy of Hiram Johnson

When US journalist David Sheff realised that his beloved teenage son Nic was addicted to the highly-dangerous drug crystal meth, he tried to do everything to help him. Could this family break free from the destructive cycle of addiction? (This podcast was first released on 6th January 2019 and since then Nic has celebrated his 11-year anniversary of sobriety.) Presenter: Saskia Edwards Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Nic and David Sheff Credit: Bas BogaertsGet in touch: [email protected]

Cambodia's biggest rubbish dump was home to thousands of children, picking through rubbish to sell. From this bleak wasteland emerged a band, Doch Chkae - young musicians who grew up in extreme poverty, turning their anger into heavy metal music. Harry Graham speaks to two of the band members, Sok Vichey and Ouch Theara. We also hear from one of the charity workers who spotted their talent for metal music, Timon Seibel, from Moms Against Poverty. This podcast was first released on 23rd November 2019. Presenter: Harry Graham Producer: Deiniol BuxtonPicture: Doch Chkae Credit: Florian GleichGet in touch: [email protected]

Basetsana Kumalo is easily one of South Africa’s most recognisable celebrity figures. She shot to fame as Miss South Africa in 1994, just months after Nelson Mandela was elected president. Basetsana was the first black contestant to win the contest in the country's new "freedom era" and, by default, became the face of South Africa’s new democracy. After this Basetsana hosted one of the country's top lifestyle programmes and today she's a successful media entrepreneur. Her book is called: Bassie, My Journey of Hope. This podcast was first released on 11th January 2020.Presenter: Andile Masuku Producer: Deiniol BuxtonPicture: Basetsana Kumalo at the SA Style Awards in Johannesburg. Credit: Gallo Images / ContributorGet in touch: [email protected]

Dolly Parton's 9 to 5 has long been an anthem for working women around the world. She wrote it on the set of a movie - the hit 80s comedy 9 to 5 starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and of course Dolly Parton. It's a film about three secretaries who decide to take revenge on their misogynist boss. The film was inspired by the stories of real secretaries who became so exasperated by how they were being treated by their managers they decided to fight back. They formed an organisation called 9to5 and Karen Nussbaum was one of its founders. This programme was originally broadcast on the 9th of December 2020. Any comments please email us on [email protected]: Saskia Edwards Producer: Fiona WoodsPicture: 9 to 5 film Credit: ShutterstockClips used: 9 to 5 [Dolly Parton, RCA Nashville] 9 to 5 [IPC Films, Colin Higgins] Barbarella [Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Roger Vadim] Private Secretary [Jack Chertok Television Productions] Bad bosses contest [Phil Donahue Show, Multimedia Entertainment] Coffee protest news clip [CBS]

When Alex Lewis was 18 he had an accident that caused him to lose his memory. The only person he could remember was Marcus, his identical twin brother. He became the person Alex most relied upon to rebuild his life and memories. But as it turned out, not everything Marcus told him was true.This programme contains themes of child sexual abuse which may be difficult and triggering to hear.Their story features in a documentary called Tell Me Who I Am which is available on Netflix. This interview was first broadcast in October 2019.Presenter: Andrea Kennedy Producer: Tom Harding AssinderPhoto: Alex and Marcus Lewis Credit: Alex and Marcus Lewis

Ugandan Susan Kigula was a young mother when she was sentenced to hang for murder. She always maintained her innocence and sang songs of sorrow in a choir she formed with her fellow inmates on death row. Behind bars Susan also started a school and completed a law degree, but it's what she did next which would change the lives of more than 400 other inmates, as well as the law of the land. This programme was first released on 2nd June 2018.Image and credit: Susan KigulaPresenter: Datshiane NavanayagamGet in touch: [email protected]

In 1974, Australian concert producer Robert Raymond got the gig of his life – organising the comeback tour of his musical idol, Frank Sinatra. The anticipation in Australia was huge and the tour sold out immediately. But when his opening night performance caused a scandal, Sinatra found himself caught in a stand-off… and Robert Raymond had the biggest test of his career – how to get Sinatra back on stage? This programme was first broadcast on 23rd of December 2018.Get in touch: [email protected]: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Frank Sinatra Credit: Jay Dickman/CORBIS/Getty Images

In the late 1990s, lawyer Jacqueline Moudeina took on one of the most important cases in African legal history – the trial of Chad's former dictator Hissène Habré. He's a man who had massacred and tortured his people, including members of Jacqueline’s own family. She was determined to get justice, even if it took decades and meant risking her life. This episode was first released on 3rd February 2019.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Jacqueline Moudeina Credit: JONAS EKSTROMER/AFP/Getty ImagesGet in touch: [email protected]

Isabel and Susana González hunt percebes, also known as gooseneck barnacles. They're rather ugly crustaceans that can fetch thousands of dollars per kilogram at auction. To collect them, the González sisters must traverse slippery rocks along the Spanish coastline where they risk falling and drowning. Many hunters have lost their lives doing this job. But this isn't the only danger the sisters have faced in their line of work. When they began there was a lot of discrimination against women, including the fact that they could only catch three kilograms per day, while men had a quota of five. This system was regulated by an association. The sisters figured the only way to achieve equality was to become part of the management of the association. But when Susana ran for the presidency, she faced death threats. Still, they managed to revolutionise their whole industry. This episode was first broadcast on 1st of September 2019.Reporter: Pablo Esparza Altuna Producer: Saskia EdwardsPicture: Isabel González collecting barnacles Credit: Pablo Esparza Altuna

Frank Shankwitz was the co-founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organisation that since 1980 has granted hundreds of thousands of wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. Frank’s inspiration came from his own difficult childhood, a near-death experience and an encounter with a 7-year-old boy named Chris Greicius. Frank passed away recently; he spoke to Outlook's Andrea Kennedy about his extraordinary life in October 2019. Presenter: Andrea Kennedy Producer: Tom Harding AssinderPicture: Frank Shankwitz and Chris Greicius Credit: Frank ShankwitzGet in touch: [email protected]

T La Rock grew up in New York's Bronx and is seen by many as a pioneer of the Hip Hop music genre. He became the first artist to be recorded by Def Jam records and performed around the world, but that all came to a halt when he was attacked and left with 70% memory loss. Struggling to recover, he ended up in a Jewish nursing home where he found an unlikely group of supporters who helped him to perform again. Jo Fidgen spoke to him in 2018.Any comments please email us on [email protected]: Jo Fidgen Producer: Katy TakatsukiImage: 'T La Rock' Credit: Stijn Coppens

Born in a Rio de Janeiro favela, Elza Soares overcame poverty, child marriage and public scandal to become one of her country's most beloved singers. She started out in the smokey nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s. With her unique raspy voice and the intensity of her dancing, she quickly became a hit on the club scene. In the 1960s a highly publicised relationship with a footballing legend briefly made her a national hate figure, but she came back and now into the seventh decade of her career she continues to be a Brazilian icon. This episode was first broadcast on 11th May 2019.Presented and Produced by Harry GrahamPicture: Elza Soares Credit: Getty Images/ Pedro Gomes

Rufus Wainwright was once described by Elton John as 'the greatest songwriter on the planet'. He's the son of two North American folk music legends – Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle but went on to forge his own prolific career. He's got 12 albums under his belt including the Grammy-nominated Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall, where he sang Over the Rainbow with his mother Kate on stage, a song they’ve performed since his childhood. Rufus was especially close to his mum, early on in his songwriting career he looked to her for advice and approval, and her support helped him through a destructive crystal meth addiction. They sang together often, right up until she died from cancer in 2010. This episode was originally released on 8th July 2020.Rufus' latest album is called Unfollow the Rules.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufPicture: Rufus Wainwright with his mother Kate McGarrigle Credit: Getty Image

In the last chaotic days of the Vietnam War, thousands of children were sent away to be adopted in safer countries. Four-year-old My Huong went to Australia and it would be many years before she returned to Vietnam and finally uncovered the extraordinary truth about her birth family. This interview was first released in December 2018.

It’s South Africa’s most iconic photograph – a dying 12-year-old school boy, Hector Pieterson, being carried away after he was shot by police during the 1976 Soweto Uprisings. The picture - taken by journalist Sam Nzima - exposed the horrors of apartheid to the world, and it also had a lasting impact on the lives of all those it captured. Reporter Gavin Fischer follows the incredible stories of the people affected by the photo – both in front of and behind the camera. This episode was first broadcast on 22 September, 2018.Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Hector Pieterson Memorial in Soweto Credit: Alamy

Patricio Galvez is a Chilean musician who has lived in Sweden for the last 30 years. In 2014 his daughter Amanda travelled to Syria with her children and joined the Islamic State group. When she was killed last year he battled governments, crossed borders and entered a war zone to try and rescue her seven young children. This episode was first released on 13th July 2019.Presenter: Andrea Kennedy Producer: Tom Harding-AssinderPhoto courtesy of Patricio Galvez

Jason P. Howe was a British conflict photographer covering the war in Colombia, when he met a young woman at a bus stop. Her name was Marilyn, and they started a relationship that would last several years.Over time, it became clear to Jason that Marilyn had another life. She'd disappear at night on her motorcycle. People were scared of her, bars would empty when she entered them. Eventually, she would reveal a violent secret that was shocking even in the context of a warzone. Marilyn was an assassin for Colombian paramilitary forces.Jason spoke to Outlook's Andrea Kennedy back in 2019.Image: Jason Howe and Marilyn Credit: Jason P. Howe

Mike Farmer and Robert Ward have spent decades travelling the world in pursuit of meteorites. Their awe-inspiring and insatiable hunt led to fortune – but also unexpected danger. It's a story of cowboys, cargo pants and some of the most coveted rocks on earth. This episode was released on the 23rd of February 2019.Presenter: Saskia Edwards Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Silhouette of a man watching a meteor shower over Italy Credit: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images

Marie McCreadie moved to Australia from the UK as a young girl in the 1970s. It was the start of a new adventure for the whole family, but then one day when Marie was 13 she lost her voice, leaving her unable to make a sound for over a decade. Marie was ostracised, told she was cursed, and was put in a psychiatric unit. Then, in her twenties she discovered the surprising cause of her condition. This episode was first released on 5th October 2019.Marie has written a book about her life without speech it's called Voiceless.Presenter: Andrea Kennedy Producer: Tom Harding AssinderPicture: Marie McCreadie as a young teenager Credit: Marie McCreadie

In 2008, Naomi Jacobs went to bed in her home in Manchester as a 32-year-old woman. When she woke the following morning, her world had changed. Overnight, her memories had gone. She didn't recognise her home, her life, or even her child. Instead, she believed she was a teenage schoolgirl living in 1992. And she was utterly bewildered by how she had ended up in the future. She told Emily Webb how the diaries that held the key to her past eventually got her back to the present.This progamme was first broadcast on 8 September, 2018.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufImage: silhouetted woman opening curtains in the morning Credit: p saranya/Getty Images

Bonga Kuenda is one of Angola’s most notable musicians, a master of the semba - traditional Angolan music. He was born during Portuguese colonial rule, and before music, Bonga had forged a career in athletics. In the 1960s, he emerged from the shanty towns of Luanda to become the fastest sprinter in the Portuguese Empire, but he was racing for a regime that he despised, one he was secretly trying to bring down. This podcast was first released on 3rd November 2018.Presenter: Harry Graham Producer: Maryam MarufWith thanks to Edward Drummond for the translation Image: Bonga Kuenda Credit: Getty Images

Travel writer Claire Nelson was hiking in Joshua Tree, California when she slipped off a boulder and fell 15 feet into a canyon. She was trapped, and completely alone in the scorching hot wilderness, with limited water. How would she survive? This episode was first released on 1st December 2018.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufPicture: Joshua Tree Credit: Ernst Haas/Getty Images

In the late 1990s, Belgian detective Patrick Peys joined the Diamond Squad. Based in Antwerp's Diamond District, this was the world's first police unit dedicated to solving diamond crime. And soon, Patrick would face the most baffling case of his career when a group of thieves pulled off what seemed to be the perfect robbery. They broke into one of the most heavily-guarded vaults in the Diamond District and stole $100m dollars' worth of jewels. It was the biggest diamond robbery in history. No one saw the thieves coming in, or out. But what followed was a trail of strange clues leading to a mysterious criminal mastermind and a school for felons.This episode was first broadcast on 10 March, 2019.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Diamonds Credit: Olivier Polet/Corbis via Getty Images

In 1986 American teenager, Jeff Henigson, was diagnosed with brain cancer and given two years to live. He had just one wish: to travel to the Soviet Union, meet the country’s leader Mikhail Gorbachev and attempt to broker a nuclear peace deal. This episode was first released on 7th September 2019.Jeff has written a book about his experience called WarHead.Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: Thomas Harding AssinderPicture: Teenager Jeff Henigson in bed after undergoing brain surgery Credit: Jeff Henigson

British diver Chris Lemons was working on an oil well underwater in the North Sea in Scotland. He was connected to a boat with something called an 'umbilical chord', which also provided him with air and heat. But he ended up getting tangled in the line and was stuck on the sea bed with only five minutes of air left in his tank. A rescue team was over 35 minutes away. How he was able to survive has left medical experts baffled.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: June Christie First published on April 23rd, 2019Picture: Diver Chris Lemons Credit: Courtesy of Dogwoof

Blood, gold and secrets at the Olympic pool.Greg Louganis is one of the most celebrated divers in the US, and a record-breaking athlete. But Greg is also famous for one of the biggest shocks in Olympic history – cutting his head on a diving board, and the revelations that followed. This podcast was first released on the 17th November 2018.Presenter: Sofia Bettiza Producer: Maryam MarufImage: Greg Louganis Credit: Pascal Rondeau Allsport/Getty Images

Daniel Lofredo Rota is an Ecuadorian DJ and musician on a quest to unravel a decades-old family mystery. His eccentric grandfather has left a clue: a grimy, battered suitcase filled with old tapes. Inside are songs, secret loves, and the resurrection of a long-lost record label. This episode was first broadcast on 21 October, 2018.Check out Daniel's Soundcloud page - Quixosis - if you want to listen to all the songs featured in this programme.Produced and presented by Maryam Maruf Image: Records from the Caife catalogue Credit: Courtesy of Daniel Lofredo Rota

Tito Quiroz used to wave up at the inmates of the prison next door to his university in Ensenada, Mexico, and they'd wave back from their cell windows. Then, one day, he got the opportunity to go inside to teach them his passion, the violin. Tito endured the somewhat intimidating atmosphere inside, and found an audience desperate to learn. One man in particular would use the music he was imbued with to turn his life around. Image: Tito Quiroz Credit: Clayton Conn

Sequins, spandex and Rasputin? Dust off your gold spandex for a dive into the world of 1970s disco. Marcia Barrett, a lead singer of the chart-conquering Boney M, discusses her life with the band - including getting mobbed behind the iron curtain.This podcast was first published on 18 August, 2018.Presenter: Emily Webb Producer: Maryam Maruf and Katy DavisImage: Boney M's Marcia Barrett performing on stage, September 1979 Credit: Getty Images

Adrian Street grew up in a mining town in South Wales, but he always loved dressing up. When he was a teenager he started working down the mines, but his dream was to become a wrestler. He was ridiculed by the other miners he worked with, but in the 1950s he moved to London to pursue his dream and "The Exotic Adrian Street" was born. His wrestling persona was a haughty androgynous character who would strut about the stage pouting and blowing kisses to the crowds when they abused him for his flamboyant style. Presenter: Harry GrahamPicture: Wrestler Adrian Street at the mine he used to work at, with his father. Credit: Getty Images Mirrorpix Contributor

Mats Steen was ill for years, but he found friendship and escape in an online fantasy land.A version of this story by Vicky Schaubert was first published in Norwegian by broadcaster NRK.Presenter: Maryam Maruf Producer: Harry GrahamImage: Mats Steen's avatar and Mats' father Robert Steen Credit: Patrick da Silva Saether/NRK

The pioneering African-American ballet dancer, Arthur Mitchell, has died in New York City at the age of 84. Earlier this year, Matthew Bannister spoke to him about his incredible legacy. Image: Arthur Mitchell at the White House in 2006 with some of his dancers from the Dance Theatre of Harlem Credit: Ron Sachs/Getty Images

Mahavir Singh Phogat has always been fanatical about wrestling. He did some amateur wrestling himself, but he did not reach the heights he had hoped to. So, dreaming of an Olympic gold medal, he decided to train his two daughters, Geeta and Babita, to be champion wrestlers. Kim Fisher was born into a family of diving enthusiasts in California. His father, Mel Fisher was obsessed with the idea of finding treasure. He had read that there were many wrecked Spanish galleons which had sunk in the seventeenth century with cargoes of gold worth millions of dollars. And so the Fishers went fishing for gold.Image: Gold coins. Credit: Getty Images

British sailor Tracy Edwards tells her story of defying expectations to sail around the world with an all-female crew.Lars Mytting tells us about the Norwegian culture of fire, chopping wood and romance.French aristocrat Philippe Pozzo Di Borgo learns an incredible life lesson after losing the use of his limbs in a paragliding accident.Alison Teal witnesses the earth being reborn by surfing next to an erupting volcano in Hawaii.Image: surfer rides a wave Credit: Getty Images/David McNew