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‘I feel super gassed’: Lady Unchained, the prison radio host playing inmates’ raps

Hosted by poet and broadcaster Lady Unchained, Free Flow lets offenders phone in their beats – and one has even recorded a single. We go behind the scenes of the show, which is up for three awards

Last summer, when I delivered the National Literacy Trust’s New Chapters programme with her at HMP Feltham Young Offender Institution and at Oakhill secure training centre, many teenagers recognised her voice from Free Flow and were excited to show her their bars. This has spurred an ever-expanding universe of personal expressions and back-and-forth conversations between callers, mostly men, who rap and reason about drug addiction, parental relationships and childhood traumas, as well as vowing to better themselves, offering encouragement to others going through similarly challenging situations. Free Flow’s sponsorship by Shannon Trust, a charity that helps people to learn to read, took silver in the best commercial partnership category at last year’s Audio and Radio Industry awards, and bronze for best music entertainment show in 2021.

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