The first morning
Scott began his first permanent Radio 2 Breakfast Show sounding both excited and overwhelmed. Messages arrived from listeners who had followed him from afternoons, including one reminding him of the line he had delivered during Race Across the World: “Remind me never to do the breakfast show.” Ellie had turned the quote into a card, while Scott acknowledged that circumstances had changed rather dramatically.
He introduced the programme as a show designed to accompany listeners through the morning, whether they were commuting, getting children ready or simply waking up. Rather than pretending the new routine already felt normal, he repeatedly referred to the nerves and scale of the occasion, telling listeners: “This is all a bit overwhelming, but let’s go with it.”
Icebreakers with Ellie and Tina
Scott used the familiar workplace ritual of an icebreaker to introduce more of the team. The idea was simple: everyone had to reveal several things colleagues and listeners might not know about them. Tina Daheley’s answers quickly became some of the most memorable material of the morning and would continue to generate questions later in the week.
The exercise also gave the new programme an early sense of its regular studio dynamic. Scott handled the broad links and listener messages, Ellie Brennan supplied travel and quick reactions, and Tina moved between the news and the lighter studio material.
Welcome to Scottport
The largest outside-broadcast stunt of the morning came from Stockport railway station, temporarily rechristened Scottport. Signage had been altered for the occasion and station staff joined the programme to explain the work involved.
Lisa from the station supplied facts about the location, including the story that David Bowie had once missed his final train after playing at Poco a Poco and slept at Stockport station. She said the station handled around 11,000 customers a day, with hundreds of scheduled services and dozens of weekday trains heading towards London.
Scott admitted that changing Stockport to Scottport was “tenuous”, but embraced the spectacle. He joked that people were going wild on the platforms before immediately conceding that he was exaggerating for radio.
Linda from The Traitors gets in touch
A voice note arrived from Linda in Hertfordshire, who introduced herself as a retired opera singer and a contestant from that year’s series of The Traitors. Scott was delighted that she was already listening and immediately made it a mission to get her properly involved later in the week.
He said the team loved Linda and asked whether securing her for the programme in his first week was “too much to ask”. The exchange established another thread that would continue across the launch week.
The first Easiest Quiz on the Radio
The first contestant on the new Easiest Quiz on the Radio was Kate. Scott explained that the questions were deliberately straightforward, but contestants had to answer immediately and were eliminated for either a wrong answer or hesitation.
The prize structure was already deliberately absurd. A strong weekly score could lead to Scott’s solitary egg cup, while beating the entire quiz would secure the golden toaster, promoted on Radio 2’s social accounts by Vernon Kay.
Kate answered questions about the Union Jack, sheep and jewellery, but hesitated when asked who sang Rocket Man. Scott pleaded with the quiz team to let her continue because it was the first edition. They agreed, but warned there could be no repeat.
Her run ended soon afterwards when she was asked which direction the sun rises from. Scott admitted he would not have been able to produce the answer quickly enough either, underlining how apparently simple questions become harder once the clock is running.
The Birthday Game moves to breakfast
The Birthday Game also transferred from Scott’s afternoon show into its new morning slot. Tamzeen, celebrating her 41st birthday, became the first Breakfast Show contestant.
She had taken a rare day off with her husband and planned lunch before returning for the school run. Scott noted that she shared her birthday with Alan Cumming, Rosamund Pike and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Tamzeen wanted something upbeat. Her first option was the KLF’s 3am Eternal, which she rejected. The second was Michelle McManus’s All This Time, but Scott could not persuade her to keep it on his first show.
Her final selection became the one she had to accept. The segment established the game’s breakfast format: three number ones from the date, the option to stick or skip, and the risk of being trapped with the final record.
27 January 2025: Vernon Kay
At 9.30 Scott handed over to Vernon Kay after the first full edition of the new programme. Their exchange reflected the launch-day atmosphere and the running jokes already established, including the golden toaster Vernon had modelled for the quiz.
The first show had introduced most of the architecture that would define the early weeks: Tina and Ellie as the studio team, the Easiest Quiz, the Birthday Game, listener voice notes and a deliberately overcommitted stunt in Scottport.
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