The trophy story gains a witness
Scott’s casual recollection that he had held the World Cup had infuriated Chris, who believed he had confused it with the FA Cup. Former breakfast-show producer Andy now confirmed the story. The trophy visited Radio 1 before the 2002 tournament in Japan and South Korea, with heavy security and no advance publicity. Andy and Scott lifted it while wearing protective gloves.
The gloves finally unlocked Scott’s memory. Chris accepted that the event had happened but was almost more offended that Scott could forget it. For a football supporter, touching the trophy would have been a defining experience; for Scott, it had become one unusual morning among many.
Scott wanted a formal apology. Chris refused, so a BBC-style correction was played on his behalf. It withdrew the claim that Scott was a moron, apologised for calling him a Eurovision-obsessed loser and concluded that the only moron was Chris. The statement repeatedly called Scott “Danny Howard”, preserving the show’s running identity joke while making the apology even less sincere.
Replaced by Hacker T Dog
BBC Sport’s next alternative commentary came from CBBC’s Hacker T Dog. Chris struggled with the discovery that the pair’s replacement was a puppet dog, and the on-screen caption “Hacker The Dog” only made it more official.
They continued to promote #OneMoreGame, asking the BBC for another fixture and assuring listeners that enough enthusiasm remained despite England’s position. Chris wanted an actual continuation of his new career, not merely Glastonbury Red Button coverage.
Homes Under the Hammer changes the musical rules
The Homes Under the Hammer Game returned. The programme’s editors choose songs that make literal or painfully approximate connections with the property narration: “Complicated” after a complicated access problem, “Let Me Think About It” after advice to think, and Shania Twain’s “Ka-Ching!” after a discussion of pennies and pounds.
Scott and Chris tried to predict the songs before they began. A cottage on church grounds led to guesses involving churches and Muse. A man from Tunstall produced KT Tunstall, breaking the assumed rule that the link should come from the lyric rather than the artist’s name. A staircase to nowhere suggested Talking Heads and “Stairway to Heaven”, while extra room eventually brought Nelly Furtado’s “Big Hoops”.
Chris won the round; Scott again failed to score. The game remained difficult because the television show could choose an obvious pun, an obscure track or a connection that contradicted all the rules established by the previous answer.
Streaming enters the singles chart
From July, audio streams would count towards the Official Singles Chart, with 100 qualifying streams equivalent to one sale. Scott loved chart movements but felt newly responsible for the music he repeatedly played at the gym. Britney Spears’ “Boys”, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain and other private workout choices could now make a fractional contribution to the national ranking.
Listeners worried about parents repeatedly playing Elton John, children streaming The Lion King and musical-theatre fans putting Les Misérables into the chart. Facebook integration created another hazard: helping a parent assemble an ABBA playlist could publicly announce that it was the listener’s own choice. They understood that enormous numbers were required, but the change made every casual 30-second listen feel like a vote.
Greg James admits to a hot tub
Greg James played Real or No Real. Oprah Winfrey really had originally been named Orpah, with the familiar spelling emerging after years of mistakes. Binky Felstead was not making Alex Mytton walk a fake dog to demonstrate that he was ready for a real one, although Ben Affleck had reportedly endured a similar childhood test.
Greg really had moved into a new home with a hot tub on its small balcony. He had tried to get it removed and joked about turning it into a carp pond, while Scott regarded the unwanted feature as an ideal lifestyle. Pepe had not lost a restaurant’s black card for being sent off against Germany. Scott won 30–20; Greg still had the hot tub.
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