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.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
The whippet who secured the country's first ever win at the world's biggest dog show. To start, though, a question. I wonder how good you are at identifying sounds. One of the things that makes me happy is collecting sounds on my phone. So just for fun, I thought I'd set you a happy pod challenge. Can you work out what sound this is? I'll give you three options.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Vivian Wan and her daughter, the nine-year-old climbing star Veronica Chick, talking to Sports Hour, which you can find wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Now, here's a fascinating personal story of triumph over adversity. Hannah Studley, who lives in Israel, was attacked and badly injured twice in her early 20s and experienced chronic pain for decades.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
But then a psychologist suggested she might be able to tackle that pain by changing the way she thought about it. And she says that for her, it worked. Hannah now has her own coaching practice and she says she's helped hundreds of clients around the world. She spoke to Richard Hamilton.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Is it A, rain, B, something in a frying pan or C, static crackles on an old style radio? I'll tell you the answer and why it makes me happy at the end of the podcast. Our first story is about the extraordinary lengths one man went to for a woman he'd just started dating, something that ended up changing both their lives and helping hundreds of people.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Hannah Studley, who found a new way to overcome her chronic pain and rebuild her life. Of course, we recommend consulting your doctor before trying any new treatments. Now, if you're looking for some music to make you happy or even get you dancing, how about some royal recommendations?
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Britain's King Charles has drawn up a list of his favourite tracks from around the Commonwealth and presented them in a special podcast to mark Commonwealth Day.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
The programme, called The King's Music Room, made with Apple Music, is thought to be the first time a British monarch has appeared on a podcast. Will Chalk asked the BBC's royal correspondent, Daniela Relf, what was behind the idea.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
When Zach Nelson met Cambry six years ago, he wanted to share his love of hiking and the great outdoors. But the wheelchair she used because of a spinal cord injury wasn't up to going off-road and they couldn't afford those that were. So instead, he invented and built something just for her called The Rig.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
That was Daniela Relf. And that's all from the Happy Pod for now, but just before we go, here's that happy sound I played you at the start. Did you work out what that was? Well, the answer is rain. I recorded it in the Lake District in the northwest corner of England, which is the place that I grew up.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
So from the very young age, I was taught to love the rain because without it, we wouldn't have the lakes that the region is famous for. I still like the sunshine, mind. And this got us thinking, is there a sound that makes you happy? If there is, we'd love to hear about it. Why not send us a voice note to tell us about the sound that's special to you? Send it to globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
And you might like to know that you can now watch some of our interviews on YouTube. Just search for The Happy Pod. This edition was mixed by Nicola Brough and the producers were Holly Gibbs and Rachel Bulkeley. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Alan Smith. Until next time, it's goodbye.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
The couple, who are now married and live in Utah, went on to set up their company, Not A Wheelchair, to try to reduce the costs and delays others face getting custom-made mobility equipment. Zach and Cambry Nelson have been talking to Harry Bly, starting with the moment Cambry tried out the very first version of the rig.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Cambry and Zach Nelson were talking to Harry Bly. Now, here's a story that proves it's never too late to follow your dreams or to try something new for that matter. When lifelong singer Edwin Rayner lost his wife of 60 years, he felt there was no reason to carry on performing. That was then.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Now, almost a decade on, the 92-year-old's musical renditions have been viewed by millions of people on TikTok. His latest success is this cover of Chapel Roan. Sally Nugent and John Kay caught up with Edwin, the social media star.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Hello, it's Alan Smith with you for half an hour or so of uplifting stories from around the world. This is The Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. And in this edition, how one couple's love of outdoor adventures inspired an invention that helped hundreds of people.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
What an inspiring chap. Edwin Rayner speaking to Sally Nugent and John Kaye. Now, when it comes to being top dog, winning Crufts really does take some beating. It's the biggest dog show in the world, with more than 18,000 entrants from around the globe. And this year, it's been won by an Italian dog for the first time. Four-year-old whippet Mucha from Venice was named best in show last weekend.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Mucha's proud handler, Giovanni Liguri. And Mucha wasn't the only Whippet winning prizes. A one-year-old Whippet Saluki Collie Cross, who was a rescue dog, claimed a top award after judges heard she gave her owner a new lease of life after a traumatic childbirth left her unable to leave the house.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Lola, owned by Bex Hall from the south-east of England, won the Scruffs Family Cross Breed of the Year title. Stephanie Prentice spoke to Bex.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Why you're never too old to succeed at something new.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Bex Hall, whose rescue dog ended up rescuing her.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Now to a remarkable story about someone who's overcome her fears and set a new record and she's still only nine years old. Veronica Chick began climbing at the age of five and was soon winning indoor competitions. But after switching to outdoor climbing, she developed a fear of falling and had to take a break.
Global News Podcast
The Happy Pod: A gift that reopened the world
Then she overcame that fear, became the youngest person from Hong Kong to complete a challenging 31-metre route called the China Climb, and won gold at her first national championships. Veronica and her mum Vivian Wan have been speaking to Nishtat Lada.