I'm Not A Monster

I'm Not A Monster is a BBC Sounds documentary podcast produced by BBC Panorama and PBS [Frontline (American TV program)|Frontline]. The first series, released between November 2020 and January 2022, followed the story of Sam Sally, an American woman who lived under the Islamic State with her husband and children. The second series, I'm Not A Monster: The Shamima Begum Story, was released in 2023 and followed Shamima Begum, a U.K.-born woman who joined the Islamic State at age 15.
The podcast is hosted by British journalist Josh Baker, who is also a producer, and written by Baker and Joe Kent.

Development

Producer Josh Baker became interested in the story of Samantha Sally in 2016, after seeing a video of her son being forced to build a suicide bomb. This sparked a four-year-long investigation into the whereabouts of the family and, once they were out of Islamic State control, how and why Sally and her children had ended up with the Islamic State to begin with. Season one of the podcast follows Baker's investigation.
The podcast was announced in November 2020, and marked the first collaborative project between BBC Panorama and PBS Frontline.
In 2023, the podcast was greenlit for a second season focusing on Shamima Begum.

Reception

Both series one and two of the podcast have been well received. The second series saw particular praise from British media, who applauded the podcast's telling and analysis of the story of Shamima Begum, which had already been covered extensively in Britain. The Telegraph noted, "the podcast turns out to be ingenious, and Baker’s approach is incredibly revealing". The podcast was BBC Sounds' eighth most popular podcast in 2023.