5 Live News Specials

Peter Allen spoke to Nazir Afzal. He's just stood down as one of the country's chief prosecutors. He's been involved in some of the UK's biggest criminal cases of recent times, including the conviction of 9 Asian men for the sexual abuse of 47 young girls in Rochdale, and the prosecution of Stuart Hall on sex offences. Peter asked him about those cases - and also about his fears of a so called "Easter Exodus" as pupils who may have been radicalised head for Syria to fight for ISIS..

Tony Livesey and Anna Foster with a review of day two of the election trail, alongside 5 live's chief political correspondent John Pienaar. It's a day that's been dominated by arguments over the economy, but we've also had the announcement of Plaid Cymru's manifesto, and the reality TV star Joey Essex interviewing Nick Clegg.

Tony Livesey and Anna Foster review day one of the General Election campaign along with our chief political correspondent John Pienaar and our correspondents on the campaign trail. David Cameron had an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace to confirm the dissolution of parliament, before heading out on the road...Ed Miliband's focus was business and he attacked the Conservative's pledge to hold a referendum on Europe...for the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg insisted his "plucky party" can defy the polls, while Nigel Farage suggested UKIP has the potential to become one of the key players in British politics.

Just over a year ago, Dee Kelly shot to fame as the 'star' of the Channel Four documentary Benefits Street. She tells Stephen Nolan how her life has changed since.

In a wide-ranging interview, two members of multi-million-selling and Grammy-award-winning metal band System of a Down talk to 5 live’s Dotun Adebayo about their music, their political views, their personal lives and why the 1915 genocide of over one million Armenians is still such an important event for the Armenian community around the world. The four members of the band are all American-Armenians, and in a career lasting over 20 years they’ve sold over forty million records. They’re now embarking on a tour that will culminate in the Armenian capital, Yerevan. The Armenian massacres – which the Turkish government refuses to call a genocide – occurred when the Ottoman Empire systematically exterminated over 1 million Armenians in order to remove them from their traditional homeland within modern-day Turkey. System of a Down’s singer Serj Tankian and drummer John Dolmayan spoke to Dotun Adebayo.

Doug Beattie, who completed three tours of duty in Afghanistan, talks to Stephen Nolan about what it was like to fight in the country, including how he feels now about killing members of the Taliban. Includes some excepts from the memorial service in St Pauls Cathedral.

Listeners put questions to a panel of health experts and ministers from the five main parties about the future of the NHS in England.

Today is the start of a new Thursday feature - where we delve into an interesting but confusing news topic and try to clear the muddy waters. This week it's Defence Spending.

Rachel Burden speaks to parents whose children suffer from diabetes and how they cope with the “silent condition”

In an exclusive interview, a former US soldier fighting Islamic State in Iraq has told 5 live that hundreds of Westerners - including Brits - are ready to join him once the word is given. Brett Royales - who calls himself a 'Soldier of Christ' and is part of the Christian militia, Dwekh Nawsha - says he is the "head recruiter" for those wanting to fight in Iraq. In the extraordinary interview with Stephen Nolan, he admits that he is prepared to die for his cause. The home office says anyone who does travel to Syria or Iraq, for whatever reason, is putting themselves in considerable danger.

Nicky is joined by Dr Dawn Harper from Channel 4's Embarrassing Bodies to answer your questions on how to deal with menopausal symptoms, the risks of HRT and the impact it can have on relationships.

13-year-old Rudolph Goldberg and his brother fled Nazi Germany in 1939, the parents and family they left behind were murdered in the Holocaust. On the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, 5 live's Adrian Goldberg tells his family story through home recordings of his father. And travelling for the first time to Rudolph's home town, he tries to find out what happened to his relatives. Adrian also hears from those who survived the horrors of Auschwitz and ask how genocide on such a scale could have been allowed to happen.

Rachel Burden speaks to people who suffer with migraines and how the “invisible illness” has affected their lives.

A new advert called This Girl Can shows women ‘wiggling’ and ‘jiggling’ whilst working out and playing sports. ‘Sweat like a pig, look like a fox’ is one of the slogans from the advert which encourages women to embrace their bodies whilst being active. 5 live Breakfast asked: Are we getting it right when it comes to women and sport?’

Peter Allen reports from an alcoholic treatment centre with a difference – it allows patients to drink.

A look back at the week's news including the missing Air Asia flight, the challenge facing supermarkets in 2015 and the New Year's Honours list.

In their first broadcast interview since they claim to have hacked Xbox and Playstation consoles on Christmas Day, the group Lizard Squad, say they warned one of the manufacturers, Microsoft, that they were going to do it. Two of the group, who call themselves Member 1 and Member 2 tell Stephen Nolan why they did it

In the early hours of 26th December 2004 the third largest earthquake ever recorded struck the Indian Ocean. The result was a tsunami which travelled at 800 km per hour. As it reached the shores the waves grew to over 15 metres in height. A quarter of a million people died and two million were made homeless in countries across Southeast Asia and beyond. Ten years on BBC Radio 5 live revisits local survivors, who were children at the time, and British tourists as we remember the horror of one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history.

From devastating winter floods to the hottest Halloween on record, it's been a year of headline making and record breaking weather. 5 live's Simon King is joined by Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, to take a look back at how the weather impacted our lives in 2014.

Sarah Brett with remarkable stories from people talking about their own isolation and loneliness, and discovers how some are now taking time to reconnect with important people in their lives.