Global News Podcast - The Happy Pod: Inviting strangers round for dinner

Episode Date: July 11, 2026

When Nidhi and Vik moved to Northern Ireland, they came up with an unusual way to make new friends - hosting dinner parties made up of strangers. Now the couple, originally from India, have connected with 60 people and counting. Vik says he wants to make the whole world his friends.Plus, the Iranian father helping his blind son experience the football World Cup. He uses a makeshift football pitch to mimic what's going on. Also, a listener tells us about their chance encounter with a teacher they hadn't seen for 12 years. We go to a picnic where the only thing on the menu is unlimited cake, and the payphone in Washington DC that tells jokes. Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.Presenter: Holly Gibbs. Music composed by Iona Hampson(Photo: Nidhi and Vik preparing for their Masala Talkies. Credit: Your Pal Moments.)

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Growing businesses deal with the same problem, too many tools, too much back and forth and not enough time. Odu helps bring it all together. It's an all-in-one business management platform, fully integrated from sales and accounting to inventory and marketing, so your team can spend less time chasing information and focus on growth. Whether you're in retail, manufacturing or service, Odu gives you one place to manage your business. Visit Odu.com to book a demo. It's ODbolo.com. Is the American Dream still possible?

I'm Asma Khalid, one of the hosts of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. One of the most successful exports of the United States has ever sold the world is the American dream, that tantalizing promise of a better, freer, richer life. But is it still attainable? I feel like the American Dream is alive but not worth. For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is The Happy Pod from the BBC World Service. I'm Holly Gibbs and in this edition, the couple who invited strangers round for dinner.

So now we have four friends. That's a good feeling. It's a beautiful feeling, yeah. I feel that I belong here now, which is what I was looking for. I'm very greedy. I want to have the whole world, my friend. How one father has helped his blind son enjoy the World Cup. Plus, a cake lover's dream come true. So I always think of cake picnic as a moment to make magic in a world that needs it. So thank you all for making that dream come true today. A chance encounter that gave a listener the opportunity to thank the teacher who changed his life.

And? I've had a lot of people say that it preys something. a lot of joy. I've had kids tell me like they stop by every single day. A pay phone with a difference. Making friends when you move to a new place can be difficult. But one couple who relocated from India to Northern Ireland came up with an unusual way to meet new people

and create lasting connections. Nidipal and Vic Parisher decided to invite strangers to their house for dinner. Those who wanted to join them had to fill out an online phone. form and the couple chose groups of 10 people who they thought would mix well. Now the couple say they have 60 new friends. Olivia Copeland joined them at their home as they prepared for their sixth dinner party, cooking and listening to relaxing music. You move into a new country and you leave your comfort, your friends, your family behind someone, you know, you've known for years and years and as a mature adult, it becomes even more difficult to make friends. And then I say,

suddenly realize that, okay, so we have no friends. We have no social life here. And I don't know how to actually make friends because how do you walk up to someone and say, I want to be friends with you? It's not easy. So I came up with this idea that this is what we used to do back home in India as well. We were just two of us. You should have a social life because as a human, we are social animals. So we didn't have friends, just a couple of friends. It's very difficult to go out and just meet people and make friends, you know, and in a different country where we don't know their culture, how do we have to approach them, they don't speak the same language, it's a different language. So we thought of opening our door. We started as like for friends,

everyone was like praising and they kind of like pushed us to do more. People like the idea and they felt that it started filling in the form and I noticed that, okay, so it's not just us who are feeling that. There are a lot of people who are open to this idea and here we are on our sixth supper and I cannot be more proud and grateful. How has life changed for you six months later? You know that when you go outside

there might be someone you know. So it's a good feeling, you know? That's why we started this, no? Do I have friends now? I think we have accomplished that. So that's a good feeling. beautiful feeling, yeah. It has completely changed, I would say, six months ago.

I knew nobody here. I feel that I connect better. I have someone I can call in need or when I'm happy, when I'm sad. I feel that I belong here now, which is what I was looking for. And does it still feel a little bit nerve-wracking, even the sixth time, inviting new people complete strangers to your home? Absolutely, because you're opening your personal space to someone. You have never seen them. You are going by with what they fill in the form. And you're

going with your gut. We've been very fortunate. We've made a lot of friends during this tradition. But yes, it is nerve-wracking. My hands are like shaking right now as well. Some of the people that you've invited tonight are also new to Belfast. How do you hope that they feel after spending time here this evening? I hope they feel at home. That is the only thing that I want them to feel. I hope they feel that they belong here. And I hope that I'm able to show the real Belfast.

It is beautiful. And I hope it reminds them of home. I hope they feel comfortable. And what's your plan for these dinners? Do you think you'll just keep inviting 10 people every month? When will you have enough friends? It's never, till the time, we have the energy in time. And people want to come.

We would keep inviting. We're not doing anything special. We're cooking food. It's our home. So we just ask people to just try. Not just food. Just sit with us. Listen to us. Talk about yourself. Share the stories and just laugh together. So that's what we want to do. And I don't have any plans to stop it. So I'm very greedy. I want to have the whole world, my friend. Nidipal and Vic Parisher. The World Cup continues to grip football fans across the globe. But for one first, father in Iran, he has been finding a creative way to help his blind son experience the games. He's created a makeshift football pitch and guides his son's hand around to mimic what's

happening on screen. The video has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of people on social media. Our reporter, Gabriel O'Regan, has more. This is the moment Ardashir helps his blind son, Ali Reza, experience the thrill of the World Cup. Portugal's Cristiana Ronaldo has just scored a goal. in the 5-0 match against Uzbekistan. Nine-year-old Ali Reza is sat with his hand resting on a cardboard football pitch. Plastic straws make up the goalposts

and a marble is used as the ball. As his dad watches the match on TV, he guides his son's hand across the cardboard to mirror the game in real time, including his son in the action with a piece of homemade, tactile technology. Oh, that's so cute. Yeah.

I love that. He's so excited. That's so cute. That's Jill Slo. She plays for Canada's women's blind soccer team. It's very creative of the dad to find a way for his kid to experience the game, like in a tactile way. For the dad to be able to give his kid that experience and whatever way possible, it's so sweet and so forwarming and it's really meaningful

because a lot of parents who have kids with disabilities, they do everything in their power to give their kids the same experiences as sighted siblings or cited peers. Until recently, Jill's experience of following a live match as a fan, meant piecing together an audio puzzle. I would be sitting there trying to figure it out based off of, let's say, the crowd's reaction, or the whistles being blown, or I would just constantly be poking my fiancé and like, hey, what's happening now? What's going on now? What just happened?

It's kind of annoying for me because I don't get all the information at the same time as everybody else, and then I feel like I'm kind of annoying him. FIFA have called this year's World Cup the most inclusive tournament in history. There's a dedicated app providing highly detailed audio description for every. single match. There are also haptic boards, effectively a high-tech version of the cardboard pitch that Ali Reza and his dad use. Jill recently used one at a match between New Zealand and Egypt in Vancouver using FIFA's audio description app and a haptic board together for the first time. I think it was the first time I've ever been able to fully independently sit there and experience a game in real time. Like,

that's a big thing. The technology translates the geography of the pitch directly into Jill's hands. It's like a plastic rectangle shaped board that you would just like rest on your lap. On top is like raised tactile lines that indicate the different areas on the pitch. And then like a, it's like a pulsating, vibrating dot comes onto the board. And it's representing like the soccer ball. I could also feel it and hear it in real time and be able to track the ball. And half the time like, oh, well, they just got a foul. And my family's like, wait, what just happened?

There was times where he didn't even realize what's happening yet. But because I had the description and the haptic board, I like, I knew before he did. and it was so like kind of just a breath of fresher and so relieving just to get the chance to be a real fan and again not have to miss out on any part of the game. But making that fully immersive experience seamless requires a very specific type of broadcasting skill. Standard television or radio commentary isn't enough. The audio describer must paint the pitch entirely with words. I'm Dave Rogers. I am a multi-sport commentator across television, live streaming radio,

but it all began with audio description. Body language in sport is so important. Think about a goalkeeper and the way they'll shout orders at defenders. What do they look like? Is their chests are puffed out, their mouths are open and barking. And unless somebody tells you that, you're not going to know. It's just helping people maximise their experience of sport. There are still hurdles to clear.

The haptic boards are currently only available to ticket holders inside the stadiums and attending a major World Cup fixture is an expensive luxury. The cost to include blind and visually impaired sports fans with an audio description or with a haptic's board or with an inclusive space, the cost comparatively is relatively tiny. Jill hopes to eventually see this technology trickle down to local clubs

or even be made available for fans to borrow and use in their own living rooms. But for now, whether it's a vibrating haptic board in a huge stadium or a marble on a piece of cardboard, Blind and low-vision fans are finally getting to feel the beautiful game more than ever before. Gabriel O'Regan reporting. We often talk about chance encounters here on the Happy Pod, and when one of our listeners found himself in that position, he got in touch. Edward Drew was at his local theatre in the south-west of England

when he spotted Emma Hudson, who he'd last seen 12 years ago in Abu Dhabi, more than 7,000 kilometres away. It's safe to say Emma has had quite the impact on Edward's life. I called up with both of them about their emotional chance meeting. My mum encouraged me to join the school talent competition, which I won. And after that competition, Mrs Hudson invited me to join the school choir. And then from there, by joining the choir, joining different drama groups in the school, I really found a sense of community and belonging, which I had struggled to find at school.

I went into some professional acting as an adult and this basically takes me to going to my local theatre in Devon and almost like a mirage seeing Mrs Hudson in the foyer and being like what are you doing here? Like 12 years later four and a half thousand miles away from Abu Dhabi just really this amazing encounter

just recognising that this is the person who really started all me it was such a huge thing and I've been looking to contact Mrs Hudson for a few years now just to thank her for everything that I have now. Emma, what did you think when you saw Ed? I was absolutely blown away. I just heard this voice say, are you Emma Hudson?

And then I turned around and recognised Ed straight away. It was just the most bizarre but fantastic experience. And it's so lovely to reconnect with Ed. And we've got plans to meet up as well, which will be lovely. and catch up even further still. But, you know, I literally was flawed. I had no idea that Ed was living in Devon, and I'm sure he was the same,

didn't know I was living here either. And there we were in the same place, same time. Ed, you said that you wanted to reach out to Emma in the years before this chance encounter. What was it that you wanted to say to Emma? Oh, so much. I mean, I think school is such a formative time for people, and I think a lot of people,

a lot of young people struggle to find that sense of of belonging, that sense of security and safety. I did really know who I was at that point, but really allowing that space of freedom and creativity with other people allowed me to come into myself. If I didn't have musical theatre, I don't think I would have come out. I came out as gay when I was 14 in Abu Dhabi,

and I felt really held and really held in those spaces. And I really just wanted to thank Emma, because I think teachers have such a crucial role in spotting musical talent. If Emma hadn't had done that, I don't think I would have joined that choir. I don't think I would have joined that drama production and then all the things that I've followed since. So I really just wanted to thank Emma. What an amazing teacher.

Emma, how does that feel knowing that you had that much of an impact on one of your students? It makes me feel really emotional. I mean, I've been teaching for 33 years. And I think you forget sometimes that you do have an impact on young people's lives. You know, we do our day to day and do the things that, you know, we routinely do. run choir rehearsals, orchestra rehearsals, we do shows. And when you meet somebody, you meet them after such a long time and then they sort of tell you that you've made a difference. It's just amazing. I mean, I think that's really everything when you're a music teacher. If you've managed

to inspire one person or however many people, it means a huge amount. How grateful are you that you've bumped into each other very randomly? Yeah, I was just amazing. I'm just so delighted that we've had the chance to reconnect. And hopefully this is the start of more meetings and collaborations. And even if we just get together for coffee, it will be amazing. That was Edward Drew and Emma Hudson. Do you have a story that you want to tell us? We'd love to hear from you. As ever, the address is global podcast at BBC.com.uk. Coming up on the happy pod. We all share the same rhythm. laughing. So a very regular type of signal and we all, you know, laugh in the same way apparently.

A new discovery about our closest animal relatives. How did the United States build the largest soft power empire in the world with the help of some tiny metal objects? I'm Tristan Redmond, one of the hosts of the global story podcasts from the BBC. To mark 250 years of the United States, we speak to Roman Mars of 99% invisible. This soft power, this influence was an incredible invention. For more, listen to the global story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to The Happy Pod. Now, imagine a picnic where the only thing on the menu is unlimited cake.

Well, I'm pleased to tell you that such a thing does exist. Over the past two years, thousands of people around the world have been meeting up for cake picnics. They began in the US and have spread to Mexico, Australia and other countries in Europe. The most recent one was held here in London and our reporter Stephanie Prentice got the very fortunate job of going along. To all of our new friends, welcome. Can you raise your hand if you brought a cake today? We are all about no cake, no entry. So to everyone with your hands up, a round of applause, you guys. Have you ever been lying in bed wishing you could eat a giant cake or in fact lots of pieces of different cakes all at once.

Well, Elisa Sunga, a tech worker living in San Francisco, did and felt it was a problem that needed solving. During one morning, dreaming of a cake feast she posted on Instagram, asking if people fancied having a cake picnic, where everyone brought cakes along and then shared them. When I think about cake picnic, when I started it two years ago, I wanted to eat a lot of cake. And along the way, I realize that a lot of people also want to eat a lot of cake.

But at the same time, when and why do you ever need to eat hundreds of cake at one time? You don't. But the beauty of it is that we choose to do so because of our free will and we just choose to have a nice, lovely time together, outdoors in the sun, and spending it here together. The response was far beyond her wildest sugary dreams. and now she works full-time hosting cake picnics all around the world. In a corner of Brennich Park, colorful bunting marks the spot

as guests drop off elaborate cakes on long banqueting tables. We have over around 250 cakes here today. I don't know if you've ever been around that many cakes, but you guys, you brought it. And these amateur bakers are not messing around. Can you believe the quality of these cakes? One of them is rotating. My name is actually a carousel. Wow.

Yeah, people like really think outside of the box, which is amazing. I made a Ukrainian honey cake, which is about eight layers sandwiched with a sort of spiced cream. I have a hot-shaped strawberry and vanilla cake, filled with a homemade strawberry curd. Can we ask you about your cake? Yeah, sure, but my wife did the entire thing. Next, the systematic business of feasting. We're going to take turns cutting cakes. So if you have a blue wristband, please slowly make your way up.

Grab your cake box. People are excited. I see some people looking quite stressed. Okay, you're doing very well here. What was your strategy? Just panic. Panic moves. And hunger. I'm going to start at my cake. Skip the ones I don't like. Get as many as I can. I'm just going to cut as messily as I can and just move fast. Choose the ones that looks best.

Choose the biggest ones that had the most decorations. I went around the table and found the most exotic fruits and figured out cakes that I'd never tried before. I'm seeing lots of orderly behavior from following the rules. Does it get on differently in different countries? No, it's about the same for country. I think the only difference was in Minneapolis. At the end, we had so much cake left over

because apparently in Minneapolis, everyone wants to leave a lot for the person after them. So this concept of saving it for the next person. The other groups take turns as group, Ron starts tackling huge boxes of cake and making friends. Oh, it's just lovely because I think otherwise you will not have a cross each other's path, but everyone loves cake and you don't judge anyone who loves cake. So this is actually very lovely.

We just made a friend of Chloe. I just made friends with that. The rule of the final round is to eat to your heart's content, but that's the rule of every round. Always eat. You're here for cake. Cut to your heart's content and eat even more. So I always think of cake picnic as a moment to make magic in a world that needs it.

So thank you all for making that dream come true today. Alisa Sunga, the founder of Cake Picnic, ending that report by Stephanie Prentice. Now it's time for a laugh, great ape style. Scientists have found that human laughter and that of our closest animal relative share similar rhythmic patterns. They say laughter itself dates back to our shared ancestors more than 15 million years ago. My colleague Paul Henley spoke to the lead author of the study,

Kiara D. Gregorio from the University of Warwick. When we talk about laugh and laughter, it's really the same type of signal organized in the same way and also used in the same social context. But something similar is still present in other human animals. and this tells us that this kind of vocal behavior is so important that is present in many, many mammals. But it's the great apes laughter that can be compared to ours.

And I think we've got a clip here of a chimpanzee making a laughing sound. So the sound that the chimp makes isn't that similar, but it's about the rhythm, isn't it? Yeah, so we actually found that we and other non-human grape, so the chimp you just listen to, but also bonobos, orangutans, gorillas. We all share the same rhythm while laughing. And it is like the ticking of a clock or the ticking of a metronome. So a very regular type of signal.

And we all, you know, laughing the same way, apparently. And that gives us an insight into the way communication, speech evolved, does it? Yeah, in a weird way, actually, looking at Lathar can tell us something about how we get to, you know, evolved language and speech. Speech is something that only humans have, so it's difficult to understand how it evolved because it's difficult to make comparison of this kind of vocalization since it's not present in other animals.

But actually, lesser, it is. So a very important point in the evolution of human language and speech has something to do with the ability to control our mouth and our lips and our tongue, because actually the vocal tract of other non-human primates, it's already speech already. It could produce speech. What is missing there is the ability to move, you know, mouth, lips, tongue. And by looking at Latter, we actually have seen how during evolution the rhythm and the tempo

of Latter accelerated. And this tells us something about the fact that with evolution, we got more, you say, good at moving our mouth, which it maybe seemed very simple, but it really tells us something about we evolved to get to the point where we were able to produce complex sounds as speech. But rhythmic laughter, we can now say, dates back about 15 million years. Are we saying that the first meaningful vocalization was laughter, which is quite a nice discovery?

Yeah, I will say maybe the first that we actually really share, because, of course, the human primates can communicate with, some very also complex vocal behavior. The more we studied them, the more we actually found that they do crazy things. They use that for different function and purposes than, you know, human speech. But actually, Lasser, that's the same. That's still using the same kind of sound for the same kind of social, you know, situation and social relationship.

Kiara D. Gregorio. We end with a payphone in Washington, D.C., but this isn't any old phone. We sent the happy pods Riley Farrell to make a call. In an age of smartphones, stumbling across a payphone is like a blast from the past. And on a residential street in Washington, D.C., one hangs on a pole. Chrome, black steel, receiver dangling from a cord. Seemingly standard stuff.

So I stroll up to the payphone. Now, I should confess I did not just happen upon it. I came here with an express purpose. This isn't any ordinary payphone, and to discover why, you must pick up. When do you need chapstick in the garden? When you're planting tulips. Oh, get it. This is the joke phone, a local curiosity that's been spreading giggles across Washington, D.C. for three years.

It's a restored payphone that's been given a second life. It delivers jokes, fun facts, Shakespearean insults. and even the occasional pep talk. The man behind it all is Don Rutledge, a primary school substitute teacher by day who moonlights as the mastermind behind the jokes phone. He told me where his idea began. I saw that there was a place where you could get pay phones,

and I thought, oh, that would be a really fun thing to have. Like, maybe I'll just fiddle with it and make it into a phone phone for the family to use. And then I started thinking about it, and I got the phone and looked inside. I was like, you know, what would really be cool as if it could be interactive for other people, and then I thought of jokes.

It was a solid winters project. Press a star key, then choose a number from one to four, and you'll unlock different categories of the jokes. Knock, knock. Who's there? Do we? Do we who?

Do we have school today? Press five, and you'll hear an insult from a Shakespeare play. Well, I guess you asked for it. You are nothing but a white-livered. Hard-haired, gigglet. And if what you need isn't a laugh but a lift, there are affirmations, too. It's okay to take a break. You have good friends who love you.

You are ready to start the day. Since it was installed, the phone has delivered more than 10,000 jokes, according to online usage statistics. Best part? The jokes are free. Why would I charge for it? I need to be kind of... ridiculous. I've had a lot of people say that it brings them a lot of joy. I've had kids tell me like they stop by every single day to get their joke, which I have to imagine really annoys

the parents. They're late for school. I'm glad I'm having such a positive effect for a whimsical project. That was Riley Farrell reporting. And that's all from the happy pod for now. We'd love to hear from you. As ever, the address is global podcast at BBC.co.com. This edition was mixed and produced by Rachel Bulkley. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Holly Gibbs. Until next time, goodbye. Is the American dream still possible? I'm Asma Khaled, one of the hosts of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. One of the most successful exports to the United States has ever sold the world is the American dream, that tantalizing promise of a better, freer, richer life.

But is it still attainable? I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well. For more, listen to The Global Story on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.