The bank-holiday return was difficult
Scott and Chris returned after the August bank holiday and immediately sensed people were struggling.
England and Wales had enjoyed the Monday off.
Scotland had not.
For everybody returning after three days of festivals, sunshine and late nights, Tuesday felt particularly slow.
Scott asked listeners simply to confirm they were still there.
He wanted more messages and more noise from the studio team.
The weekend had been unusually full of major events.
Reading and Leeds.
Notting Hill Carnival.
Pride events.
And, for at least one listener, the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Nicole gave the real Reading review
Radio 1 had spent the weekend broadcasting the polished festival version of Reading.
Artists.
Crowds.
Huge songs.
Instagram posts saying everything was amazing.
Scott and Chris wanted the ordinary version from Nicole.
She had gone as a huge Foo Fighters fan and was experiencing the festival on her own terms rather than as a broadcaster with backstage access.
Nicole described the excitement, crowds and unfamiliar parts of festival life, including being much closer to the physical chaos of the audience than she was used to.
For Scott and Chris, that was more useful than another celebrity saying it had been the best weekend ever.
Gravy wrestling returned
The programme also checked in on the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
A listener who had previously told the show about the event had gone on to compete.
Scott was still delighted such a championship existed at all.
Participants wrestled in a pool filled with gravy while being judged on more than straightforward sporting dominance.
The update belonged perfectly in a show which had already found world champions in crazy golf and snail racing.
August bank holiday appeared to contain a championship for almost everybody.
CamelPhat were facing Cola outrage
Then CamelPhat joined to address what Scott called Colagate.
The duo had warned fans online that their DJ sets had evolved and they might not always play “Cola”, the track most casual listeners associated with them.
Some fans reacted as though a contract had been broken.
Messages were angry, sometimes in full capital letters.
People argued that Cola was the song which had helped make CamelPhat famous and therefore had to appear at every performance.
CamelPhat saw it differently.
A DJ set could change.
They had other records.
They did not want every appearance to be built around one old track forever.
Not playing it could make the return bigger
Scott offered a theory.
Perhaps removing Cola for a while would make the eventual moment it returned much stronger.
Fans would recognise the opening and react as though an old favourite had been restored.
CamelPhat accepted there was something in the idea.
Scott then did what the angry fans wanted.
He played “Cola” on Radio 1.
Colagate was not solved permanently.
At least listeners had heard the record that afternoon.
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