Scott tackles the “World Cup widows” phenomenon during the 2006 tournament — but with a twist, when a caller reveals he’s the one being abandoned while his girlfriend Sarah spends all her time in the pub watching football instead.
During the opening weeks of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Scott explores the impact on relationships when one partner becomes obsessed with the tournament. The feature typically focuses on women left at home, but this episode reverses the dynamic: Rob calls in to explain that his girlfriend of seven years, Sarah, has essentially moved into the pub with her workmates and has no interest in watching matches at home with him. Rob admits he’s not particularly interested in football anyway, making him an unlikely World Cup widower.
Scott sets up a challenge: Rob must try to lure Sarah home *right now* — not waiting until the match finishes — by calling her directly on air. What follows is a painfully awkward phone conversation in which Rob attempts various incentives: he mentions he’s wearing special pants, offers to light candles, and suggests they could do something together. Sarah remains unmoved, barely engaging and ultimately refusing to leave the pub. She’s watching Tunisia versus Saudi Arabia and isn’t budging.
By the end of the call, Scott and the team are fairly convinced Sarah was in on it — that she knew she was being put on the radio and played along to make Rob look foolish. Several callers texting in agree; one notes that Rob “went wrong” when he mentioned his special pants, which didn’t sound remotely appealing. The team laughs at the whole scenario, with Scott declaring Sarah “the perfect woman” for combining wine-drinking and football-watching without interest in anything else — though he suspects the whole thing was a setup.
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