Life On The Edge
Podcast SeriesA diagnosis, a freak accident, a breakdown. It couldn’t happen to me….could it?
In Life On The Edge, we share with you the hidden struggles of ordinary people. Brought to you by ice&fire, the UK’s leading human rights theatre company and sponsored by Trust For London, we take you right to the heart of the issues, told by the people themselves. Bob is a real life I, Daniel Blake; Stephanie‘s a single Mum trying to make ends meet; renting in London for Rebecca means never knowing where she’ll be next and Margaret find herself at the mercy of the Home Office. Eight standalone episodes, twenty-two personal stories and collaboration with experts such as Gingerbread, St Mungos, Generation Rent and UK Black Pride. The human story of what happens when your world crumbles around you.
This is life as you know it….pushed all the way to the brink.
1. Your Assessor Has Found You ‘Fit For Work’
Jayne, Bob and Mary’s working lives came to a halt due to illness and disability. They share their experiences of the benefit system and the uncertainty and anxiety they face.
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2. Refugee Journeys to London: 1976 & 2016
Tita and Margaret were both forced to flee their native countries (Chile and Uganda) almost forty years apart and ended up in London. We look at the refugee experience then and now. We also talk to activists at a ‘Shut Yarls Wood’ demonstration and ask them why they decided to join the growing movement.
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3: The London Renting Game
Yousif’s struggled with homelessness, Caroline’s cooked with cockroaches and Rebecca’s called some unusual places home. 3 stories of renting in the capital and some thoughts on what needs to change.
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4: A Fair Day’s Pay
From the smallest strike the UK’s ever seen to nationwide action, we head to the picket line to bring you 3 stories of London’s most inspiring Living Wage campaigns. How far would you go for a fair day’s pay?
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5: A Class Above The Rest
Do the privileged have the monopoly on the top universities? Would you be prepared to work for free? We talk to students, teachers and actor George Costigan to bring you stories of people striving to level the playing field.
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6: Can We Take Pride in 2018?
What does is mean to be LGBT+ in the capital? Does Pride in London speak to you? We visit Galop and the Outside Project and share stories from members of London’s LGBT+ community, exploring attitudes to Pride in London and how a seaside excursion gave rise to UK Black Pride.
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7. A Hard Day’s Night
London is fast becoming a 24-hour city, in this episode we talk to some of its growing number of night workers. What’s it like to work while most of us are asleep? Why do workers choose to be nocturnal? Is it a choice at all?
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8. Going It Alone
One in four families are single parent households and one in three in London. In the final episode of this series, four Mums share their stories of life as a single parent and we ask what’s it really like raising a child alone?
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9. Still Fit For Work
Sharon and Ruth have worked all their lives but when illness and disability strike they both turn to the benefit system for help. As the government prepares to move disabled claimants onto Universal Credit, we bring you two more stories of people struggling to get the help they need.
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10. Pay Now Grieve Later
Have you ever thought what happens if you can’t pay for a funeral? Just how much does it cost and who do you go to for help? Teresa, Rick and Thomas share their struggles with funeral poverty and the charity Down To Earth offer help and advice on where to turn.
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