Hostage Survival
Strapped to explosives, threatened with execution and packed into a vehicle with a suicide bomber, civil engineer Nick feared for his life. It was 2013, and he had found himself at the heart of a violent attack on the Algerian gas facility he was working at, carried out by a group later revealed to be affiliated to Al-Qaeda. It was a deadly hostage situation, in which 39 workers lost their lives – several of them Nick’s close colleagues.
Talking to Dr Sian Williams, he describes how the attack unfolded and why he has sought to use his horrific experience to support others facing similar trauma.
Producer: Tom Alban
Warning: This episode contains descriptions of violence and death. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline.
Life Changing
In this series Dr Sian Williams talks to people who have lived through extraordinary events that have set their lives on an entirely different course.
This podcast is all about the human experience, how people deal with obstacles that turn their lives upside down. The journeys are not always straightforward and there are often some remarkable discoveries along the way.
Would you like to appear on the podcast? Do you have an extraordinary story to tell? We'd love to hear from you: [email protected]
- No. of episodes: 65
- Latest episode: 2025-06-04
- Society & Culture
Where can you listen?
