Real Survival Stories is a podcast about people who lived through disasters. The show's host is John Hopkins, who is best known for playing Sergeant Dan Scott in The Midsomer Murders. He has acted opposite Patrick Stewart on the stage and lent his voice to several podcasts.

In every episode of Real Survival Stories, Hopkins revisits extraordinary events. Paraglider Ewa Wisnierska is training for a championship in New South Wales. She gets sucked into a cloud and survives hail, low oxygen, and freezing temperatures. A two-part episode documents Matt Lewis, whose boat gets caught in a polar storm. When the ship starts to sink, every choice the crew makes could mean death.

Some of the survival stories on the podcast are about plane and helicopter crashes. Greg Rasmussen flies a small plane for his work as a wildlife conservationist in Africa. His craft hurtles into the bush of Zimbabwe. Rasmussen must survive the harsh elements and fight off predators, all while injured. Chris Duddy is a cameraman whose helicopter crashes inside a Hawaiian volcano. All around are toxic gasses and lava flow. The only way out is up a steep crater wall.

One of the most heartwarming Real Survival Stories episodes features a heroic dog. Danelle Ballengee is an experienced endurance athlete and trail runner. On one of her runs, she slips and falls into a ravine in a remote mesa in Utah. No one is around. Taz, her canine trail companion, somehow finds a way to get her help.

The podcast chronicles people who, in imminent danger of death, use their courage and imagination to survive. Hopkins' impeccable tone and timing lend the necessary gravitas to each account. The testimonials from survivors and witnesses give immediacy to the stories.

Real Survival Stories may appeal to listeners who are fond of adventure podcasts. People who like fiction podcasts might enjoy these real-life accounts for their dramatic flair.