If You're Happy, Do You Know It?

Beth takes an hour on one of the hottest days of 2020 to discuss staying happy whilst she attempts not to melt entirely in the heat, and we are forever grateful. Al and Beth talk about the futility of trying to stay productive, creative and career driven during a time of total chaos for the world. Find Beth on Instagram: @thebethrylanceFind Beth on Twitter: @beth_rylance

Being of earth and beautiful soul Jason Henwood joins Al remotely to discuss whether or not either of them really exist, but not as a cause for crisis, as a discovery of freedom. Jason tells us what he gained from spending 8 days in silence and how he has tried to take these lessons on in his every day life, but recognising it's often easier said than done. Jason is a focus-puller in film and television, a keen cyclist and a deep thinker. He's not hugely bothered by it, but you can find him on instagram now and then: @jasonhenwoodac

Isla joins Al in the arena, via her living room to chat all things happiness in 2020. Isla tells us how the pandemic forced her to cancel a special event and changed her year immensely, but how she has leaned into positivity and the recognition of all she has in her life that brings her security and joy. Find Isla on instagram: @isla_ure_stories

Eliot and Al discuss in detail the difficulty they can never fully appreciate - being an extrovert in a year when you're not allowed to hang around with other people. Eliot stuns and delights Al as he explains how, despite the world being such a rollercoaster of emotions in 2020, he has found himself to be the happiest he has ever been, and is looking to use this happiness to be good to others, now that he has finally learnt to be good to himself. An amazing lesson!You can find Eliot doing amazing things all over the internet, hosting and producing podcasts, starring in and directing short films and saying profound things on social media.Twitter: @EliotJFallowsInstagram: @eliotjfallowsHappy Listening!

We kick off this remotely recorded season two with the wonderful and thoughtful words of Skyler Day. Skyler and Al discuss how their concepts of what brings happiness and joy in a rapidly changing culture has changed. They share an experience of being in jobs that suddenly changed with the arrival of a global pandemic and how they've both navigated the intrinsic connection between staying happy and not being able to stay "productive" in the traditional sense. -Skyler is an actor and singer/songwriter and can be found on your television and computer screens doing both!-Search out Skyler on Spotify or wherever you get your music and find her on instagram: @skylerday.-Listen to Six Feet Apart (as featured in this episode) - https://open.spotify.com/track/1UqBegZqCk7mjouWLmwGnq?si=ofMDHHffSwqmezSDFdceWw

Some of our favourite moments from the epic dive into happiness that was Season One and our first 38 episodes.Season Two is coming soon and will specifically discuss with guests, remotely, the quest to remain happy during one of the strangest years in memory that is 2020. Al and guests will try to find ways to be content, be happy and explore how our notion of what makes us happy might evolve in a changed world. But for now, we shall enjoy a few key moments from last year's guests.

The mystical and beautiful Boz joins Al in the arena to talk about his atheist re-birth, his life as a narcissist and many a topic that guides his own pursuit of happiness. •Find Boz online: backontrackliving.com Find Boz's podcast: Search for: The Little Pod of Horrors.

Turtle Canyon's wonderful intern, Kenagh Babcock realises that part of her internship is to be a guest on a drastically underwhelming podcast (this one).Nevertheless, she's really good on it, passionate, interesting and full of happy thoughts for her past, present and future. Grab a listen if you can!Find Kenagh on instagram: @kenaghbabcock

Please welcome Chris Bonwell to the arena, and fixed delightfully to his side is our first returning-guest, Sydney Stevenson, who is in an amorous, co-habiting, consciously coupled union with Chris.Chris and Syd tell us about the happiness they derive from "singing from the same hymn sheet" in their relationship. Chris talks of his love for food and cricket, but not necessarily in that order, Al and Chris share a love for being sad, embracing sadness for its allotted time and moving back into the light when ready. Find Chris on instagram: @christopherbonwellFind Chris on twitter: @ChrisBonwell

Human Person, Mother of Miniature Human and Director of Photography, Caroline Bridges joins us in the arena this week to discuss the journey she took in life whilst switching from one vocational career to another. Caroline tells us how the shocking discovery of having achieved everything she'd dreamed of as a dancer led her to feel a great sense of loss, now that her goals were no longer a driving force. This inevitably led her to her new career, passion and ultimately to the podcast arena and your very ear canals! Find Caroline on Instagram: @carolinebridgesdop

Comic, Climber, Father, Blue-Eyed Wonder Dave Fulton joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss the elation he finds from having an extreme hobby. Dave accidentally wanders into a metaphor for life that gets Al all kinds of excited to explore, he talks about adopting his son and how this adjusted his outlook on his own happiness and his son's potential for happiness. Dave also explains how it's taken a long time, but how he feels increasingly happy being simply "content" as opposed to constantly chasing after things that supposedly make him happy.Find Dave on twitter: @fulton_daveFind Dave on instagram: @fultonville

Actor, Singer, Songwriter, Thinker and Genuinely lovely human, Jessica Revell pops by the arena to share her thoughts on staying happy, finding happiness and peace and leaves us with an absolutely beautiful treat for the ears. Find Jess on instagram: @jessvrevellFind Jess on twitter: @jessvrevell

Please open your ear canals and welcome James Wichall (Jimmy Two Ears/Jimothy) to the podcast arena. This week we discuss Happiness on an entirely new and more macro level as James ponders the idea that we could all try a 'do-over' with society's structure as a whole and this could lead to being a happier culture. James puts forward that the ideals of communism are far more attractive than what has been put into practice and the two chaps talk about how loneliness can seriously impact one's life. James also tells us of his dreams of buying a yacht and the intricacies of Quantum computing. ENJOY!Find James on Instagram: @jimmytwoears

Join Al and friendly friend-colleague Emma "13" Baker in the podcast arena. Al and Emma discuss how taking pride in one's work, finding work that brings a great deal of passion can give you a real sense of happiness, day to day, even when it's stressful! Emma extols the virtues of seeing the world and discovering other cultures.Find Emma on instagram: @emmabee123

Joyful, honest, pragmatic Steve Dunne sits down in the arena for a decaf cappuccino and a wonderful chat about all things happiness. Steve muses on the idea of happiness being fundamentally undefinable whilst also recognising it as potentially a three-stage process and wonders if it's possible to achieve all three. Steve talks about his past, his future as a new father and how he's found himself comfortable with living pretty neatly in the present... mostly!You can find Steve on twitter: @stevedunnemusicSteve also co-hosts the much better podcast @teenagemixtape which can be found everywhere one would find podcasts.

Actor, Model and super duper person in general Ava Grace joins us for a chat about happiness and how she has found her journey to her own sense of happiness through a difficult past. Al and Ava fly wildly around different topics but always, hopefully with a smile somewhere in the mix. Find Ava on instragram: @avagraceofficial Find Ava on twitter: @samanthavagrace

Sound Recordist and Camera Rental guru Paul Hellard talks to Al about things that make him UNHAPPY and how he takes this on board and takes a logical and pragmatic approach to solve unhappiness, with the aim to replace it with the inevitable opposite. Paul discusses frankly that his face and voice make people assume that he's unhappy, but this mostly is not the case. Paul remains enigmatic online, but his incredible camera rental company can be found here: www.shoothd.com

Come on down and devote your ears to the glorious wisdom and gentle warmth of Kash Khan. Kash tells us about how, early on in her adult life, she was bold enough to see the career path she had chosen and dedicated herself to was making her profoundly unhappy and decided to change this, and only very rarely looks back...

Al's dear friend Ben joins him in the arena for an incredibly out of date discussion about Brexit, their old school and their hatred of both. Al pushes Ben to hopefully realise that his own outlook on life is, at least seemingly, a pretty healthy one and pretty conducive to his happiness. They reminisce, they laud praise upon one another and Ben opens up about his experiences as a gay teenager in an environment that was not in any way suited to being one, and how ultimately, this gave him strength of character. Ben is an Actor and Events Manager, amongst other things. Find Ben on Instagram: @bensansumFind Ben on Twitter: @SansumB

This week, the wondrous wonder that is Harriet joins us for an arena-based chat that centres on cats, love for them and Harriet's active quest to be more present and live less in her worrisome head and more in the moment. Harriet and Al discuss the tendency for those that think of themselves as "Artists" to shy away from becoming more consistently happy in an attempt to remain 'creative'. Harriet decries this idea as a bad one and advocates working on one's mental health as a way to becoming happier folk.Al rambles on and on about his stupid coat.You can find Harriet on twitter: @harrietkemsleyYou can find Harriet on instagram too: @harrietkemsley

One of Al's long-time super-pals, Edwin, joins us in the podcast arena to discuss his take on what makes happiness real. Edwin talks about the ease with which he made the decision to move 3000 miles away and start a fresh chapter and what this has meant to him over the years. Ed opens up about the importance of a fairly reliable structure to his life and how this relates strongly to his own sense of calm, well-being and of course, his happiness. You can listen to more of Ed's wonderful vox on his incredible podcast: Seven Days to Play - http://www.sevendaystoplay.comEd can be found on instagram: @edvanbeinumEd can be found on twitter: @edvanbeinum

This week's guest is the excellent Rhiannon Handy who discusses openly a time in her recent past where she felt she had lost grip on who she thought was as a person. Al obsesses over how people could NOT like the musical Hamilton and Rhiannon tells us about the delights of learning Aerial Hoop. Enjoy! Find Rhiannon on instagram: @handyrhiFind Rhiannon on twitter: @handyrhi

Physiotherapist and perpetual smiler, Jason Graham joins Al and you in the podcast arena to discuss his seemingly unstoppable joie de vivre. He talks about how important it is to him to get up early and get going with his day every morning. Al and Jason discuss their favourite trees and Jason insists that Al play him out with a little classical piano. Find Jason on instagram: @flyingphysiosFind Jason on twitter: @TheflyingphysioFind Jason online: http://www.theflyingphysios.com/

This week's episode features TWO fabulous guests!One canine and one humanoid. Sarah and her daughter Dolly sit comfortably in the podcast arena and extol the virtues of leaning into one's support network of friends, family and indeed animal companions when on the search for happiness. It's a lovely, informative and peaceful time in the ears. Enjoy!Sarah can be found on instagram @therumpokid

This week, Comedian, TV personality and all together super-lovely-dude Joel Dommett joins Al in the podcast arena for a frank ole chat on happiness and what it all means. Joel, interestingly finds himself acutely aware of when he is unhappy, but doesn't necessarily notice when he IS happy, suggesting perhaps that he, more often than not, is. Joel extols the virtues of keeping a healthy physical body and how he feels this directly impacts his mental health as well. The two reminisce about their similar scholarly upbringings and Joel's really nice to Al, which is inspirational.You can find Joel on most televisions in the UK most of the time and on Netflix in "Comedians of the World". Find Joel on twitter: @joeldommettFind Joel on instagram: @joeldommett

This week's happy guest to the podcast arena is Amy Kwolek, a brilliant mind and soul of warmth, kindness and deep thoughts. Amy talks to us about her formative years as a young actor and how the job shaped her own view of happiness into adulthood. Amy muses on the idea of being both happy and in chronic physical pain, something that Al and Amy believe to be entirely possible and that they are not intrinsically linked. Do you agree? Amy keeps herself to herself these days for the most part but can be seen doing her acting as "Dawn" in short film "This Is Axiom" should anyone care to watch - https://youtu.be/8eyfsmgXtNA

Al's business partner and friend Nick Long makes the long journey down the hallway at their office to appear on today's episode of the podcast. Nick and Al discuss the challenges of striking a healthy work-life balance and how this contributes to Nick's happiness levels. Nick talks lovingly about his new daughter and the two share a quiz Al finds online about happiness. Al cries just a little bit when remembering a rare occasion when Nick was nice to him. Nick is very hard to find online, but if you do, let us know. In the meantime; instagram: @turtlecanyon @turtlecanyonfilms @turtlecanyoncom

Actor, Model, Musician, Wombat enthusiast, wife, cat-mum Laura Jean Marsh blankets up in the podcast arena and extols the virtues and benefits she finds in practising transcendental meditation. Laura also addresses the universal fear of feeling like a "fake" in a professional environment and how allowing these feelings to overtake her can have a detrimental effect on her confidence and happiness. Laura tells us about her upbringing surrounded by performers and how she feels this has shaped her issues as an adult. Find Laura on instagram: @laurajeanmarsh1Find Laura on twitter: @LauraJeanMarsh

Comedian, Sports Broadcaster and serious beauty Mark Smith sits down in the podcast arena and claims, pretty convincingly that happiness is so un-definable, so un-quantifiable that it simply doesn't exist in any tangible sense. Al and Mark discuss their difficult psychological relationships with wanting to be asleep all the time. Mark tells us all about how he hated his wedding but loves his marriage, and despite an initial concern that this episode might be a bit of a downer, takes a turn for the cautiously optimistic by the end. Enjoy! Find Mark online: www.marksmithcomedy.comFind Mark on twitter: @marksmithcomedyFind Mark on instagram: @marksmithcomedy

Actor, singer, writer and creator of all things Katie Sheridan chats to Al about her faith, her upbringing and her desire for professional achievement and how all of these things make up the complex package that drives Katie's sense of happiness. Katie talks about how close friends and family make a difference in her life. Find Katie on instagram: @katiesheridan3Find Katie on twitter: @k_sheridantweet

Award Winning Comedian and performer James Acaster pops by the arena to discuss how his passions in life drive his own sense of well-being and happiness every day. James talks passionately about his love for music and the discovery of the ever-evolving art form helps him feel at peace when stressed or unhappy and how he improves his own knowledge of recognising his own feelings and how to solve problems when they arise. James discusses the responsibility of having a job which is effectively to stand in front of a room full of people and make them happy and how this rewards and challenges him daily. James can be found on twitter, on the internet everywhere, Netflix and UK TV stations most evenings doing what he does best, making the rest of us laugh. Find James once a day on twitter: @JamesAcaster

Comedian and Writer Kat Sadler joins Al halfway through her lunch to chat about her own sense of happiness and how intrinsically she feels that is linked to her sense of achievement of her own goals. Al gets distracted by some grass outside the window for a while and they ponder what role our evolution has to play in our day to day decision making and experiences. Find Kat on instagram: @sadkatlerFind Kat on twitter: @SadKatler

Drummer, entrepreneur and POS designer Max Saidi joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss the happiness he felt at his recent wedding, the joy he finds in his work and striving to be the best he can at everything he does. Al shares some painful truth with Max that ultimately has a very happy outcome and Max decides to change his name. They both delve somewhat into the wonder that is Derren Brown's book "Happy" and the life lessons they have taken from reading it.Find Max online: wantdrums.com Find Max on instagram: @maxsaidi

Comedy producer Clarissa joins Al in the arena for a conversation about what happiness means to her and in fact what hinders her path to happiness every day. Al goes on and on and on about how much he loves the movie Elizabethtown and the two of them share a mutual appreciation for the wonder of Red Dwarf. Find Clarissa on twitter: @ClarissaDMFind Clarissa on instagram: @clarissadmay

Mat is a truly unique and wonderful individual. He talks passionately about the absolute importance in perspective when it comes to our own happiness. Al and Mat address the obvious privilege in even being able to muse and discuss happiness and think about the idea that depression may be more than it's often made out to be. Mat does an incredible impression of Billy Connolly and Al attempts to do one of Quentin Tarantino. Find Mat on instagram: @matmcpherson

Actor, Writer, Equestrian Enthusiast, Linda. Sydney joins her long-lost brother Al in the arena. They discuss how their shared love for animals brings them both a huge amount of happiness on a daily basis, and how the connection with their pets is so important to their on-going mental well-being. Find Sydney on twitter: @SydneyStevenso3Find Sydney on instagram: @syd_stevo1

Sporty Sportsperson Josh Briant joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss how his Christian faith drives his own sense of happiness and how he always comes back to his relationship with God when it comes to choices and decisions in his own life. Al shows his utter ignorance for these things and Josh puts up with it. Find Josh on twitter: @jabriant16

Jonny is a fitness instructor, personal trainer and bearded father. Jonny and Al discuss how much of our adult lives are dedicated to work and muse that finding ways to enjoy the work we do is imperative to maintaining a happy life. Jonny bravely and candidly opens up about a very tragic year in his family life and addresses trying to maintain happiness during painful times and finding a way to move forward. They also discuss how fitness and health can be a path to a happier time on earth. Find Jonny on Instagram: @the_fitnes_dad

Al and Lauren sit down to discuss the driving desire to succeed within a chosen field and how this can ultimately lead to happiness but also deep unhappiness. Lauren talks candidly about her own fear of failure and her need to constantly make lists. They also discover the true route to happiness and it involved doughnuts. Lauren is an actor, writer and producer and incredible empath. Find Lauren on twitter: @LReed_ActressFind Lauren's theatre on twitter: @ForkedTheatre

Educator, Motivational Speaker and former professional Basketball player Renaldo joins Al to discuss his take on happiness in modern life and how much of his own happiness has been shaped by his childhood. Renaldo talks about finding the positive in most situations he has encountered throughout his life, including growing up in South Carolina during a time of racial segregation. Renaldo tells us about how much pleasure he derives from the desire to make people he meets feel happier by spending their time with him and talks about what he does every day to contribute to his own sense of happiness. A truly inspirational and heartwarming episode!Find out more about Renaldo online: renaldolawrence.com On Instagram: @renaldolawrence1On Twitter: @lawrencerenaldo

Ed Hulme, deep thinker and theatre director, joins Al in the podcast arena to discuss his own happiness. He talks beautifully about how important loving and being loved is to him, as well as the lessons he learnt early in adulthood from losing his father to cancer. Find Ed on Twitter: @HulmeEdward

This week, Al is joined by award-winning actor and director Rosie Day. They discuss all things happiness, the quest for it, the quest to not dwell on the negative and how realistic it is to remain happy at all times. Rosie shares her love for cake and how focussing on work and creating things she can be proud of brings her a great deal of happiness, and muses on the possibility of being re-incarnated as her own family dog. Find Rosie on twitter: @rosiedaydream Find Rosie on instagram: @rosiejaneday

Al's business partner, super-friend and ornithology enthusiast joins us to discuss the things that make him happy. Mainly it's Ice Cream and football and being private. Stuart is amazing, a film-maker, stand-up comic, amazing, writer and also amazing. Stuart can be found on instagram: @stuchopslawsStuart can be found on twitter: @thisstuartlaws

Welcome to the very first episode of "IF YOU'RE HAPPY, DO YOU KNOW IT?" This episode features a frank and fascinating conversation with Actor and Political Activist Nicola Thorp. Nic and Al discuss the time Nic accidentally became a hugely influential and controversial public figure in gender politics. Nicola shares her experience of being hospitalised for mental health issues and opens up about how she has learnt to cope and actively seeks to improve her happiness. Both of them cry a bit. You can find Nicola on twitter: @nicolathorp_ or on instagram: @missnicolathorp

Host Alastair Clayton welcomes listeners to the podcast and sheds a little light on what we can expect from this weekly delve into happiness and what it means to us all.