Emil Franchi spent much of Sunday's Weekend Breakfast trying to solve one mystery: why was Sam Fender dressed as a hobbit in St James' Park? A TikTok clip had gone viral showing the Newcastle-mad singer in full Frodo Baggins costume, staff in hand, mug of tea on the go, at his beloved football ground. Emil opened the phones for "wrong answers only" and listeners obliged, with one joking the Toon were "short of form just now, a bit like a hobbit" and another suggesting Fender "mistook the bland and boring stadium for Mordor" and was planning to "dispose of the one ring in the fiery depths of your abysmal season." Emil admitted he still had no idea why it happened, but loved the theories.
Listen: Tori reprises her role as 'the wind
Listen: Why is Sam Fender dressed as a hobbit?
The funniest scripted bit of the morning saw listener Tori phoned in after messaging the show to reveal she once played "the wind" in a school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat, while her brother bagged the title role. Emil and his co-host workshopped an "encore" for her, narrating a fictional marathon finish with Tori providing live wind sound effects, joking they'd "submit it to the Oscars for next year."
There was also a genuine radio moment of pride: Team GB's skydiving team called in live from the World Skydiving Championships in Arizona, with listener Kathryn's shoutout message reaching the squad before they went on to break two British records, all reported live on air.
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