A morning of tears, hills and… twelve balls? As Sara fought through the toughest stage of her marathon challenge, Scott juggled emotional messages and Shetland ponies.
⭐ Key quotes
“My emotions and adrenaline have got me to this point but my body’s caught up now.”
“I’m gonna be a sobbing mess on the other end of this, Scott.”
“We’re not ready for the day to be over, she needs at least 12 balls.”
“This is vertical, this is 30 percent.”
A very bruised Thursday morning
The show opened with Scott and Tina picking through the wreckage of yesterday’s brutal marathon stage. Right away, the mood was: tired, emotional, and just clinging on. Scott set the tone with, “This challenge is absolutely brutal,” before sharing that last night ended with Sara “in the boot of the support car, crying her eyes out.”
Tina broke the news listeners already feared: “She is in bits.” There was no pretending this was fine. Scott echoed it bluntly: “This is the most difficult day so far.” But he also reminded everyone what’s keeping her going: every penny raised for Children in Need.
Even he sounded slightly freaked out by the hills ahead, joking that his official term for the elevation was “uphilly.”
The quiz (and a surprise emotional gut punch)
The Easiest Quiz on the Radio was handed to Anne-Marie from Nottingham, who brought chaotic, half-awake energy after admitting she’d “slept for 14 hours.” When Scott asked what’s for breakfast, she cheerfully answered, “Cheese croissants,” which earned immediate respect.
Her quiz answers veered delightfully all over the place, with one highlight:
Scott: “Name a celebrity beginning with J.”
Anne-Marie: “J-Lo.”
She finished with 3 points, and Scott called it: “A strong Thursday effort.”
Then came the moment that caught EVERYONE off-guard. Anne-Marie asked if she could say something to Sara. Scott put her on hold to wait for the segment… but couldn’t find her again. Later she texted back saying she’d been in tears, and Scott read it out to the nation:
“I wanted to tell Sara she’s an absolute inspiration. I’m going through a really tough time, but waking up to her voice every morning is helping me get through.”
A proper Radio 2 punch to the heart.
Sara checks in — and she sounds broken but determined
When Sara finally appeared on air, the honesty was raw. She opened with: “I’m definitely feeling yesterday… I feel battered.”
Scott didn’t sugar coat it, warning listeners: “Let me tell you, she’s very wobbly today.”
Sara admitted, “I’m gonna be a sobbing mess on the other end of this, Scott.”
The sleep deprivation hit hard:
“My emotions and adrenaline have got me to this point but my body’s caught up now.”
She described the morning as “bleak” and said she’d been awake since 4am. At one point, she confessed she’d already cried that morning just trying to get dressed.
Scott said gently: “Do what you can. Nobody is expecting you to be superhuman.”
But of course, she is being superhuman. And the donations reflected that — blasting past £1.4 million live on air.
A steep hill, a support crew, and a horse called Bluebell
Listeners became part of the story again, as always.
A woman named Rose was waiting on the route with her Shetland pony Bluebell. Scott read her message: “She’s got little pom-poms in her hair to cheer Sara up.” Sara nearly cracked laughing and crying at the same time, saying, “If I get to see that little horse… that’s everything.”
Meanwhile, the infamous hills were causing chaos. Scott practically shouted down the line:
“This is vertical, this is 30 percent.”
He asked her what gear the car was in behind her. When Nick (the physio) answered, “First,” Scott declared, “That is a man speaking my language.”
The ball incident (and the nation’s new catchphrase)
There was a surprising amount of airtime given to the 12 balls.
The physio support car carries massage balls, taping kits, snacks, fluids, and all the gear to keep Sara moving. Somewhere along the way, a joke started about how many balls she needed, culminating in her saying: “I need at least 12 balls.”
Scott burst out laughing: “We’re not ready for the day to be over, she needs at least 12 balls.”
Listeners IMMEDIATELY began texting in pictures of juggling sets, stress balls, and Christmas baubles. A woman in Sunderland claimed she had “a bag of 40 balls in the boot” ready to intercept her.
This is exactly why the nation loves this show: one minute crying at the emotional perseverance of a woman pushing through pain for charity, the next minute: balls.
Messages of love — from kids, grandmas, and grown men in tears
Some of the day’s strongest moments came from the listeners.
A voice note from 9-year-old Harry said:
“My mum says you’re a superhero, Sara. Keep going.”
A man named Adrian admitted:
“I’m sat in my lorry crying. I’m not even ashamed.”
And then came the message that stopped Scott mid-sentence:
“I lost my sister last year. Hearing Sara this morning gave me hope that we get through the tough bits.”
Scott paused, then said softly,
“You’re all incredible, the lot of you.”
Final push — fragile, funny and full of heart
As the show wrapped up, Scott reminded everyone they were helping push Sara up literal mountains. He said:
“She’s absolutely given everything… but she’s doing it for a brilliant cause.”
Sara’s closing line summed up the whole day:
“I just want to get to the end and hug everyone.”
And honestly? By that point, the listeners probably felt the same.
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