BBC2’s new short interview series It Happened To Me explores a variety of near-death experiences, revealing diverse and often deeply personal accounts from individuals who confronted life-threatening situations.
One episode features Matthew Allick, a 42-year-old from Ealing, west London, who suffered a cardiac arrest that left him clinically dead for approximately ten minutes. Despite the severity of his condition, during which medical personnel worked intensively to revive him, Allick reports no awareness or sensations during this time—no pain, fear, or experience of an afterlife. Allick, a devout Christian, attributes his survival to his faith, expressing a belief that there is a purposeful plan for his life.
In contrast, another episode follows Keenan Acton, a 26-year-old gym enthusiast from Wrexham, whose experience involved a month-long coma after a severe illness. During this time, his fiancée Olivia was repeatedly informed by doctors that his chances of survival were slim. Upon regaining consciousness, Keenan shared vivid memories resembling a dream, depicting a life he had yet to live: the couple residing in a modernist home with glass walls, raising two small boys and twin babies who did not yet exist. At the time, his family only included the couple and their two sons. However, following his recovery and their subsequent wedding, Olivia’s pregnancy scan revealed they were expecting twins, lending weight to Keenan’s belief that his coma dream was a premonition of the future.
The series adopts a straightforward production style. Each interview features the subject seated under lighting, responding to off-camera questions, fostering an intimate and candid atmosphere without sensationalism. Alongside Allick’s and Acton’s accounts, other episodes feature stories such as a woman who narrowly avoided death after a cow stampede and an endurance runner who survived a 2,000-foot fall during a mountain run.
A common theme throughout the series is the profound impact these experiences have had on participants’ lives and perspectives. Acton, for example, describes how his ordeal has caused him to prioritize time with his family more deeply. The series is available for viewing on BBC’s iPlayer platform.