Alan Dein searches for the stories that connect us in a changing world. Today, Alan hears stories from people who’ve transformed their lives and are helping others to do the same against the backdrop of the pandemic. He speaks to Alhaji in Sierra Leone who’s building a house for his parents from the money he’s earned working in the United States. He hears from Tiffany in India who helps visually impaired people become more independent, after her own challenging childhood. Alan also connects with Al in the United States who aims to inspire young people in a tough area of Chicago. And he catches up with Ibrahim who, at the start of the pandemic, was homeless on the streets of Athens. Nine months on, Ibrahim’s life has changed beyond recognition. Plus, Margaret in Uganda – who cares for youngsters orphaned by AIDS – shares her hopes for the new year. Producers: Sarah Shebbeare & Laurence Grissell

Alan Dein searches for the stories that connect us in a changed world. Inspiring and moving stories of how the pandemic has changed people's lives on every continent. Today, airline pilot Peter in Australia talks about deciding to become a bus driver after the pandemic forced him to stop flying. And wedding planner Vithika in India discusses the dramatic impact of the pandemic on her industry. Plus, Chun Wing, a ballet dancer at the Paris Opera shares the frustrations of not being able to perform. Alan also speaks to Shira who lives in an orthodox community in Israel and he catches up with doctor Ahmed in Sudan who’s just made a major decision about his job. Producers: Sarah Shebbeare & Laurence Grissell

Alan Dein searches for the stories that connect us in a changed world. Inspiring and moving accounts of how the pandemic has changed people's lives on every continent. Today, Liana in Armenia celebrates her 30th birthday as her country finds itself at war with Azerbaijan - as well as covid-19. We also catch up with 25 year old entrepreneur Fahad in Bangladesh, who Alan first spoke to in March when it looked like he might lose his hard-earned fortune. Plus, Ugandan midwife Marion faces the toughest year of her career and Fish in China describes how lockdown is affecting her fellow students’ mental health. Producers: Sarah Shebbeare & Laurence Grissell

Alan Dein searches for the stories that connect us in a changed world. Inspiring and moving accounts of how the pandemic has changed people's lives on every continent. New series. Today, Alan connects with Sakie in Myanmar, who tells of a heroic 24 hour journey from his remote village in order to save his mother’s life. He also catches up with Maria Ester in Ecuador, who Alan first spoke to six months ago when it looked as if her family business was on the verge of collapse. Alan also connects with Mursalina in Afghanistan, Mohammed in Gaza and Kenyan wildlife photographer Jahawi who describes the wonders of the underwater world. Producers: Sarah Shebbeare & Laurence Grissell

Alan Dein talks to people around the world about the challenges of family life in lockdown. He connects with Margaret in Uganda who has adopted many children orphaned by HIV. And he reaches out to Alezz in Peru, a trans non-binary person who is confined to their bedroom as their parents struggle to accept them. He also speaks to Pawel who got trapped in Poland at the start of January and doesn't know when he'll be able to return home to his wife in China. Producers: Georgia Catt, Laurence Grissell & Sarah Shebbeare

Across every continent, lives have been put on hold, and people are looking to the day when they can pick up and restart after lockdown. Alan Dein connects to people looking forward to continuing those things most important to them. In Mexico, Lucia has spent the past seven years searching for her kidnapped son – one of thousands of disappeared children in the country. For the first time, she has been forced to put that on hold. Captain Jens aboard a vast container ship has not been on land for three months – and does not know when he will next see his family, but he is finding solace in the logs of his ancestors. In Nigeria, optometry student Babatunde Ismail Bale is sheltering in a mosque after his college closed its doors – but is still finding ways to study. And in the Philippine’s capital Manila, armed soldiers on the streets are bringing back fearful memories of martial law in the 1970s.

Alan Dein connects with people around the world trying to find moments of calm during the coronavirus pandemic. He speaks to Jens, the captain of a container ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean who is unsure when he may be able to get his crew back home, and Sujatha, an 85 year old in India who is philosophical about being confined to her home in Delhi. 1000 miles south of Delhi, Alan reaches out to Chinu who is feeding Mumbai's urban poor as the Indian government imposes a lockdown. And he speak to Benedetta, who is eight months pregnant in an anxious and eerily quiet Rome. Alan also catches up with 16 year old Ibrahim who was homeless on the streets of Athens when they last spoke - but now has some good news to share. Producers: Georgia Catt, Laurence Grissell & Sarah Shebbeare

Across every continent, people are trying to make sense of a new world – one that happens mostly behind closed doors and often alone. Alan Dein connects with seven individuals whose lives have shifted under the coronavirus pandemic as they nervously anticipate what will come next in an uncertain future. In Tehran, Golnar, an Iranian who describes herself as ‘global traveller’ is inside her apartment – all future trips postponed. Across the town is the hostel she set up with a friend. Forced to close in the city’s lockdown it is now serving a crucial role. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated city’s on earth. As the pandemic takes hold, entrepreneur Fahad worries for the successful delivery business he has spent years building up and the future for his parents he shares a home with. Not everyone is inside. In Greece, Ibrahim is homeless, sheltering in an abandoned building. His friend Mikki is self-isolating and cannot help him. Plus stories from Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Sudan of isolation and expectation.

Marco loves Beijing - and being Chinese born he should feel at home. But instead he always feels a bit different from those around him, because he was brought up in Australia. His wanderlust is never ceasing, flying across the world is his way of finding contentment, bringing new perspectives back to China with him. But will he ever feel settled? Nosaiba is from Sudan, but for three years she has been living with her parents in Saudi Arabia. Life for women has become a little less restrictive. She can go out alone, and even drive. But in fact, she feels mainly boredom - missing friends in Sudan, and also the demonstrations that have been taking place there - she lives in one place, but her heart is in another. Kutay lives in Istanbul, but missed the sea. He was a mariner, travelling across the world, and finding it a wonderful, challenging place. But when he fell in love with an American woman, he left his job, and made plans to go on the road with her... until... let's not give it all away.. Wanderlust - pits, perils, and wonder, with Alan Dein. Producer: Sara Jane Hall

Alan Dein talks to people around the world to find out how they recover when facing difficulty. Helena is a young woman in Venezuela, living alone with her daughter. Caught in the middle of a national crisis, crime and electrical blackouts, she leaves an audio diary for Alan documenting the week leading up to her daughter's 9th birthday. He also speaks to a personal trainer in Sri Lanka whose business is much more than exercise and an Argentinian man who finds hope in personal tragedy. Producer: Sam Peach

Alan Dein connects with people around the world united by their desire to find fulfilment. Alan speaks to a young gay man in China troubled by homophobia and an Egyptian woman determined to resist the religious extremism she witnesses in her small city. He also reaches out to an Iranian man struggling to pursue his passion for foreign languages against the odds and a jobless Nigerian distressed by his inability to provide for his family. Producer: Laurence Grissell

Some locations - the beaches of California, the South American rain-forest, the majestic scenery and slow pace of Christchurch, New Zealand - may seem like Paradise - but reality, in the form of nature, climate change, industrialisation, or terrorism, can often creep in, even in these beautiful places. What about if you live there? Alan Dein talks to three strangers from across the globe, finding out the threats to Paradise, and how those who have chosen to make their lives there cope. Jefferson grew up in Malibu, one of the most desirable places on earth - surfing, hiking, living the outdoor life. Once in a decade a fire would come and change all that... but in recent years the fires have become more regular and more devastating. How did Jefferson get through the devastating experience of losing his home to fire? . Alan also gets a glimpse of life in the rain forest, speaking to Fernando who is lying in a hammock on the Pacific Coast of Colombia - describing the whales that come each year to visit the sea just off the beach. But he fears a giant new maritime port will destroy the community, the forest and the land he has learnt to love. Alan also speaks twice to Julie from Christchurch, New Zealand, who vividly recalls the way her city crumbled to dust in front of her eyes in the devastating earthquake of 2011 - before changing for the better, with a stronger community spirit, during the city's recontruction. But then she calls again - just a couple of days after the devastating terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques - giving Alan the chance to ask 'how does the city feel after this new tragedy'? Producer: Sara Jane Hall

Alan Dein hears compelling personal stories from people around the globe about the things which unite them. In Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the North of England and beyond, Alan connects with people online who are on the move, exploring what ‘motion’ means to different people through individual and collective experiences. This includes a unique insight into marriage behind the wheel from a husband and wife trucking duo as they travel across Europe and reflections from a Saudi woman about how her life has changed since the female driving ban was lifted in June last year. Producer: Hannah Dean

In this week's episode, Alan connects with people in Sweden, Brazil, Australia, Poland, and beyond. Conversations include a trans man in the military getting ready for fatherhood, a burlesque performer building queer community in Brazil, and a woman who wonders how different her life might have been if she never found roller derby. Producer: Arlie Adlington

Alan Dein connects with strangers across the world, exploring the things that unite people across cultures and borders. Today, Alan reaches out to people in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Sierra Leone and beyond - exploring what it means to belong. He hears people yearning for a better life elsewhere - and those determined to make a go of it where they are. Producer: Laurence Grissell

Alan Dein connects with random strangers around the world and calls them. Each has a personal, intimate story of how art has enriched their lives or provided solace in difficult times. Producer: Georgia Catt.

Alan Dein connects with random strangers around the world and calls them. Alan Dein connects with random strangers around the world and calls them. Each has a story of exile - whether through escape, economic necessity or adventure. Producer: Georgia Catt.

Alan Dein continues his virtual global journey, calling random people he stumbles across on line. Through extraordinary stories of tolerance, Alan hears what people endure in their political, religious and love lives. Bob, a Lebanese computer intern, tells of his struggles as a fervent Islamist, Samira a Brazilian teacher confesses to infidelity and Tariro shares her joy as the tanks roll into Harare. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein connects with random strangers around the world and calls them. This week, his guests are in far flung places and bustling cities but each, in their own way, isolated. He finds Clare, an ex-Mounted Police Officer in the High Arctic, Dino, a security guard, locking up after a long nightshift in Skopje and in Northern China, 19-year-old Ben, whose ears are still ringing from his first night ever in a nightclub. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein travels the world via the internet talking to parents and children about navigating the tricky expectations they have of each other. Among those Alan strikes up conversation with today: a Filipino mother estranged from her gay son, a Ugandan woman whose education was cut short and a young Korean man hiding his tattoos from his parents. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein travels the world via the internet, talking to people trying to survive against the odds. Locking himself away in a studio in Broadcasting House, Alan crosses time zones and continents speaking to random strangers using Facebook, Skype and WhatsApp. Among those Alan gets chatting to today is BJ who spends half his life working on the confines of an oil rig in the East Timor Sea so that he can spend the rest of his time throwing himself off high rise buildings as he pursues his super dangerous pastime, base jumping. Then there's Syrian refugee Abdulkader who tells of his epic journey to Europe from the ruins of Aleppo. Also on Alan's contacts list today are Sam and Anna, co-workers in a call centre in Ukraine, who dream of leaving their poorly paid jobs behind forever. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein talks to his Facebook friends across America about the election of Donald Trump. Just hours after the result, Trump and Clinton supporters alike talk passionately about why they voted the way they did - and share their hopes and fears about the future of the United States. Working through the night, Alan tries to understand what the election has revealed about modern America - from California to Tennessee. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein continues his nocturnal excursions via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. Tonight he connects with a civil engineering student from Kathmandu two years on from the earthquake that devastated parts of Nepal, a Jamaican living in Panama City who is waiting to fulfil his childhood dream of joining the US army and a man in Tanzania, expecting the birth of his first child. Producer: Clare Walker.

Alan Dein presents the moving story of three years in the life of Hank & Norma, a couple in their 60s from Arkansas, USA - told entirely by the messages left by Hank for Alan on Skype. Alan first spoke to harp-playing Hank three years ago for Don't Log Off. Shortly afterwards, Hank started to leave Alan occasional messages and audio recordings. As the months went by, the recordings became more intimate and revealing, charting Hank's major heart surgery and Norma's experiences with cancer. Entirely on his own initiative, Hank started to record every detail of the couple's lives - including the final hours of Norma's life. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein continues his series of nocturnal conversations with random strangers. Settling down for the night, he locks the studio door and opens the microphone to people he encounters online. As he crisscrosses the world, he hears from a Kenyan pilot who lives her childhood dream of flying helicopters over hammerhead sharks in Key West, a Parisian designer stopped in his tracks by meningitis and a man in Pennsylvania accused of bewitching his wife. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein embarks on a new series of nocturnal excursions via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. Alan holes himself up in a studio through the night and invites the online world to talk to him. Knowing nothing about the people he is about to talk to, he settles down for an evening of intriguing encounters. Tonight he connects with a Nigerian trapped in Abu Dhabi, a Hungarian woman who found salvation in the birth of her son, a Dutch man who believes he's a reincarnated slave and a grounded Canadian test pilot coming to terms with the fact he'll never fly again. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of strangers he randomly encounters. In this episode he explores dependency, hearing from a young German woman who fell into a coma while in Ireland, and a workaholic in Singapore punishing his body with drink. Producer Emma Betteridge.

Alan Dein connects with the world online, linking up with people across the globe to discover dramas of personal identity, including an American whose roots might be more tangled than he first thought, thanks to the Cold War. Producer Mark Burman.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of strangers he randomly encounters. In the first programme in this new series, Alan hears stories from people who have had to find the strength to deal with difficult situations and make tough choices. Speaking out for the first time, a girl in trouble with her education tells Alan how her sponsor offered her a repulsive choice. A New York lawyer fights to get back to work after a horrific attack and a Syrian student leaves his family in the hope of rebuilding his country. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. This week he speaks to people who, through choice or circumstance, are going it alone. He hears from a Chinese student, now living in Los Angeles, who is coping with living alone in a foreign country and has come to terms with his stutter without the help of a speech therapist. A woman from Australia explains how she is overcoming the disappointment of being jilted by her Vietnamese fiancé while another in Argentina explains why she wants to remain alone having lost her savings in pursuit of a relationship. And finally he hears from a widow in London who is haunted by her husband's death. Producer: Clare Walker.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. Today, people tell stories about grappling with issues of identity. A disabled woman from the Ukraine talks about ethnic tensions as crisis grips the country, keeping an audio diary of her reflections as the situation develops. Alan also hears from a young woman in Moscow who discusses the difficulties of being gay and mixed race in Russia. Meanwhile, a young Bolton man whose family originate from Pakistan recounts his horror after being shot at during his last visit there, reflecting on how it has informed his views on nationality. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. In this first programme of the new series, Alan discovers some moving stories of couples under pressure. Alan builds up a relationship with Hank and Norma in Arkansas, USA following them over the course of a difficult year as harp-playing Hank draws on his own near-death experience to deal with Norma's breast cancer. As Hank puts it: "I worked hard to survive, and I deserve my companion in life..." Alan also tracks the fortunes of a young couple in love, trying to make a go of it despite the fact one lives in southern Italy and the other in Slovakia. Plus a veteran of the first Gulf War - now a long distance lorry driver - recalls how he salvaged his own relationship after it faltered as a result of long absences from home.

Via Facebook and Skype Alan Dein connects to the lives of strangers across the globe to hear their stories. The tumultuous events of the Arab spring have reached an uncertain conclusion in Egypt. Now, with Friday night curfew drawing close, Alan hears a diversity of experience. From Shady who has found a new life in the revolutionary protests of January 25th 2011 ,a sleeper awoken from his days as a football fanatic, waiting for the next seismic event to Rasa who defies the curfew to maintain her sanity. Elsewhere in Alexandria a newly qualified doctor, Doaa, reflects on the passing of her father and her new responsibilities. Producer: Mark Burman.

Alan Dein continues his night time conversations with internet strangers, discovering the lives behind the profiles of people he randomly meets through Facebook and Skype. This week he speaks to people living and working away from home. A nurse in Germany awaits the arrival of battle-injured troops, a disabled Romanian longs for the arrival of the family's first car, and an Icelander asks Alan if he should put a rose on his girlfriend's grave. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein hears the story of Bryan from the US and Anna from Russia who met online - using Google Translate. Bryan doesn't speak Russian and Anna doesn't speak English - they conduct their communication entirely via the online translation tool. Alan has been following the story for Don't Log Off for over a year, speaking to Bryan on Skype on numerous occasions. Since they first spoke, Anna decided to move to the US with her two children. She sells her house in Russia and takes just three suitcases to set up home with Bryan. The couple's understanding of each other's languages remains minimal. She arrived in the US in July this year - and the couple had 90 days to get married or Anna would have to leave the country. The wedding date is set for 21st September - but then, suddenly, it's called off... because Anna has concerns. Alan decides to travel to Boise, Idaho to see how things work out... Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers as Don't Log Off comes to Saturday mornings for the first time. And in this first programme, Alan speaks to a range of people looking for escape - in a range of honest and moving encounters which take him right around the globe. He hears from a female human rights activist in Saudi Arabia trying to flee the country after hearing her life is in danger - and a Marilyn Manson fan yearning to escape Russia. There are lighter moments, too, as Alan speaks to a Japanese man about his dashed hopes of a career singing love songs and a Ugandan hoping for a happy ending to his romance with a woman in Finland. Hooked up to a computer into the early hours of the morning, Alan crosses continents online - inviting anyone and everyone to talk to him. He never knows who he will be speaking to next or what secrets they will reveal. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. Tonight, stories about the power of belief. Alan hears the epic story of a Peruvian man who believes that a Canadian visa will persuade his Belarusian ex-wife to come back to him, an American woman tells of her relationship with a Muslim which raised eyebrows in the Midwest and a Canadian man talks about speaking to the spirit of his late father. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook & Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. He never knows who he will be speaking to next or what secrets they will reveal. Tonight, he hears a moving story of widowhood from 60 year old Jennie in the Australian Bush. The line is so bad that Alan decides to send her a digital recorder so that she can record herself in quality. What emerges is a bittersweet and intensely personal story but one which also touches on key events in Australia in the post-1945 era, including the Vietnam War and the catastrophic Darwin Cyclone. She also uses the recorder to capture some of the abundant bird life in her remote and rural part of Queensland. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein holes himself up in a studio through the night and invites the online world to talk to him. Knowing nothing about the people he is about to talk to, he settles down for an evening of intriguing, random encounters. In this second programme, he crosses the world via Facebook & Skype and hears the stories of people in the process of healing. A woman pursues new love when her husband's infidelity begins days after their wedding, a Ghanaian healer tries to cure a woman through prayer over the phone, and a barrister struggles to regain his speech after being stabbed and beaten with a machete in an Anguillan restaurant. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein crosses the world via Facebook and Skype, hearing the real life dramas of random strangers. Hooked up to a computer well into the early hours of the morning, Alan circumnavigates the globe online inviting anyone and everyone to talk to him. He never knows who he will be speaking to next or what secrets they will reveal. In the first programme, Alan hears stories of connection and separation. He connects with a man in Cairo as a gunfight rages outside, a French woman nervously awaiting a meeting with her estranged father and a Brazilian man mystified at the disappearance of an online lover. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein sets out on nocturnal excursions via Facebook and Skype, discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles, talking to people in every corner of the globe. Holed up in the studio late into the night, Alan makes conversation with people all over the world, talking to them about their stories. He never knows what he'll be hearing next. This time, the theme is War and Peace as Alan connects with a Beirut man shot by a sniper during the Lebanese civil war, a woman whose father was imprisoned during the Cuban revolution and a young man in California jailed for domestic violence. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein crosses the world on a series of late night excursions via Facebook and Skype, discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles. Among those he connects with are Bryan, whose relationship with his Russian girlfriend has been conducted entirely through Google Translate, and Bill, who stood in a phone box, holding a gun to his head as he came out to his wife. Alan also catches up with Amir, who in the last series was trying to leave Iran, and finds out why he was so keen to go. Producer: Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein sets out on a series of nocturnal excursions via Facebook and Skype, discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles, talking to people in every corner of the globe. Holed up in the studio late into the night, Alan makes conversation with people all over the world, talking to them about their stories and whatever else is on their mind. He never knows what he'll be hearing next. Among those he connects with this time are a 66 year old widow in rural Texas and an 18 year old with Aspergers who makes a living playing online poker all night. He also catches up with Jennifer in Nova Scotia who featured in the last series - whose ex-husband is just about to come out of jail and marry her best friend. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a series of late night excursions via Facebook and Skype - discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles. It's a hesitant start as Alan starts from a "Friend" count of zero, struggling to lure users away from the anonymity of the keyboard to the glare of the webcam - and engage in real verbal communication. Yet over five long late nights, he gradually builds up a circle of friends, crossing the time zones and discovering some startling stories. In this second programme, he's among those dreaming of freedom, talking to a man car-jacked in Caracas, and an Iranian evading the electronic eavesdropping of the authorities who's determined to flee the country. Five years ago, Alan Dein brought us the acclaimed Don't Hang Up, in which he set himself the task of calling phone boxes around the world to see who picked up. This time, the project reaches a whole new scale. Producers: Laurence Grissell and Sarah Bowen.

Alan Dein attempts to cross the world on a series of late night excursions via Facebook and Skype - discovering the real life dramas behind the online profiles across two programmes. It's a hesitant start as Alan starts from a "Friend" count of zero, struggling to lure users away from the anonymity of the keyboard to the glare of the webcam - and engage in real verbal communication. Yet over five long late nights, he gradually builds up a circle of friends, crossing the time zones and discovering some startling stories. In programme one, Alan's in the realm of love and loss - online and offline. He connects with a single parent snowbound in Nova Scotia, an Egyptian whose online romance turned sour and a Pakistani yearning for a girl from the wrong caste. In programme two, he's among those dreaming of freedom, talking to a man car-jacked in Caracas, and an Iranian evading the electronic eavesdropping of the authorities. Previously, Alan Dein brought us the acclaimed Don't Hang Up, in which he set himself the task of calling phone boxes around the world to see who picked up. This time, the project reaches a whole new scale. Producers: Laurence Grissell and Sarah Bowen.