Richard from Skelton had Gary in stitches revealing that his son Caleb and daughter Grace genuinely think their father is Rick Astley in disguise, having "retired from music". The ruse has gone so far that Caleb once introduced him to a stranger on holiday as the Never Gonna Give You Up singer. Gary pressed for details before the inevitable reveal live on air: "I'm sorry but I'm not actually Rick Astley." Richard admitted the kids were "starting to suspect" – the only song for the occasion duly followed.
There was a more reflective moment too, after news broke this week of Esther Rantzen's death. Listeners John and Sharon in Tamworth asked Gary to play Frank Sinatra's That's Life in her memory, recalling watching her show "religiously every week" through the 80s and praising her as "a remarkable woman".
Elsewhere, Neil from the charity Live Like Ralph spoke movingly about organising a charity skate jam in Salford in memory of his late son, aiming to get young people "off computer screens and doing things they'll be passionate about", with £2,000 in cash prizes up for grabs for the best tricks. A midwife called Sharon, heading to Wales for a kayaking weekend with 18 friends and family, also got a laugh in when her shout-out to "the legendary Eileen and all the fabulous midwives" led Gary to wonder, only half-joking, whether the whole group was expecting.
As ever, the request lines were packed with birthdays, anniversaries and holiday dedications from across the country – and as far afield as South Carolina – keeping Gary busy right up to the six o'clock news.
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