Ghostbusters had turned into a soap opera
By Wednesday, even Scott was struggling to explain the Brogan story in a single sentence.
On Monday, Brogan had described being ghosted after around eight dates.
On Tuesday, the ghost’s best friend Liam had called to defend him because the ghost himself did not want to speak on air.
During that conversation it emerged that Liam had liked Brogan before his friend dated her.
Now Brogan was back.
And she had been talking to Liam.
Instagram had opened a new conversation
Brogan said she and Liam had exchanged messages on Instagram after his appearance on the programme.
It had started through the very strange shared circumstance of being connected by somebody else’s ghosting.
But she admitted she quite liked him.
Scott could barely believe the feature had reached this point.
The original aim had been to ask one man why he stopped replying. Instead, Radio 1 had found his best friend, discovered the best friend had prior interest in Brogan and now potentially had two single people talking to each other because of the failed Ghostbusters call.
Brogan’s friends were also interested in the idea.
The obvious next question was whether Liam felt the same way now that the situation had become public.
Scott decided they needed to ask him directly.
Could a loud shirt create British small talk?
The programme also experimented with a much smaller social problem.
Scott was wearing a particularly noticeable patterned shirt and wondered whether clothing could force strangers into conversation.
The theory was that British people often avoided talking to people they did not know, but a sufficiently bold shirt might provide an easy opening.
Compliments from people around Radio 1 encouraged him.
Greg James told Scott he had never looked better, although Scott was not entirely sure how seriously to take that.
The shirt became a test of whether visual novelty could overcome the instinct to remain silent around strangers.
Brogan and Liam needed one more conversation
The important unfinished business remained the possible date.
Brogan had now said enough for Scott to know she was open to it.
Liam did not yet know that.
The following day, Scott and Chris planned to put both of them on the phone, while only one knew the other was listening.
What had begun as a standard Ghostbusters feature was about to become an attempted set-up.
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