Scott Mills kicked off the Halloween edition of his Radio 2 breakfast show in suitably chaotic fashion.
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“They’ve renamed it Big Ghost Friday for Halloween.”
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“At one point, he had over 22,000 friends on Myspace. Oh boy, it’s Mika!”
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“What a day, babe… I’m so happy to be here. I don’t get out much.”
Halloween chaos and the faithful get spooky 🎃
Scott Mills kicked off the Halloween edition of his Radio 2 breakfast show in suitably chaotic fashion: “It’s Halloween, so let’s do a special Good Morning Minute.” Listeners were urged to share what they were wearing — “Are you dressed as Leatherface? Have you got a sheet over your head?” — and the texts did not disappoint. There was Gary in Worcester dressed as Pitbull (“Mr Worldwide — terrifying”), a one-year-old pumpkin named Angus, and Phoebe in Manchester in a striped dress with plaits who simply wrote, “Yes to Monster Mash, please.”
Between Ghostbusters, Disturbia and Lady Gaga’s Dance in the Dark, Mills revelled in the seasonal theme. The long-awaited Monster Mash segment became a full-scale event, complete with a flood of texts: “It’s not Halloween without it,” declared Sharon in Grantham, while another listener admitted, “I’m late for work — still waiting for the Monster Mash.” Mills laughed: “It was a graveyard smash!”
Mika: “I’m losing faith in modern times” 🎤
First through the studio doors for Big Ghost Friday was Mika, introduced by Scott with mock fanfare: “He sold 20 million albums and at one point had over 22,000 friends on Myspace.” Mika immediately derailed the intro by missing his cue: “Blame me, I got it wrong! We practised that four times!”
Once recovered, the pair launched into a gleeful hour of storytelling. Mika reminisced about his early days: “I did a lot of cooking shows… I was the voice when you called British Airways after losing your luggage.” He also sang advertising jingles live — including “Orbit chewing gum, and it’s good for your teeth too!”
Scott reminded him it had been nearly 20 years since he’d made Relax his Record of the Week on Radio 1. Mika replied: “There are two people who launched me in this country — you and Jo Whiley. That moment changed my life.”
He spoke warmly about the creation of Life in Cartoon Motion: “We did it all in my mother’s kitchen… she was painting the cover till seven a.m. while I dried it with her hair dryer.” His new single Modern Times premiered live: “I wanted to capture that hair-brush euphoria you had at 14, thinking you’re Michael Hutchence.”
Later, Mills rewarded Mika with his chosen “treat” — a full play of Happy Ending. As it played, Scott announced, “Everyone else had a treat, now it’s my turn — turn this up loud.”
Ellie Taylor: from tights to trick-or-treat chaos 🧦
Comedian and former Strictly finalist Ellie Taylor joined next, sparking laughter with a rant about online shopping: “Instagram made me buy these tights… they look sheer but have fleece lining — it’s like your skin’s falling off.” Mika confessed his own habit of buying “too much crockery,” while Scott compared Ellie’s detachable collar to “butlers in the buff.”
Halloween memories flowed as she recalled topping the Strictly leaderboard: “My husband asked if I had fake teeth in — they were just my teeth.” When asked to pick Trick or Treat, she boldly chose “Trick.” The team responded by blasting the theme from In the Night Garden, prompting immediate protest: “No! It’s horrific… the Pontypines are friends of mine — I hate them all!”
Moments later, travel reporter Ellie Brennan appeared dressed as Claudia Winkleman, complete with fringe and black jumper, prompting Mika to declare, “The traitors are laughing at you — very good body language.”
Alexandra Burke: “I spoke to Chaka last night” 🌟
The Halloween party peaked with Alexandra Burke’s arrival. Scott introduced her as “the woman playing Chaka Khan in the new West End musical I’m Every Woman.” Alexandra was visibly emotional: “I got the call on holiday. I said, ‘Mummy, if you can hear me, please give me a sign,’ and two robins flew past.”
She told Scott and Mika, “I performed for Chaka years ago at the Apollo in New York, and now I get to play her — it opens on my mum’s birthday.” Fighting back tears, she said, “Little girl from Islington, still going after 17 years — I’m so proud.”
When asked about speaking to Chaka directly, she smiled: “She said, ‘You remind me of me. You’re a perfectionist, but you’re going to work hard.’” Mills played I’m Every Woman immediately after, telling listeners, “What a song — and she’s going to smash it.”
The surprises kept coming — Ellie Taylor was given “spooky cupcakes in Tupperware” and Alexandra was gifted two cartons of juice to replace her childhood favourite, 5 Live. She laughed through tears: “Someone’s given me two boxes of juice — I feel so loved.”
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