Rewind: An author, his cellmate, and a new beginning
When award-winning author Alex Wheatle was sentenced to nine months in prison at the age of 18, he thought his life was over.
How a book-loving prisoner showed a young Alex Wheatle the path to self-belief.
Alex had been born in London to Jamaican parents, but grew up in care in the notorious Shirley Oaks children鈥檚 home. As a teenager, he was convicted of assaulting a police officer during the Brixton Riots. He felt totally alone and without hope. But as the door slammed on Alex鈥檚 prison cell, he met a book-loving man called Simeon who opened his eyes to the importance of his own history 鈥� and encouraged him to use his past to write a new and hopeful future. This was originally broadcast in December 2023.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Hetal Bapodra and Anna Lacey
Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784
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Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected. Extraordinary personal stories
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