Too many Aarons
Scott presented alone while Chris used a day off to visit a disappointingly duck-free childhood pond. Listener Aaron, 27, called with a problem that had developed throughout his life: his once-unusual name appeared to be everywhere.
There had been one other Aaron at school, another at work and now the original schoolmate lived opposite him. His former partner had also found a new boyfriend named Aaron, which he regarded as her giving away his name as well as moving on from the relationship. Radio 1 had recently added singers and listeners to the list, convincing him that the country was replacing its Daves with Aarons.
Other people with increasingly common names sympathised, although the resulting messages from still more Aarons only proved his point. Scott advised him to leave an exceptionally long answerphone greeting explaining that no additional Aarons were required.
A remote Bangers defeat
Chris phoned from his day off because he refused to miss Battle of the Bangers. He was sitting beside the pond when Kelly chose between Scott’s Lady Gaga selection, “Do What U Want”, and his own Timberland record, “The Way I Are”.
Kelly normally took Chris’s side and did so again. Scott’s newly discovered winning form disappeared for the day, while listeners remained more interested in why Chris had chosen to spend his free time waiting for ducks.
Punching and proud
Scott asked whether people would publicly admit that their partner was out of their league. The response was far larger than expected, with listeners tagging their boyfriends and girlfriends into the question and producing several immediate arguments.
Liam described his blonde girlfriend as beautiful, funny and a great person, then called himself an ordinary-looking version of Chris. His siblings regularly reminded him that he was punching, and he had known it since she first approached him while he worked in a bar. James said he had felt the same way throughout an eight-year relationship and had wisely married his partner.
The comparisons became increasingly vivid. People described themselves as a Honda Jazz beside a Bentley, a three beside a ten, and finally a Dorito dating Michelle Keegan. Greg James argued that a healthy relationship required both people to believe they were the lucky one, a principle that did not seem to apply to most of Scott’s callers.
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