Will Mellor has expressed his delight that his Two Pints podcast with Ralf Little helped people with their mental health through lockdown.
The actor, 45, and his former Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps co-star Ralf, 42, decided to create a podcast shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
As the country went into lockdown in a bid to control the virus, the duo continued recording their episodes, albeit not from their usual spot in the pub.
And Will has revealed the satisfaction he feels after fans wrote to the pair to share how doing so helped them through the difficult period.
He said: "Through lockdown a lot of people got in touch and said it [the podcast] helped them through lockdown and give them something to listen to, something to look forward to, especially with the pubs shut. They could have a beer with us."
Will, who is an ambassador for mental health kaleidoscope plus group team KPG, admitted it also helped him keep his own focus and keep him busy as his brain is "active all the time".
And touching upon talking about mental health, he continued: "I think talking about mental health helps. When you say mental health, there is a large spectrum on what that means, but for me talking does help and having interaction with people and being able to open up and talk about things does help."
"It's always good to share and open up and it's easier said than done sometimes, but you'd be surprised how much when you do talk that somebody else offers a message.
"You know, I've been like that and you realise there's other people suffering as well, but they've been silent."
The pair's hit podcast has already been listened to over 41 million times, receiving rave reviews as they offer they own general chit chat and funny banter.
However, the brilliant mix of conversation sometimes touches on more sensitive matters, such as the death of Will's dad. They have also had several guests open up about their own mental health struggles, including Joe Tracini.
And they are now set to take their show on the road as they prepare to entertain fans across the UK with Two Pints with Will and Ralf Live!
Will admits that he's nervous about doing the live show, especially as they don't have the comfort of an edit button.
He also calls going in front of a crowd again "daunting" but is looking forward to playing the 14 venues.
Opening up on what people can expect, he said that while there will be some structure, a lot of the show can't be planned as they intend to get the audience involved and talk about topical issues.
"Maybe we'll do some Will versus Ralf games on stage," he suggests in reference to the latest addition to their podcast's patreon section.
"[There'll be] a few surprises along the way, maybe a bit of music, I don't want to go into too much detail," he added.
"It won't be us just sat down talking for an hour and a half because I wouldn't pay to see that and I wouldn't expect anyone else to pay to see that because you can see that on the pod.
"We want to give them something extra and feel like they've been a part of something special."
Remaining tickets for the Two Pints With Will and Ralf Live! podcast tour are on sale now at https://twopintspodcast.com.
