Vernon Kay presents Against All Odds
Made in Manchester has recruited ITV star and Radio 1 DJ Vernon Kay to present a special Paralympics programme about injured war veterans who have swapped the frontline for the start line.
Against All Odds will air as part of the Radio 1 Stories strand this Monday evening (August 20th) between 9 and 10pm and includes interviews with several soldiers turned athletes who were seriously injured while serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.
Producer and MIM Creative Director Ashley Byrne says “Their lives were shattered overnight, but they’ve rebuilt themselves to become elite sportsmen and women who’ll be competing in the greatest show on earth in London this summer.
“Vernon finds out how they’ve adapted physically and emotionally from being non-disabled, active soldiers, to become world class Paralympians,” he says.
Among those Vernon hears from is Jon-Allan Butterworth, who had to have his lower arm amputated after he was hit by a rocket in Basra. He took up cycling and is one of Team GB’s greatest hopes for a gold medal.
Other stories include the soldier turned Paralympian who lost both his legs after stepping on an explosive device in Afghanistan and the volleyball player who nearly bled to death when razor sharp shrapnel sliced into her right leg and back.
Ashley adds: “It was a pleasure to work with Vernon because he’s passionately interested in what these men and women have achieved. What you see is what you get with Vernon and his personality really shines through in this programme.”
Against All Odds is produced by Ashley Byrne and Andy Dickman and was researched by Andrew Edwards and Liam Starkey.
The programme comes weeks after MIM produced another doc about the Paralympics for 5Live. The Path to London: A Paralympic Journey was presented by Russell Fuller and looked at how people who had been previously non-disabled had adapted to the Paralympic sport following accidents or serious illness.
