A major new investigative podcast for BBC Sounds is being made by Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) as they collaborate for the first time.
I’m Not a Monster tells the story of a four year journey to understand the truth about Sam Sally, an American mum who left behind a comfortable life and travelled to the heart of the Islamic State group caliphate with her family.
Her husband became an ISIS sniper and her 10-year old son Matthew appeared in an infamous propaganda video threatening President Trump.
Journalist Josh Baker hosts the podcast which takes us on a dangerous journey from the depths of Raqqa’s infamous torture prison to an elk hunt in Idaho and ultimately reveals a mother’s path from Indiana to ISIS and back.
He first heard about this story after a tip off while recovering from a suicide bombing in 2016, which he almost didn’t survive.
Josh Baker says: “I’ve worked on a number of investigations into westerners who’ve joined ISIS, but this one proved to be like nothing I’ve experienced before.
“It’s a privilege to let Matthew tell his story as an American boy who was forced to appear in ISIS’ infamous propaganda. And for the first time bringing the two journalistic forces of BBC Panorama and Frontline PBS together to put their collective weight behind a global tale that’s explored across two films and a 10 part serialised podcast, allowing the audience to go deeper into this extraordinary story and follow the investigation every step of the way.”
Sam Sally’s story is also investigated in an upcoming FRONTLINE (PBS) documentary and on BBC’s Panorama.
The I’m Not A Monster podcast is produced by the combined team including Emma Rippon (BBC), Joe Kent (BBC) and Max Green (FRONTLINE PBS). The podcast was commissioned by Dylan Haskins and Jason Phipps (BBC Sounds) in collaboration with Raney Aronson and her team at FRONTLINE (PBS) and Karen Wightman and Rachel Jupp at BBC Panorama.
Episode one of the 10-part series of I’m Not A Monster will be available from Monday 23 November on BBC Sounds.
