*Quick note: We're working from home due to Covid-19, so this podcast is coming to you from Beth's wardrobe. Enjoy, and we hope you're all staying safe and sound. Lots of love, the HIS team xxx

Heaving his massive backpack on, 22-year-old Kiwi William Pike was itching to get up the mountain. He and his mate James Christie – who he’d met at uni while studying to be a primary school teacher – were about to conquer Mt Ruapehu, on New Zealand’s north island. It was James’ first taste of mountaineering and William couldn’t wait to introduce his friend to the sport that he was so mad about. Over a week, the lads planned to climb the mountain’s three major peaks – the highest soaring nearly 3000m above sea level. They had all the right gear, the weather forecast was good, but there was another factor that was completely beyond their control - Mount Ruapehu is an active volcano. But, checking in with the local authorities before setting off, they said there was no sign that it was about to erupt...

Interview/script/host: Beth Young

Producer: Jake Taylor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Pepita Nicholls asked her husband of 18 years, Robert Ridgeway, for a divorce, he hatched a dark plan to get revenge. Now, there's been an update in Pepita's incredible story...

Host: Beth Young/Interview: Riah Matthews/Producer: Denis Duggan

*Police interview published with permission from Queensland Police.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a sunny, crisp winter’s day in Interlaken, Switzerland, and Florida couple Chris and Gail Gursky, married for 26 years and parents to a grown-up son, had the perfect plan to get their hearts pumping – hang-gliding over the gorgeous terrain. They loved zip-lining. Now, it was time to up the ante. And they were keen to get started – it was their first day on holidays.

The instructor strapped Chris in, then they ran off the edge of the cliff together. But as soon as Chris' feet left the ground, his body sank straight down and he knew something was terribly wrong. Horrifyingly, his harness hadn't been strapped on properly. He wasn't attached. And he was hurtling well above the trees. This is how Chris survived...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Knocking off after a hard day of work as a labourer, 32-year-old Joe Green, from Indiana, in the United States, was looking forward to an icy cold beer.

Meeting his mum and brother for dinner and drinks, he planned to head home around 10pm. Instead, he dropped off at another bar and kept drinking. One led to another, and by 2am Joe had lost track of how much alcohol he’d consumed.

Recklessly deciding to drive home, he fell asleep behind the wheel. Waking up in hospital a fortnight later, his legs had been amputated. And his penis. This is how Joe survived…

Interviewer/scriptwriter/host: Beth Young

Producer: Jake Taylor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.