0:00:02 > 0:00:03Ordinary people...
0:00:03 > 0:00:05- Look at that.- Tsunami!
0:00:05 > 0:00:07..extraordinary stories.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10It was one of the most amazing days of my life.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14It just felt like being part of a moment in history.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Bonds forged amid triumphs...
0:00:17 > 0:00:19and tragedies.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21She came to help people.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24So, to me, she is an angel. She is a great person.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26It would mean an awful lot to me
0:00:26 > 0:00:29to be able to say thank you to the firemen that saved me.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33They shared a past, then faced a future apart.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35I just hope I recognise them!
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Brought together by fate...
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's going to be very emotional.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..separated by time.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44# Rap 'er to bank, me canny lad! #
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Real lives reunited.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53In today's programme...
0:00:53 > 0:00:56from Britain to the battlefield.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59One woman's mission to rescue warzone refugees.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Well, basically, I came in to bring medicines, but I found
0:01:02 > 0:01:05there's a lot of sick children, wounded children,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09in different villages around places that are almost completely cut off.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11And they are being shelled daily.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Life saved, sight restored.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18The girl who's waited 16 years to say "thank you".
0:01:18 > 0:01:21You are an angel. Yes, you are.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23I am so happy to see you.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24And breaking news.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28We have rather been invaded by some people who
0:01:28 > 0:01:30we hope to be removing very shortly.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38What will happen when presenter and protester meet again?
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- No handcuffs this time, then? - Ah, wait and see.- OK!
0:01:47 > 0:01:49# You'll remember me
0:01:49 > 0:01:52# When the west wind moves
0:01:52 > 0:01:56# Upon the fields of barley
0:01:56 > 0:02:01# You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
0:02:01 > 0:02:03# As we walk in fields of gold... #
0:02:08 > 0:02:12In the early '90s, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe
0:02:12 > 0:02:15led to a series of vicious conflicts.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19The former Yugoslavia split into six separate states,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23with ethnic groups fighting each other for territory.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26The war in Bosnia was especially brutal.
0:02:26 > 0:02:27In this position,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30the Bosnians are only 15 feet from their Croat enemies.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Everything they have suffered since the war started
0:02:33 > 0:02:35has made one essential fact very clear -
0:02:35 > 0:02:38if they are going to survive, it is down to them.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Nobody is going to come to the rescue.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44When Sarajevo, home to a quarter of a million Muslims,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47came under fierce attack from Serb militias,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51the TV pictures outraged viewers around the world.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55They included a young artist from Brighton named Sally Becker.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00I saw a woman trying to cross the road in Sarajevo, the reporter
0:03:00 > 0:03:03was talking about the fact that snipers were targeting the area.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07She was there with a child of about three years old
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and she suddenly turned to the camera and she said,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12"Why is no-one helping us?"
0:03:12 > 0:03:14And it touched a chord with me and I just thought,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16"Yeah, why isn't anyone helping her?"
0:03:16 > 0:03:22Sally was 31, with no experience of delivering humanitarian aid.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23But she wanted to help.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25She contacted the United Nations
0:03:25 > 0:03:29and later that year advertised for volunteers who'd be willing
0:03:29 > 0:03:33to join a convoy taking medical equipment to Bosnia.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36I thought, "Well, OK, you know, the opportunity's there,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38"I'm up for it, I'll go and do it."
0:03:38 > 0:03:42It was just the chance to take part in something worthwhile.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45We had a new ambulance which we were given to take but were told
0:03:45 > 0:03:50not to come back with bullet holes in it by the chief.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Thanks to an intensive media campaign,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Sally's ambitious plan caught the public's imagination.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00In just six weeks, she found over 250 volunteers,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04plus a convoy of 57 ambulances and trucks.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08The aim - to get aid to the war-torn Bosnian city of Mostar.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13On the 10th of December, 1993, which was World Human Rights Day,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16we all gathered on Brighton seafront.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20There were 250-something volunteers.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23It was one of the most amazing days of my life.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29But soon after the convoy set off, problems developed.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Vehicles broke down,
0:04:31 > 0:04:36arguments broke out, Sally's own inexperience led to criticism.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Some of the vehicles had obviously been overloaded,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42so there was a big kerfuffle, a big airing of views
0:04:42 > 0:04:45about how well the convoy had been organised, this, that and the other.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49All of it was basically down to people that hadn't prepared properly
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and thought it through.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Of course, I'm no professional.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57I had never led such a big convoy before,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01and there were all kinds of hold-ups and problems en route.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03But when they finally arrived in Mostar,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06those problems were quickly forgotten.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They found civilians in desperate need of food,
0:05:09 > 0:05:10blankets and medicines.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And they found themselves in constant danger.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Brian had a close shave with a sniper's bullet.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23There was this "whht" noise as it went past.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Must've been within a few feet.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30And I instantly knew what it was - it was a round going past me.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Sally put herself in even greater jeopardy.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37She travelled into the besieged east side of the city,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40where the UN took her to 48 badly injured civilians.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42She then took them out of the city
0:05:42 > 0:05:46to her convoy waiting on the outskirts.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48I was so relieved to get out in one piece,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52and then suddenly, suddenly...
0:05:52 > 0:05:57there was this circle of ambulances from Britain,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and the patients I had fought so hard for
0:06:00 > 0:06:03were being carried from the UN vehicles into the ambulances
0:06:03 > 0:06:06and I knew that at last they were safe.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And it was the most incredible, incredible moment.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The volunteers drove the casualties to an airport,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15where they were flown away for urgent treatment.
0:06:15 > 0:06:2048 lives saved, £1 million worth of medical aid delivered.
0:06:20 > 0:06:25# I blame you for the moonlit sky
0:06:25 > 0:06:31# And the dream that died with the eagles' flight... #
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Sally's operation created worldwide headlines.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37She was dubbed "the Angel of Mostar".
0:06:37 > 0:06:41But she still insists that others should share the credit.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Without the volunteers, that mission would never have happened.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46It couldn't have happened.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I couldn't possibly have gone to all those places,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52I couldn't possibly have evacuated all those people.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57The fact that so many people are alive today is thanks to them.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01# Don't blame this sleeping satellite... #
0:07:03 > 0:07:06The aid mission may not always have run smoothly,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08but it ended successfully.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10And more than two decades on,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Sally is meeting up with some of her fellow aid workers.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Well, having never really seen any of the volunteers since,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22I've never known how they felt about the mission.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I think a lot could have been done better, and I agree.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I'm the first to criticise myself.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I was a terrible convoy leader,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34but hopefully they realise that
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I was just one person trying to do something.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40The reunion is taking place at the Brighton hotel
0:07:40 > 0:07:43from where the convoy set off in 1993.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46'Now I'm feeling nervous.'
0:07:46 > 0:07:48I wish they'd hurry up!
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Hope I'll know them.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56But the question is, will they recognise me, 21 years on?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Ex-volunteer Andy certainly does...
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- Hello, Sally.- Hello!
0:08:02 > 0:08:04God, it's so nice to see you.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06..as does former ambulance man, Brian...
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Hello, Sally.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- God!- Oh, dear!
0:08:11 > 0:08:14..along with a third volunteer, Gordon Bushell.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19In the years since the mission, he's developed severe osteoporosis.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20- Wow.- Hello, you.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I've got so many memories from that week we spent together.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27When the convoy set off in 1993,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Gordon was interviewed by a TV news crew.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32'All of these guys, and the women, too, obviously,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34'are doing this job unpaid. Let's start with...'
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Look how different I am now!
0:08:36 > 0:08:38You were losing your hair there!
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I know I was losing my hair there, yeah, but...
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I've got two children at home that we've bought presents for.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47They're going to have a real good Christmas when we get back.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'They're not going to have Christmas at all in Bosnia, so we're going to help them.'
0:08:50 > 0:08:52The only one that doesn't look any different is Sally!
0:08:52 > 0:08:54That's not what my daughter says.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56PRESENTER: 'No chance of evacuation.'
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Wow, I've never seen this.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01That's the convoy coming back with our casualties, yeah.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06This is where it looked like a wagon train thing in a Western, wasn't it?
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- All in a circle. - All parked in the compound, yeah.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11'..In Bosnia as soon as possible.'
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- Were you pleased with what we achieved out there?- Of course.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16- Yeah?- Of course. You know...
0:09:18 > 0:09:23..I've never forgotten it, and it spurred me on to do so much more.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26I'm so grateful that you guys joined me.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Wow.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Can only say thank you for putting that appeal out.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33You know, we were so grateful
0:09:33 > 0:09:36to be able to be part of the team that went out there.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41The disagreements that dogged the mission are long forgotten.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45What remains is a sense of pride at what they achieved.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Can I ask you something?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49If you were all well...
0:09:49 > 0:09:53and I said to you, "Right, we're going to do it again..."
0:09:53 > 0:09:55- I'd jump at the chance. - Would you?- I would.- We'd go.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57I thought you might say that.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01'It was quite a big mission and it took its toll, no doubt.'
0:10:02 > 0:10:06And none of them really knew if they'd even get back safely.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10So, to say they would take that risk again is really something.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17As for Sally, she did take that risk again,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19this time in war-ravaged Kosovo.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Coming up, the girl she evacuated to safety
0:10:25 > 0:10:27finally gets the chance to thank her.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33It's so lovely to see you.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35- It's lovely to see you too. - You look amazing!
0:10:41 > 0:10:43# Don't you tell me no Don't you tell me no
0:10:43 > 0:10:49# Soul, I hear you calling
0:10:49 > 0:10:54# Oh, baby, please
0:10:54 > 0:11:03# Give a little respect to me... #
0:11:07 > 0:11:121988 - the year that gay pride turned into gay anger.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18The target of their rage - Clause 28 of the new Local Government Act.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Ministers introduced it after newspaper claims that some schools
0:11:23 > 0:11:26were promoting same-sex relationships.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Opponents said it amounted to discrimination.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34The last time legislation like this was passed was exactly 50 years ago,
0:11:34 > 0:11:36and that was in Hitler's Third Reich.
0:11:36 > 0:11:41On May 23rd, Booan Temple joined other activists on a march
0:11:41 > 0:11:42through central London.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44As the marchers arrived at Downing Street,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48the police deployed to stop them entering.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They knew the demo was likely to create headlines.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Afterwards, they hatched a plot that would guarantee it.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Four, three, two, one...
0:11:59 > 0:12:02We made a decision to invade the BBC News
0:12:02 > 0:12:06because we really felt we needed to maximise the publicity
0:12:06 > 0:12:11we could get for this hideous bit of legislation being enacted.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Because it was the day that it became law.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Just before 6pm,
0:12:15 > 0:12:20Booan and three others sneaked into BBC Television's west London HQ.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23They then found their way to the news studio,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26where presenters Sue Lawley and Nicholas Witchell
0:12:26 > 0:12:28were preparing for that evening's bulletin.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29Five, four, three...
0:12:29 > 0:12:33There was the light above the door and we knew it would go green when it went on air,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36so we waited for that and then barged in.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Good evening, the headlines at six o'clock.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43- WOMAN IN BACKGROUND: Stop Section 28! - In the House of Lords,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45a vote is taking place now on a challenge to the poll tax.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Stop Section 28!
0:12:46 > 0:12:49For that instant, you wonder, "Well, what is happening?"
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Are they a threat?
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And I do apologise if you're hearing quite a lot of noise in the studio at the moment.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I am afraid that we have rather been invaded.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02There were so many people in there and they all went completely bonkers.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06- MUFFLED SHOUTING - Peers have been discussing the community charge, or poll tax.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09"It's Nicholas Witchell in the Six O'Clock News studio. The studio has been invaded."
0:13:09 > 0:13:12That prospect has already brought warnings...
0:13:12 > 0:13:14"Send security immediately."
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Six million viewers couldn't believe their eyes.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Nor, up in the studio gallery, could associate producer,
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Grant Clelland.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26I ran into the studio and I could see that one of the protesters
0:13:26 > 0:13:27had chained herself behind the desk
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and another had chained herself to the camera, and I could see that
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Nick was very much trying to get the show on the road.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I was rugby-tackled and hit the ground with a great crash,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40because I think it was kind of like no mercy for them.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42They didn't know what was happening,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45and so their response was quite robust.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I lowered myself onto her and sat on her,
0:13:48 > 0:13:54and tried to restrain her by putting my hand over her mouth.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57And then she was going, "Mm, mm, mm, mm!"
0:13:57 > 0:14:00And I think, possibly, I had my hand so firmly over her mouth
0:14:00 > 0:14:03that she was actually, by that stage, having difficulty breathing.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06I don't know. So, you know, I sort of released my grip.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Luckily, I think, within a few minutes,
0:14:08 > 0:14:13some sort of very large BBC security men arrived and unbolted them
0:14:13 > 0:14:16from the camera, wherever they had attached themselves to.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18'Led away, the women repeated their protest.'
0:14:18 > 0:14:21We're protesting about rights for lesbian and gay people.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25As the protesters were removed, the presenters continued broadcasting.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27That's it from us.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Michael Buerk and Philip Hayton will be here at nine o'clock.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Nicholas and I - just us - will be here tomorrow. Good night.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39The protestors were arrested but the BBC declined to press charges.
0:14:39 > 0:14:45Once released, they complimented Sue Lawley on her calm response.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47She was...extremely cool, that woman, eh?
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- Yeah, she was.- Listening to Desert Island Discs on Sunday.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53The activists got the publicity they'd sought,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56but not necessarily the headlines.
0:14:56 > 0:15:03The press response very much focused in on the idea of "loony lezzies".
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Memorably, in the Daily Mirror, "Beeb man sits on lesbian."
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Which was, I suppose, quite an unusual headline, really.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14In the intervening years, Sue Lawley has left the BBC,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Nick Witchell has travelled the world
0:15:16 > 0:15:18as the BBC's Royal Correspondent,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22and Booan has become a barrister.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Today, she's planning to call on Nick again,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26only this time, she's been invited.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28SHE CHUCKLES
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I often say that if I'm ever remembered for anything in the BBC,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34it will either be as the man who sat on that lady protester
0:15:34 > 0:15:36on the Six O'Clock News all those years ago
0:15:36 > 0:15:39or as the man who was called "that awful man" by Prince Charles
0:15:39 > 0:15:41on an icy ski slope in Klosters.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46# Maybe I didn't treat you
0:15:46 > 0:15:49# Quite as good as I should... #
0:15:49 > 0:15:52I am wearing the T-shirt that I wore in 1988
0:15:52 > 0:15:54so that Nick Witchell can recognise me.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57# I never took the time
0:15:57 > 0:16:01# You were always on my mind... #
0:16:01 > 0:16:05I'm looking forward to just hearing how it was
0:16:05 > 0:16:10that this small moment in television news history was planned,
0:16:10 > 0:16:16how it came about, how it was from their perspective.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20My view of him is somewhat clouded by his behaviour on the day,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23and I am just hoping that he feels...
0:16:23 > 0:16:25a bit calmer.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27SHE LAUGHS
0:16:27 > 0:16:31- We meet again!- Hello.- Hello. Fancy meeting you here.- How nice...
0:16:31 > 0:16:33- Here you are at the BBC again! - I know.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36- But in a different circumstance. - No handcuffs this time, then?
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- Ah, wait and see!- OK!
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Not going to chain yourself to the table or anything, no?
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- No, those days are gone.- It is really nice to meet you, actually.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Isn't it? It's fascinating.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Are you the person I sat on?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Thankfully not. I'm glad I wasn't.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51What happened to her, do you know?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55I know she was, erm, quite distressed at being sat on.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56She was very upset about it.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Well, if she's watching, or if you do subsequently get in touch
0:16:59 > 0:17:01with her, please apologise to her.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- Yeah.- If, in the heat of the moment, she was distressed...
0:17:04 > 0:17:06I'm sorry if that happened to her.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08No, that's absolutely... Apology taken, thank you.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- And I do apologise if... - Throughout the studio invasion,
0:17:11 > 0:17:14the presenters had to appear as calm as possible.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Behind the scenes, there was panic.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19Hello, how are you?
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Grant, who's joining today's reunion, was in the thick of it.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25- Were you in the gallery? - I was in the gallery, yes.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28- Was that you swearing?- No, that was... I'd never do that, no.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Somebody did, though, and the evidence has been preserved.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Grant has a recording that Booan has never heard before.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Yeah, brief glimpse of one protester.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50'Stop Section 28!'
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- "Stop Clause 28"?- Yeah.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55'Tory rebels have said the tax...'
0:17:55 > 0:17:58- Yeah, "Mm, mm, mm, mm!" - Yes, naughty.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01She got one "Stop Section 28" out.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03'We do apologise...
0:18:03 > 0:18:07'I am afraid that we have rather been invaded by some people
0:18:07 > 0:18:09'who we want to be removing very shortly.'
0:18:09 > 0:18:14- One of the classic lines in TV - "We've been rather invaded by some people."- Yes, "rather been invaded".
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Bless her, Sue did such a fantastic job.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21- Well, well, well...- 26 years.- 26 years ago.- And look at us now.- Yeah!
0:18:21 > 0:18:23Clause 28 was later repealed.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27No-one was ever prosecuted as a result of it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30But those who opposed it still believe they were right.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35The reason why we chose to take such a risk, actually -
0:18:35 > 0:18:39because, potentially, we could have faced quite serious charges
0:18:39 > 0:18:40had the BBC chosen to press them -
0:18:40 > 0:18:44was the seriousness and the extreme nature
0:18:44 > 0:18:47of that piece of legislation,
0:18:47 > 0:18:49which was just anti-everybody's civil rights
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and civil liberties, actually.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55It was a serious attack and that's why we made a serious response.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59Yeah, it was remarkably well-planned, I'd have to say.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Mm, thank you very much!
0:19:01 > 0:19:03It has been intriguing meeting you.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06If anyone else thinks that they want to try it again,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09they should be aware that the security here is extremely tight
0:19:09 > 0:19:12and extremely good, but it has been fascinating.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15They can contact me and find out! No, no, I'm joking.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20The BBC's old Shepherd's Bush studios have now closed.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Today, the news comes from New Broadcasting House.
0:19:23 > 0:19:28Nick's arranged a visit for Booan. A scheduled one, this time.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32You never quite know what to expect in a situation like this,
0:19:32 > 0:19:37and given that we met in pretty unusual circumstances 26 years ago,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39it was really nice to meet her.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Well, I hope it has been a pleasant, rewarding return.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- It has been a pleasure to meet you. - I'm glad that I've been invited.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50'The big thing is that I have been invited back by the BBC,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53'so, you know, 26 years ago,'
0:19:53 > 0:19:57this country was extremely homophobic and it is a lot, lot less now.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01'And the fact that Nick and I have had an interesting conversation
0:20:01 > 0:20:03'and shared our experiences'
0:20:03 > 0:20:07is part of the proof of that positive change.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20By 1998, fighting in the former Yugoslavia had spilled into Kosovo,
0:20:20 > 0:20:25where Serb nationalists were attacking ethnic Albanians.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Thousands were killed or driven from their homes.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Volunteer aid worker Sally Becker had achieved fame for her relief
0:20:33 > 0:20:35efforts in Bosnia five years earlier.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Now, she was on a new mission - filmed by a documentary crew -
0:20:39 > 0:20:42to help people in besieged villages.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Well, basically, I came in to bring medicines,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48but I found there's a lot of sick children, wounded children,
0:20:48 > 0:20:53in different villages around places that are almost completely cut off.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55And they are being shelled daily.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58They knew that the villages were going to be overrun very soon.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00They were already surrounded
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and they had been hit by countless shells.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09Staying put meant the locals faced a potential massacre.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12A number of families asked Sally to lead them
0:21:12 > 0:21:15across the mountains to the safety of Albania.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21It was very, very steep in parts.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23At times, we would carry the children
0:21:23 > 0:21:26because the mule couldn't keep its footing.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29It was really hard.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33Hard and dangerous - Serb paramilitaries were everywhere.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35But Sally pressed on.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40Among those she led on the trek was three-year-old Marigona Krasniqi,
0:21:40 > 0:21:42who was suffering from severe cataracts
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and on the verge of blindness.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47She was there to help many people.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51She was helping many people there and, yeah, one of them, it's me.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56With the border, and safety, just a few miles away, Sally
0:21:56 > 0:22:00and the refugees suddenly came under attack from Serb paramilitaries.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Marigona and her mother ran for their lives.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06RAPID GUNFIRE
0:22:06 > 0:22:11You're going to die. You knew that, "I'm going to die now."
0:22:11 > 0:22:16I don't know where we got the strength to run away.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Sally shielded a family beneath a tree as the bullets hit
0:22:20 > 0:22:22the branches above their heads.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26The baby was screaming, "Mama, mama." It was just awful.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It was really, really bad.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33After about an hour, I was so sure that we were just going to be killed,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38I decided that I had to risk standing up and calling out.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41And suddenly, it all went quiet.
0:22:42 > 0:22:46By standing up, Sally showed the Serbs she was unarmed
0:22:46 > 0:22:48and her gamble paid off.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52They arrested her and the family but spared their lives.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56I can say that she is an angel because we don't have many people
0:22:56 > 0:23:01in this world that would die to help someone live.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06She was there in war with us. She could have been dead now.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Sally was sentenced to 30 days in a Serbian prison.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Once released, she met up with a fellow aid worker and tried
0:23:17 > 0:23:22to trace Marigona and the others from whom she'd been separated.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25They found them in a refugee camp in Albania,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29among thousands of Kosovans who'd been terrorised out of their homes.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32I was amazed at how many children were in the camp
0:23:32 > 0:23:34and the appalling conditions they were living in.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37How people can live like that, it just makes you cry. And, actually,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40I had tears in my eyes when I saw the way these people were living.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42It was unbelievable.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Marigona was flown back to the UK,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47where Sally found a top eye specialist
0:23:47 > 0:23:52to perform the surgery needed to save the three-year-old's sight.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54We had to act quickly because with Marigona at that age,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58the cataracts can lead to permanent sight loss.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I wanted to help her regain her sight so she could really enjoy life.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10The operation was a success - Marigona's sight was saved.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16After recovering in Brighton, she returned to her family in Albania.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20She hasn't seen Sally since then, but has always remained grateful
0:24:20 > 0:24:24to the woman she calls her "guardian angel".
0:24:24 > 0:24:28The gift that Sally gave me is seeing this beautiful world,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30and living the life.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36If I was blind, there wouldn't be a life like this, you know?
0:24:36 > 0:24:40It would be... I would always have something stuck in my heart, like,
0:24:40 > 0:24:44"How does this world look like and how does my family look like?"
0:24:48 > 0:24:5416 years later, and Marigona is about to fulfil a long-held wish.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58She's travelled to the UK to thank the woman who saved her life
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and the surgeon who saved her sight.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04It's really one of my dreams since I was a little girl
0:25:04 > 0:25:09to meet Sally one day, and I'm very excited that it's today.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I am nervous, really, really nervous,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16meeting her after so many years.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Excited, happy...
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I don't know, I'm... Ooh, shaking!
0:25:22 > 0:25:26'I'm looking forward to seeing her again, most of all because
0:25:26 > 0:25:28'I know what she went through.
0:25:28 > 0:25:35'And I need to be sure that, despite everything, she's come through it OK.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40'That she can see and that she is happy and living a normal life.'
0:25:41 > 0:25:45I'm nervous, really nervous. I can't wait till she comes in.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50Hi!
0:26:07 > 0:26:09It's so lovely to see you.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13- It's lovely to see you too. - You look amazing. Don't be sad.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18- You've grown.- Yeah! - Come and sit down.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25- Oh, you look just the same.- Really? - Yes. You are an angel. Yes, you are.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- My daughter doesn't think so, I assure you!- Oh, you are.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31There are two others who want to meet Marigona today -
0:26:31 > 0:26:33surgeon, Christopher Liu,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35who performed the operation on her eyes...
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- Hi, Marigona.- Hi!
0:26:37 > 0:26:39..and Sally's fellow aid worker, Mike,
0:26:39 > 0:26:42who helped find her among the thousands of refugees.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46He's brought along photos of her while she was inside the camp.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50They were all there saying goodbye, all the people in the camp.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51So brave.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I would really like to thank you all
0:26:55 > 0:26:58for everything that you have done for me
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and for helping everyone in Kosovo.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04I am really, really thankful to you all.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09That was amazing. Really, really amazing.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12It's like one of my dreams just came true. It's amazing.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I am very, very happy.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Right...
0:27:18 > 0:27:22There's another reason Marigona's surgeon is seeing her today.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24It's been so long since the operation,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27he wants to check if any new cataracts are developing.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Patients who have them in childhood
0:27:33 > 0:27:36are at risk of glaucoma in later life.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Look straight, please. Left a little.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46- Well done. Thank you very much. - Thank you.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49It's good news.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51The implant is in the right place.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53It's been a success.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- Very well done.- Thank you.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Marigona's visit ends with a celebratory family dinner
0:27:59 > 0:28:01at the surgeon's home.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05In the 16 years since she was last here, the sick
0:28:05 > 0:28:10and frightened child has matured into a healthy and happy adult.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17It's hard to believe that that three-year-old little tomboy with sticky-out ears
0:28:17 > 0:28:22is that poised, elegant, beautiful young woman that we've seen today.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25You don't get days like this often in a lifetime.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29She deserved to have a better life. She deserved to survive.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31And she might not have,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35so I just thank goodness that I was there that day.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40It's the best day of my life, and I am sure I will always remember it.