An author, his cellmate, and a new beginning

<p>When award-winning author Alex Wheatle was sentenced to nine months in prison at the age of 18, he thought his life was over. </p><p>Alex had been born in London to Jamaican parents, but grew up in care in the notorious Shirley Oaks children’s home. As a teenager, he was convicted of assaulting a police officer during the Brixton Riots. He felt totally alone and without hope. But as the door slammed on Alex’s prison cell, he met a book-loving man called Simeon who opened his eyes to the importance of his own history – and encouraged him to use his past to write a new and hopeful future. </p><p>Presenter: Jo Fidgen Producer: Hetal Bapodra and Anna Lacey</p>