AJ
When my son was born in 2000.
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 24 October 2009 source ↗
The question
What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
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Others on this question
View all 577 →Every morning when I go into our three-year-old’s room. He’s so happy to see you, it’s a moment of heaven.
August 16, 1985. My dad took me and my brothers Andre and Tony to see the Fresh Fest at the Nassau Coliseum, on Long Island. We saw Whodini, the Fat Boys, and Grandmaster Flash. Greatest day of my life. The births of my children were big days, too, but billions of people have children—only 15,000 people saw that show.
Vicky McClure
English actress
Christmas Day in Nottingham. I am happiest when I am with all of my family, and last year Jonny and I got engaged.
Chris O'Dowd
Irish actor and comedian
At college: missing lectures to rehearse plays and go daytime drinking. Oh, and the baby’s birth.
More from Alan Johnson
View profile →Not to have been a rock'n'roll star.
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