The Reluctant Hero

Husband and father, Larry O’Brien, loved the freedom his job as a long-distance lorry driver gave him. But on March 6th 1987, that freedom was almost lost in the horror of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, in which almost 200 people lost their lives. Larry – who could not swim – risked his own life to pull 30 people to safety. Almost 40 years later, Larry tells Dr Sian Williams why he never felt like a hero, how he came to terms with what happened, and why – after a career change into local politics – he decided to return to the road. Producer: Tom Alban

You can listen to The Reluctant Hero online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Reluctant Hero is an episode from Life Changing by BBC.

This episode is 28:50 long.

This episode was published on May 28, 2025.

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