Radio birthday mentions were boring
Scott and Chris received thousands of requests for birthday shout-outs.
They could only read a handful.
There was another problem.
A birthday mention was exciting for the person being named.
For everybody else, “Happy birthday, Jess” or “Happy birthday, Mark” was not especially interesting radio.
So the show invented a new system.
The listener could have an enormous birthday message from Radio 1 DJs.
But they had to earn it.
Sam met the Birthday Game
Sam was turning 28.
Scott and Chris had already recorded a collection of Radio 1 presenters wishing him happy birthday.
Before he could hear them, his mother Sarah came on the line.
The premise was brutal.
A birthday celebrated the day somebody entered the world.
The new game would celebrate the moment they were made.
Sarah had to tell Sam the circumstances of his conception while Sam remained live on Radio 1 listening.
Sam agreed, then quickly realised what he had signed up for.
Port and lemon, Christmas drinks and a muddy car
Sarah said she and Sam’s father Phil had been married only around six to eight weeks.
They went out around Christmas with friends who had been at the wedding.
Phil was driving.
Sarah was drinking port and lemon.
After the gathering, Sarah suggested revisiting a park where the couple had spent time before.
They drove there.
The car later became stuck in the mud.
Scott and Chris did not need Sarah to explain every biological detail.
The location and timing were enough.
Sam discovered live on Radio 1 that he was, in the programme’s phrase, a car baby.
He took the humiliation surprisingly well.
Only after sitting through the story did he finally unlock the pre-recorded birthday wishes from Radio 1 DJs.
Scott considered the game a success.
Sam may have disagreed.
Could a celebrity film every fart for a week?
The show then revisited American security guard Paul Flart, who had gone viral after compiling videos of himself farting over six months and was later fired.
Scott and Chris wanted a celebrity version.
They had approached numerous stars, presenters and agents.
Almost everybody refused or stopped replying once the request became clear.
Dr Alex had not committed.
Former *Love Island* contestants were not interested.
Rita Ora, Little Mix, James Arthur, Jo Whiley and others were discussed as dead ends.
Eventually Scott and Chris stopped going through agents and began ringing people directly.
Jax Jones answered while driving in a convertible with his father-in-law.
They explained the challenge.
Film his face every time he farted for a week.
To their surprise, Jax agreed to try.
He even started thinking about whether the recordings could somehow become music.
After dozens of failed approaches, the project finally had a willing pop star.
Binoculars at Britney
Scott had been to see Britney Spears and noticed somebody in front of him using full-size binoculars.
They were not novelty opera glasses.
They looked like serious bird-watching equipment.
Scott could understand why somebody sitting far away might want a better view.
He still found the idea strange at a pop concert, particularly because giant video screens already showed the performance.
Listeners pointed out that binoculars were sometimes sold or hired at large American venues.
Scott imagined turning around in a dark arena and discovering the stranger beside him watching through enormous lenses.
He was not convinced.
Jason Derulo sampled “Time to Say Goodbye”
Finally, Scott and Chris heard a new Jason Derulo collaboration which used the famous melody from Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman’s “Time to Say Goodbye”.
Nicki Minaj was also involved.
The show could not decide whether it was brilliant or a musical crime.
Scott was amazed the original rights-holders had approved such a dramatic classical crossover being reused in a modern pop record.
He expected it to become a hit.
He still was not sure whether that made the decision better.
August ended with Radio 1 having reinvented birthday shout-outs, found a celebrity willing to document his flatulence and opened a serious debate over whether binoculars belonged at Britney Spears.
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