The Happy Pod: The magic of festive airport reunions

0:00This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau. Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is The Happy Pod from the BBC World Service.

0:50I'm Celia Hatton and in this edition... Sometimes, to be honest, I'm there with the camera and I'm trying to wipe away the tears so that we don't miss the reunions. It gets really emotional. So it's a real privilege to be able to capture that and call it a job. The airport workers spreading the joy of festive family reunions. A rather unusual U.S. judge. More bubble guns, the better, I think. For me, I provide something that no one else seems to be able to. And I love doing this. Performing courthouse weddings with a difference. A rare tree continuing the legacy of a much-loved community figure.

1:30They used to knock on the door and, you know, ask Marlene, what is this tree? Can I pick her through? And she would actually be very quiet. She would say, you know, you can get the broom and get that one or you can pick if anything's on the floor. And many people mentioned that the event was like heaven on earth, that if heaven was something that we could see, that was it. A record-breaking gathering in Argentina.

1:58The Arrivals Hall in an airport is always filled with family and friends eagerly awaiting the return of their loved ones. Imagine bunches of flowers and handmade welcome home signs. In the lead-up to the festive season, Dublin Airport has decided to capture these intimate moments of joy and reunion. and it's no surprise, these videos have won over the hearts of thousands of people online. Two people stood behind the camera are Dana Baker and Graham McQueen from Dublin Airport's social media team. They've been speaking to the Happy Pod's Holly Gibbs. Ireland is full of people who are from other parts of the world who live here and then there are Irish people all over the world.

2:43So Christmas is magic because there's a lot of reunions happening around that time. so we want to tell that story and there's lots of colour and excitement and tears and happiness in the terminals and the arrivals halls so we'll try and capture as many stories as we can, putting people at the heart of it Sinead O 'Connor, coming from Sydney, Australia we love you so much and so happy to have you home for Christmas Sinead Leigh and my daughter are coming home from Sydney, Australia and we're having a wedding next week so we're really looking forward to it I think it resonates with a lot of people in Ireland because a lot of us have loved ones living overseas who we love to see and love to see coming home.

3:23So we try and capture all that and bottle it all up. Welcome home! No! And these videos have gone far and wide. What has the response been like? Yeah, it's been really good. I think we always get some really good stories and we usually get some really big reunions happening. And we had one a couple of years ago where we had a brother and sister meeting up for the first time. She discovered him. It's kind of like a long lost family story. He travelled over from New Zealand. They met a couple of days before Christmas in the arrivals hall in Terminal 2. And they were both in their 70s and they met for the very first time.

4:00We've had people coming back from Australia for the first time in three years. They've got grandkids with them that have never met their grandparents. Our daughter Alma, our grandson Aaron, our grandson Rean and our granddaughter Erin. The grandchildren have never been to Ireland. Our daughter is 14 years in Australia. Oh, so excited, getting overwhelmed now. Just give each other a big hug. And how does it make you both feel that people are getting emotional watching these? When I was watching them, I was looking at the comments and people were saying that it had them in tears watching these really emotional reunions.

4:35Sometimes, to be honest, I'm there with a camera and I'm trying to wipe away the tears so that we don't miss the reunions. It makes me feel really happy and also for the people themselves. We had a mum last year who collected her daughter and her son on the same day and I was there for both of them. And afterwards she sent me a really nice message just saying that, you know, it really made her Christmas and she now has that memory forever. My name's John Paul and we're here to welcome Clare and I'll back to Australia with their three kids. I'm Clare's mum. I'm the granny of the three grandchildren coming home.

5:09So, yeah. It's going to get emotional. I'm Maria, and I'm here to greet Niall, who's coming home for Christmas, first time in 17 years. You have to look away at times. There's a bit of a running joke in the office that if you're going to the terminals in December, you need to take a packet of tissues with you because it gets emotional. You see grown men, dads, meeting their sons and daughters, and they can't keep it in. It's just really, really emotional. It's a real privilege to be able to capture that and call it a job. What's been the most memorable interaction that you have captured? What is the one that will stay with you forever?

5:47I think for me, I think it was last year's one, there was a dad who was unwell and his daughter doesn't know that. And she was coming back to him. And that reunion for me, I was bawling. And I think it will always stick with me. Seeing the little girl and the dad reuniting was just absolute magic for me. We're so lucky because we get to meet so many great people and great families. Honestly, some of them I want to go home with and have Christmas dinner with in the end. And you become part of that story. And we see in the comments as well, you know, people who have loved ones abroad. And they're saying, you know, these videos are making me so emotional, but they're also, you know, really happy for those other families.

6:29So I think from our side, it's bringing some joy this time of year, but it's also really relatable. I think everybody has somebody that's away and it's such a magic time of year. I think it's just lovely. I can't get her away from the airport at the minute. I keep telling her to go home, but every time I turn around, she's found another family that she wants to talk to. It gets in on you. Yeah. And yeah, we have to remind ourselves to go home at times, says the guy who's just about to go back to the airport from home to meet more families. But yeah, we love it. and how could you not? Dana Baker and Graham McQueen speaking to Holly Gibbs.

7:12Has this story reminded you of a special reunion? If so, we'd love to hear from you. The address is globalpodcast at bbc.co.uk. Now, it's safe to say that most people's dream wedding scenarios don't usually take place inside a municipal government courtroom. But in the US, one judge in Texas is proving that simple and practical marriage ceremonies don't have to be dull. The Happy Pod's Riley Farrell went along to find out more. I'm standing inside the Dallas Government Center on a chilly Monday morning. At first glance, it's a typical courthouse. Fluorescent lights hum overhead and metal detectors beep as people paying fines file through security.

7:58Bureaucracy in action. But something here is different.

8:06On the third floor, music spills out of Judge Adam Schwartz's courtroom. Couples can come here for a quick practical marriage ceremony. Hey, welcome in. But what they get is a moment when love meets legality. Hey, welcome in. Come on down, y 'all. Today, I'm here to witness it all. The vows, the laughter, and the bubbles that turn a government building into a party.

8:37Are y 'all ready? Yes. Here we go. Judge Schwartz has officiated about 3 ,500 weddings since being elected in 2022. And he's armed with bubble guns. More bubble guns, the better, I think. Once they say their I do's, I get a chance to pronounce them husband and wife. By the power invested in me by the great state of Texas, I am so happy to pronounce you husband and wife. You can kiss the bride.

9:07Here comes the bubble gun and it's just hugs and love at that point. That's really the goal is to make sure that the day feels the way everyone thinks the day is supposed to feel, whether or not that's what they expected in a courthouse. My opinion was always that the amount of money you had shouldn't dictate your access to justice or happiness, right? If money can't buy you love, it can at least rent out the courtroom for 15 minutes. And the internet has taken notice of this judge's particular style. A viral video shows Schwartz pronouncing a couple husband and wife, then firing bubbles into the air as they kiss.

9:46I can't tell you how lovely it really is to get recognized for doing something that you both believe in and feel good about, right? Particularly when it's making so many other people so happy. For the couples, this is not just a legal formality. It's personal. happy emotional and thankful it's a very special day for me i feel great i'm excited i love her that's all it really is i could tell he was very nervous because he immediately was laughing crying just very nerve-wracking i mean we've been together for eight years so we didn't think we were going to be as nervous but he did make it a little bit more fun for sure than anything because that's what we were nervous about that it was just going to be strictly like just that.

10:29And that's why I did request for the bubbles. He brought a lot more, in a sense, community and unity doing this whole court stuff. Not as scary. Not as scary. Yeah. Weddings at a courthouse are like anything else. You get out of it what you put into it. And for me, I provide something that no one else seems to be able to. And I love doing this. Being able to come together just for a second as a community and sharing a moment of uplift helps stitch the fabric of the universe together just a little bit every time. In a world where weddings often come with a big price tag, sometimes all it takes is a courthouse, a positive attitude, and yes, a bubble gun.

11:15Riley Farrell reporting. A story from here in London now and a grapefruit tree, two trees in fact, that have been given protected status thanks to a team of neighbours. There are two of only a few in the UK growing fruit, and they were brought from the Caribbean to southwest London as saplings in the 1980s by one of the street's residents. During the summer, Marlene Anderson died, but her legacy lives on. Harry Bly went to Battersea to find out more. Marlene Anderson was 13 years old when she moved to the UK from Grenada with her auntie and cousins as part of the Windrush movement. She eventually settled in Battersea in south-west London.

11:59Years later, Vess moved in upstairs. Marlene was really... She was very multifaceted, very lovely, very funny, witty, very straight to the point. So at first I was a little bit like, ooh, she's serious kind of thing. but I think it was around maybe four or five years ago when we really got close I had a fire in my house and I literally lost everything and the landlord didn't do anything for four months so I was practically living washing cooking at Marlene's house and she was kind of looking after me and that's how I really got to spend a lot of time with her and actually sit with her and listen to her and she's telling me about the grapefruit tree and her life and so that's how I kind of realise how lovely and kind she is because she didn't have to do any of that for me you know but she did and that's kind of how our bond grew yeah but she was really really lovely she helped everybody anybody that you see walking here that knows marlene they call her mum you know so yes she was loved by the community she was kind of the community like the elder yeah yeah sometime in the mid-1980s marlene planted two grapefruit trees outside her front door that had been sent as saplings from Grenada.

13:15Honestly, as soon as I saw the grapefruit tree outside, I said, I've never seen anything like this. Nowhere in the world. So, yeah, I took the flat just because of the grapefruit tree. Hi. Hello. How are you? Have you had a good look? I have. I can't believe how many there are. Just to meet you. So, it's quite a good view from the top as well because we've got loads of baby ones growing. This is for you. Yeah, I saw. Oh, thank you so much. Man, it smells so good. Oh, wow. Now, this tree is very tall. So there's two trees. People don't realise it. They think it's one. But if you look underneath the leaves, it's actually two trees.

13:50So it's a male and a female. The leaves are very shiny. Shiny green. It actually looks like an evergreen. I didn't, you know, most people that walk past them don't know it's a grapefruit tree. So it looks like just a big green bush that you see everywhere. Marlene had feared that in the future, when she was gone, These trees might be cut down by whoever moved in next. With the help of her neighbours, though, the trees were given protected status by the local council, meaning they can't be cut down by future residents. And it's constantly blooming and blossoming, so it starts off as little white flowers and then they literally just grow into big grapefruits.

14:30But yeah, it's very big, tall, round and green. Very green. Very green. Very, very green. And hundreds of fruits. More than hundreds. I feel like right now there's maybe about 200 up there, but obviously with all the tourists coming round and shaking the tree and picking everything up, there is a little bit less now, yeah. And tell me about the picking etiquette. Right, that is a funny story. So there are people who are very polite. They used to knock on the door and, you know, ask Marlene, what is this tree, can I pick her through? And she would actually be very polite. and she'll say, you know, you can get the broom and get that one or you can pick if anything's on the floor.

15:11However, if she does see you vandalising the tree, she will be out there with her walking stick and she will be cursing.

15:21So she was fair, shall we say. Vess helped to install a plaque on the wall next to the tree. The plaque reads, a gift from her homeland, Grenada. It bears fruit year round. Her essence lives on in its roots. That report by Harry Bly.

15:47Still to come in this podcast. To be honest, I was expecting the worst. You see, five kids, bikes, dark clothing, hoodies. The teenagers who've gone viral after defying expectations with their video doorbell message.

16:08If journalism is the first draft of history, what happens if that draft is flawed? In 1999, four Russian apartment buildings were bombed, hundreds killed. But even now, we still don't know for sure who did it. It's a mystery that sparked chilling theories. I'm Helena Merriman, and in a new BBC series, I'm talking to the reporters who first covered this story. What did they miss the first time? The History Bureau, Putin and the apartment bombs. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

16:46To Buenos Aires next, where Argentinians have been attempting to set a new world record. More than 2 ,000 dogs have had a very happy outing to Berlin Park in the city in an attempt to break the number of golden retrievers gathered in one place. Sean Le has been speaking to Flavia Fittipaldi, whose partner started it all with an appeal on social media. It started a couple of years ago when we went to one gathering in Barcelona. It was 150 golden retrievers. And then he started with this idea of doing it in Argentina. And he created a Google Docs form. and as soon as he created the dogs, it was like 700 golden retrievers enrolled and it grew day by day.

17:35People from all over the country came. It was just an event to bring more happiness to a day. Yeah, describe to me what was going on. It must have been slightly chaotic, wasn't it? Yeah, we went very early and it was like a beautiful day with a couple of dogs and family around and then suddenly everywhere. It was too many. Too many people and dogs. What was the favourite thing you saw? My favourite thing, it was like a couple of golden retrievers in kind of a pond. And they were just very dirty. Extremely dirty, but happy. Yep. And they were shaking after swimming, imagine. What was the noise like?

18:17It was quiet at times. And then suddenly one started and it was just complete madness for one second. but it was like bells you know already it's like when you have a dog that is just part of your life it's a sound of happiness for dog owners it's not always the sound of happiness for other people it was amazing to hear that many people mentioned that the event was like heaven on earth that if heaven was something that we could see that was it you know all these dogs all these dogs and families there. It was just heaven on earth. Now that's the heaven bit. The hell bit, I guess, could be potentially clearing up after so many dogs.

18:59Did you have that organised as well? Yes, yes, yes. Families were very organised in that aspect too. They collected everything. They didn't leave anything behind. It was just very clean and organised because the city didn't give us the park. We didn't have to ask for anything to the government or stuff like that. The only requirement was to leave everything in perfect conditions. Now let me ask you the key question here. We've kept the audience waiting with bated breath for this one. The unofficial record was set in Vancouver was 1 ,685 golden retrievers in one place. How many did you manage in Buenos Aires?

19:39We did 2 ,397. Wow, you have set quite a target to beat. Oh, yes, yes. I mean, you obviously love Golden Retrievers because you have one. But what would you say to somebody who doesn't know the breed? What makes them special? They are just the best company ever and they want to play all the time. They are upbeat. They jump into pools. I mean, it's just happiness all the time. Flavia Fittipaldi speaking to Sean Lay. Some happy health news for you now. Since their invention in the 1950s, ultrasound scans have been an important tool in monitoring the health of pregnant women and their babies, providing a safe, non-invasive way to look inside the womb.

20:28But many expectant mothers in developing countries still don't have access to these machines. In Africa, more than a third don't get any scans at all. Now, though, handheld scanners have been developed that can show images on a computer or mobile phone. 500 of the devices were donated to midwives in Kenya, and in just two years, they were used to perform more than 200 ,000 scans. Dr. Grace Katermo from Kenyatta University led the program. Before they had ultrasound, they could only use their hands to check how the babies lie, whether they are multiple pregnancy or single pregnancy. They could not know the amount of amnesitic fluid or where the presenter is.

21:13But now with the ultrasound, they are able to check that. When a midwife is equipped with the skill, with the knowledge, and also the technology, they are having a better outcome and they're able to make more informed decisions. I think that has given me a lot of joy and satisfaction. They are still in use and midways actually some of them are saying that they couldn't imagine how it could have been without the ultrasound. The handheld scanners cost just$2 ,000, a lot less than the large machines. Davis Odiyambo went to see one being used at a clinic in one of Kenya's largest cities, Nakuru.

21:53I'm standing just outside Lanet Health Center in Akuru East Sub-County, a small but busy health center. I get talking to Miriam Mashuka, who lives locally. She was unable to afford scans for her first two children. However, she was able to get a free scan for her third child at the center. Now heavily pregnant, with her fourth child, she has already had earlier scans and is hoping this is her final one. The first time I was told about the device, I was a bit scared, and I thought maybe it will harm my baby. But when I saw it for myself, I realized it's actually useful. She is greeted by midwife Lidia Nyaboke, who is wearing a white uniform and has a big welcoming smile.

22:49She invites the man-to-be to lie down on a bed and then picks up the ultrasound device and powers it on. She applies some gel to Miriam's stomach and places the butterfly probe on the skin. An image flickers to life on the tablet computer. And this is the back, the spine. If you look at the screen there, and back to the head, the baby is very active moving. As Lydia moves the probe in a circular motion, she tells me she is checking the baby's position, the placenta and fluid levels. And then we hear...

23:37It is a simple moment, the rhythmic sound of a fetal heartbeat in a quiet room. Miriam breaks into a smile as she listens to her baby. Those are the heart chambers that I pity like that. The heartbeat is okay. The scan is over in a matter of minutes, and I asked Miriam how she feels as she gets up to leave. I didn't feel awkward. I felt comfortable. It's good that the midwife understands what she's doing. Midwife Lydia says the scans have been popular with local pregnant women. They feel so nice when they get a scan for free. The community that surrounds us, they come from a very low background.

24:29Most probably they cannot even afford to go to do a comprehensive scan. It has really made me take the decisions that I make, especially to our mothers. And it has been really a success to us. The midwives have noticed an improvement in maternal health since the introduction of the ultrasound. Davis Ojiambo in Nakuru. As children, a lot of our listeners might have taken part in that age-old practice of knocking on a random door or ringing a neighbour's doorbell and then running away. But now, a group of young people in Scotland has gone viral for approaching a total stranger's door and doing something else, as Stephanie Prentiss reports.

25:18We can't answer the door right now. A pre-recorded message on the doorbell of a house in Scotland. The video recording linked to it shows five boys, all dressed in black, standing at the top of a residential driveway. Erin Chalmers lives there, but she was at work and got an urgent message from her husband. My husband had just sent a message saying, you need to look at the ring doorbell when you get your phone. To be honest, I was expecting the worst. You see, five kids, bikes, dark clothing, hoodies. As Erin worried about whether they were up to mischief and if her plant pots were still there, she wasn't ready for what happened next.

25:57If you'd like to leave a message, you can do it now. Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day I gave it away. This year to save me from tears, I give it to someone special. Excuse me, this is to get you in the Christmas spirit. Bye. Love you. Erin couldn't stop watching the clip. She wanted to share the joy with others and find the children. I posted it on TikTok and it just went mental. It was the kids that found the video first. They were then tagging their friends and they were direct messaging me, being, oh, that's me. The video racked up millions of views and the boys' last Christmas led to their first TV appearances all around the world.