I Tackled a Terrorist with a Narwhal Tusk

Art lover Bill Bailey matches ordinary people who have extraordinary stories with some of the country's most talented portrait artists.

In 2019, civil servant Darryn was attending a prisoner rehabilitation conference at Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge when a knife-wielding terrorist attacked, killing two people. Grabbing a narwhal tusk mounted on a nearby wall, Darryn, with former and serving prisoners, managed to fend off the attacker, protecting other innocent people until police arrived.

Darryn was awarded a gallantry medal by the late queen, and to the outside world, his actions were heroic. But the aftermath proved far more complex, and he says it has left him changed for ever. Remarkably, he has continued dedicating his life to rehabilitation work and runs a home for former offenders alongside one of the prisoners who stood with him on the bridge that day.

Bill believes that Nick, a gifted sculptor, would be the perfect artist to capture this remarkable man. But can he create a sculpture of Darryn that is truly three-dimensional – one that honours both the hero and the human behind the headlines?