My Story - Family

In 2009, the BBC launched the My Story competition to find the most remarkable true life stories in Britain. Altogether over 7,500 people sent in their stories and in this, the first of five programmes, Maureen Lipman meets three of the fifteen finalists, one of whom will win the chance to see their story become a published book. These opening three stories are based around the theme of family, and include an amazing story of coincidence when a woman's past catches up with her in the most incredible way. There's a gripping story of how a woman's perfect middle class family life fell apart after her husband planned a shocking surprise, and Maureen meets a mother who felt forced to take the law into her own hands when her ten-year-old son was abducted. They are all truly extraordinary stories and the winner, selected by a panel of judges, will be revealed at the end of the programme. The winning story will then be published as a book, which will be available in bookshops from Wednesday morning, or you can download it for free from the BBC website.