Alan Smith
Appearances
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
The man who's using his experience as a child refugee to design robots to help vulnerable youngsters.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Sierra Poroso was speaking to Andrew Peach. Now, here's a story that sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie. Cambodia, located near the equator, is known for its hot and humid tropical climate. But for the first time, it sent a delegation of snowboarders, yes, snowboarders, to the Asian Winter Games in China. The four men made their debut at the Yabuli Ski Resort.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Not only that, but it was their first time in a freezing climate, as Stephanie Prentice has been finding out.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Good luck, guys. That report was by Stephanie Prentice. This next story really has got historians all over the world excited. It's being called the biggest discovery for Egyptologists in 100 years, the first royal tomb to be uncovered since King Tutankhamen's in 1922.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
This time, a joint British-Egyptian team of archaeologists has found the long-lost tomb of King Tutmosi II, the last undiscovered royal tomb of the 18th dynasty. Piers Litherland heads the British-Egyptian team in Luxor, and he spoke to Celia Hatton.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
But to begin, we're all supposed to have hidden talents. I'm still trying to think what mine might be. But one man in the north-west of England has gone viral with his. Jamie Lee Mathias paints portraits in his spare time. He must be good at it too because he's had more than 100 commissions from people all over the world. But there's a catch.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Piers Litherland speaking to Celia Hatton. Now, we're going to return to a story that we covered just over a year ago. You might remember Romeo, nicknamed the loneliest manatee in the world, after footage of him living alone in a tiny crumbling pool in Florida went viral. He was rescued from Miami's aquarium after a massive public outcry.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
But the question you might still be asking is, did he live happily ever after? Nicky Cardwell has been to find out.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
You see, these paintings are what Jamie calls terrible. And some of his work has been mistaken for that of a child. It all started when Jamie painted a portrait of his wife on their wedding day, as the Happy Pod's Holly Gibbs has been finding out.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Phil Demos sending that report by Nicky Cardwell. And that's all from The Happy Pod for now. Thank you so much for your company. And remember, if there's a story that you've heard which you think might lift the hearts of listeners around the world, we'd love you to tell us about it. As ever, you can get in touch via this address. It's globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
This edition was mixed by Jack Wilfan. The producers were Holly Gibbs and Harry Bly. The editor is Karen Martin. And I'm Alan Smith. Until next time, it's bye for now.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
I love the fact that he's worried that he's only going to get better. Jamie Lee Matea speaking to Holly Gibbs in a story that proves that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Now, as I'm sure you know, here on the Happy Pod, we like to cover the weird and wonderful stories from across the world. And our next one is no different. Max Hunty is a member of the British group Dream Boys.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
They put on dance performances which involve stripping. That's clothes stripping, not paint stripping. And this week, Max put on a show for an unlikely audience, the elderly residents of a care home. Now, Max, who used to work in a care home himself, replaced the residents' usual knitter-natter session with a performance which was met with very high praise indeed.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
He's been speaking to The Happy Pod's Harry Bly.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
They're great aren't they? Residents Anne and Betty reacting there to Max's show and he was speaking to Harry Bly. Next, we're meeting a man who's used his own experience as a child refugee to design robots that can help vulnerable children make sense of the world.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Paolo Pajanian fled Iran with his older brother when he was 15 and, after settling in Denmark, encountered racism and struggled at school.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
But he went on to earn a degree and a PhD in robotics, got his dream job working on Mars rovers at NASA, and then founded a company that makes companion robots that are capable of understanding and expressing emotions, which help children with social and emotional problems.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
I'm Alan Smith and it's great to be with you for half an hour or so of uplifting stories from around the world.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
He told Mubeen Azhar his love of computers all started when he had to cancel a planned trip during the long school summer holiday, leaving him with $500 to spend.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
We meet the artist who's creating what he says are terrible paintings, but that hasn't stopped him from getting commissions from all over the world. We'll find out why. Also... The most lines that I hear is, I feel young again, you've helped me relive my youth. The care home worker turns strip performer who's been entertaining some elderly fans.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
and you can hear a longer interview with him on Outlook, wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
..a long-lost tomb in Egypt, uncovered after centuries...
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: The 'terrible' artist in high demand
Our next story is about a student in the United States who managed to attend her dream university for free. The average cost of a place at a college there is around $38,000 a year. But as Sierra Perosa told Andrew Peach, she managed to attend NYU without paying and helped others in a similar situation.