logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2023
28m 37s

From the rubble

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

It had been a beautiful day, Jessica Williams and her two young sons had been out in the local park enjoying the Welsh sunshine. By the time they got home they were happy but weary and looking forward to some cosy time on the sofa but as Jess opened the front door she noticed a strange smell. She put the boys in the sitting room and went into the kitchen to investigate — that was when the house exploded. Jessica tells Dr Sian Williams how the family, with the help of their village, began to rebuild their lives.

Up next
Jul 7
Introducing Half-Life from The History Podcast
Reading his great-grandfather's memoir, Joe Dunthorne discovers a disturbing confession 
14m 14s
Jun 25
The Vicar of Bray's Daughter
In her early twenties Carol Cairns, the daughter of a priest in Ireland, had a passionate affair with a young bohemian poet called Benedict Ryan. In the Dublin of the 1960s, their improbable partnership burned bright but briefly. Somehow the gap in their backgrounds was too great ... Show More
28m 57s
Jun 18
The Singing Bus Driver
Phillip Browne was born into a large and loving Windrush generation family in Birmingham. Church and singing were an important part of his upbringing, and when he struggled at school it was singing that gave him an escape and a status. But just as he was beginning to show signs o ... Show More
29 m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
I Imagine Him Here
Felice Neal was in the checkout line at Whole Foods when she dropped her sweet potato. A handsome customer behind her said, “I think this is yours.” Felice was smitten.Felice believes this meet-cute was fate — and it opened her up to new ways of looking for love in a city full of ... Show More
21m 45s
Jan 2024
My Parents On Us Getting Married Quickly & Getting Scammed By Taylor Swift (Ep.20)
In this episode, Jess & Gabriel are joined by Jess' parents who share some hilarious and inspirational stories from their early life, as well as share what it was like raising Jess and their first impressions of meeting Gabe. 
41m 32s
Oct 2022
When the Music Stopped
Growing up in Brooklyn, Sonia Pérez recalled how her father would drink beer, sit on the sofa and lose himself in records from Puerto Rico, where he grew up. One day, he stopped listening. Sonia and her siblings wondered why.  On the other side of the world, in Ireland, Grainne A ... Show More
17m 33s
Jan 2022
1. When the Wind Changed
The Grimmer family moved from the UK to Australia in 1969. They were "ten pound poms" - part of a huge wave of migration down under. Months later, Three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer disappeared from Fairy Meadow beach in New South Wales. She was never seen again. In the moments before ... Show More
27m 57s
Jun 2018
Episode 4 - Soft Soil
Humiliated and broken by her husband's affair, Lyn finally asked JC to leave the Bayview home. The teenager walked out, and into the home of Chris's twin brother, Paul, a few hundred metres down the same street. Tensions continued to rise. And then suddenly, Lyn vanished. Years l ... Show More
1h 2m
May 2023
Immaculate
Happily married Joseph Parker and his wife fell on hard times after he lost his job. Their beautiful home in Tennessee was foreclosing soon, and they were equally distressed. The pressure was mounting, and they couldn’t imagine things getting any worse. Then, on their 12th annive ... Show More
24m 11s
Feb 2022
222. Coffee, Soap and Timekeeping with Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini
Fi and Jane chat to Jess Salomon and Eman El-Husseini, hosts of Comedians vs The News on the BBC World Service. The couple beam over from New York to offer their thoughts on making global audiences laugh, Jess' former career in The Hague and their non-lethal dog. Before Jess and ... Show More
55m 23s
Jan 2022
Coming Soon
A summer's day, 1970, and a mum and her four kids are on a beach in Australia. They're migrants, newly arrived from the UK, part of the generation of "ten-pound poms" looking for a fresh start down under.The oldest child, Ricki, takes his little sister, Cheryl, up to the changing ... Show More
2m 52s
Feb 2021
S1 Ep10: The Disappearance of Michaela Garecht (Part I)
On November 19th 1988 two nine year old girls happily rode their scooters to the Rainbow Market on Mission Blvd in Hayward California. It was a beautiful fall morning, like many others in the Bay area, it was the weekend before Thanksgiving and the two friends were excited to be ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 2022
When You Think You Know Your Parents
Ariel Sabar was visiting his parents in his childhood home in California, when he awoke one morning to high-pitched giggles coming from his parents’ room. He opened the door to a Norman Rockwell-type image: his father, 70, riding his stationary bike in his pajamas; and his 6-year ... Show More
20m 36s