Scott wanted listeners to admit they were mugs
The programme had acquired an enormous novelty mug.
Scott and Chris decided it needed an owner.
Not somebody who simply liked tea.
Someone who had behaved like a mug.
Listeners were invited to nominate themselves rather than expose somebody else.
Perhaps they had treated a friend badly.
Made a terrible romantic decision.
Let somebody take advantage of them.
Or simply done something so stupid they could admit it publicly.
The winner would receive a mug larger than their own head.
Scott liked the prize because it was both ridiculous and perfectly connected with the confession.
The stories began immediately
Listeners did not need much encouragement.
The inbox filled with people admitting bad decisions, awkward behaviour and moments where they had allowed somebody else to make them look foolish.
The show promised anonymity where necessary.
That widened the field further.
Unlike a conventional competition, the best application was the person who could make themselves sound worst.
The search would continue through the week before a winner was chosen on Blue Monday.
Ask Me Anything found a theme-park attraction designer
The day’s extraordinary guest was Andrew Porter, who worked as a theme-park attraction designer.
Scott had spent years riding rollercoasters without thinking about the people who decided where every drop, turn and story element should go.
Andrew worked across rollercoasters, dark rides and immersive attractions.
He explained that the job combined engineering with storytelling.
A ride was not only a set of rails.
It needed to create a complete experience for the person entering it.
An 80-metre drop at 70mph
Scott asked for the scariest ride Andrew had worked on.
Andrew described one which took riders around 80 metres above the ground before dropping them vertically into a tunnel or “wormhole” at roughly 70mph.
The ride then emerged and went upside down several times.
Riders’ feet were suspended rather than resting safely on a floor.
Scott rejected the idea almost immediately.
Chris was much more interested.
Andrew’s description demonstrated how carefully designers could build fear before the physical movement had even begun.
Theme parks had become story worlds
Andrew also explained that modern attractions increasingly attempted to immerse visitors inside a narrative rather than simply provide a mechanical thrill.
The design team could be responsible for what guests saw before boarding, the environment around the queue and the moment the ride itself began.
Scott considered the job another example of Ask Me Anything revealing the unseen profession behind something millions of people used.
The giant mug was still looking for an owner.
Andrew had already provided Monday’s impressive person.
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