Can You Fill Me In?
Chris wanted to play a search-engine game he had first used with Matt Edmondson while covering Scott’s programme. Matt had subsequently taken the format to his own weekend show, creating a dispute over whether the inventor, presenter or time slot owned it.
The game asked players to complete the most popular questions suggested automatically by a search engine. Scott decided that because it had been created between 1pm and 4pm, it belonged to his programme. They renamed it Can You Fill Me In? and used Craig David’s “Fill Me In” as the theme.
Matt telephoned with lawyers figuratively listening. He found a note on his phone from 2013 that mentioned the idea and presented it as proof of ownership. Chris rejected the evidence, while Matt threatened to create suspiciously familiar versions of Scott’s other games. Clara Amfo was asked to mediate but undermined Matt by pretending not to know who he was.
Music is still running out
Radio 1’s outgoing head of music reached his final day, making Chris more determined to brief his successor on the shortage of original notes. Listeners had supplied another group of songs with familiar elements.
Rationale’s “Something for Nothing” recalled Labi Siffre’s “(Something Inside) So Strong”. Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” contained a background figure that brought the Ghostbusters theme to mind, while All Time Low’s “Missing You” prompted another close comparison. Chris also traced the problem back to Take That’s “Never Forget” and an old Bodyform advert.
The examples were similarities rather than accusations of copying, but they strengthened his belief that the crisis had begun long before Radio 1 noticed it. A meeting with the incoming head of music, also called Chris, was now intended for his first days in the job.
One more listener in control
Battle of the Bangers continued after a week in which both men had become fiercely protective of their choices. The simple act of allowing one caller to decide the next record had created arguments about tactics, obvious crowd-pleasers and what properly qualified as a forgotten banger.
Listener Jenny played Real or No Real from Eastleigh, giving Scott a chance to recommend a tour of his old local landmarks. She considered Pam St Clement’s prediction from a clairvoyant, a workout using bottles and glasses of wine, and whether dental hygienists received more attention than personal trainers on dating apps.
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