I had this problem and thanks to the advice from in this thread and others, managed to solve it.
In my case, the catch that the external handle operates was stuck in the 'pulled' position, which prevented the (driver's) door being opened from either the internal or external handles.
Removing the lock cover and cable allowed me to get a thin screwdriver inside the door and after a few light taps with a hammer, the door latch on the inside opened the door.
Now I know how the catch operates, I would also try using a hooked piece of wire to push the latch back to it's position.