It's the go-to Christmas present for the person who already has everything. A gift that promises to tell you who you really are and how you're connected to the world. Millions of us have spat into a tube and sent a vial of our DNA to a compa

Introducing The Gift

Sep 4th, 2023 2m 21s

Have you ever been curious enough to try and find out who you really are?Jenny Kleeman meets the men and women whose lives changed forever after opening a box containing a DNA test.A new six-part documentary series from BBC Radio 4, coming

9. Room 5 LIVE

Dec 28th, 2022 33m 33s

Room 5 LIVE at Hay Festival with screenwriter Abi Morgan.In this special episode of Room 5, recorded in front of a live audience at Hay Festival, Helena Merriman speaks to Abi Morgan - the BAFTA and Emmy-award winning playwright and screenwrit

8. Hannah

Dec 27th, 2022 29m 10s

On being one in a million. Hannah’s aged five, playing with the toys in a hospital waiting room. She’s been here before, been in and out of hospital since she was a baby. But today, she’s about to discover what’s been going wrong with her body.

7. Ruth

Dec 20th, 2022 29m 51s

On taking psychedelics to treat depression. Ruth‘s lying on a hospital bed. There’s calm music, she’s wearing an eye-mask and in her hand - a single white pill. It contains an illegal chemical which some doctors are convinced could revolutionis

6. Tre

Dec 13th, 2022 33m 8s

On his childhood nightmares and the diagnosis that explained them.Tre’s lying in bed. He’s 10 years old and his heart’s racing. He’s just seen a strange figure in the corner of his bedroom, and it’s moving towards him. Tre has experiences like

5. Tilly

Dec 6th, 2022 29m 45s

On changing her relationship with her body. From the outside, Tilly seems to have life figured out. She works in fashion, lives on a house-boat - for which she’s done all the plumbing and electrics. But inside, she’s struggling. She’s always fe

4. Gareth

Nov 22nd, 2022 30m 9s

Gareth’s search to find out why he has no sperm. Gareth Landy will never forget the room where it happens. Where he’s told he has no sperm. He’s devastated - he’s desperate to start a family with his wife Anna - and to do that he needs to find

3. Poppy

Nov 15th, 2022 30m 12s

The mystery diagnosis that sheds light on pain.After a routine knee-op, 23-year-old Poppy comes round in excruciating pain. Her leg changes colour, soon she can’t walk, yet her scans show nothing wrong with her knee.Doctors are baffled and abou

2. Simon

Nov 8th, 2022 29m 31s

Killing the worm in Simon’s brain before it kills him. Simon’s just back from holiday when things go off-kilter. He tries to open the fridge door - but can’t find the handle. He feels a throbbing pain in his head and a growing pressure behind h

1. Holly

Nov 1st, 2022 27m 54s

Aged 39, Holly Smale was a successful author - the creator of the bestselling series of children’s books, Geek Girl. One afternoon, while talking to her therapist, Holly breaks down, says she feels broken. And so begins her journey to understan

Introducing Room 5 series 2

Oct 25th, 2022 2m 1s

Helena Merriman previews the next series of Room 5 which starts on Tuesday 1st November.One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor’s surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In Room 5, she interviews people who - like her - were change

8. Helena

Apr 11th, 2022 29m 41s

‘It’s like being trapped in a room with a terrifying creature.’A few months after her son was born, Helena realises something is wrong. Her search for answers leads to a difficult decision. In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - li

7. Andrea

Apr 11th, 2022 29m 38s

‘My inbox on instagram was full of women saying thank you so much.’ The pain began when Andrea was a teenager. When she was given a diagnosis, she wanted to find a way of explaining it to the world. In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people

6. Jordan

Apr 11th, 2022 29m 15s

‘A light breeze can quickly turn into a desert storm.’ On his last day of the school year, 17-year-old Jordan starts seeing and hearing the world differently. Hours later, he’s in a police station, struggling to hold onto himself before his min

5. Gavanndra

Apr 11th, 2022 28m 53s

‘When I wasn’t high, I felt very sad and very scared.’Twenty years on, Gavanndra is struggling to make sense of a childhood trauma. Then she meets a psychologist who has an idea.In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - wer

4. Joel

Apr 11th, 2022 28m 53s

‘I stare at my own reflection, trying to remind myself that I’m not dead.’Joel never understood why he felt different to other people. Then a revelation in India sets him on a journey to find answers. In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews peop

3. Serena

Apr 11th, 2022 29m 6s

‘I wiped my tears away and had to carry on with the party.’When Serena is given an unexpected diagnosis, she has to make a life-changing decision. In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis. Writt

2. Jon

Apr 11th, 2022 29m 13s

‘It was unbelievably painful - I probably used a few Anglo-Saxon words.’Jon is at Peppa Pig World with his family when he notices something very unusual about his body. In Room 5, Helena Merriman interviews people who - like her - were changed

1. Bex

Apr 11th, 2022 29m 51s

‘He was interested in why I was so attached to this penguin’Bex is at university when she starts feeling anxious and overwhelmed. As Bex deteriorates, doctors are in a race against time to diagnose her. And that’s where the penguin comes in.In

Welcome to Room 5

Mar 30th, 2022 2m 18s

One afternoon, Helena Merriman walked into a doctor’s surgery and was given a shock diagnosis. In this series, she interviews people who - like her - were changed by a diagnosis. Told through an immersive sound design, this intimate series shin

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