The end of week one
Scott opened Friday by revealing that his dog had immediately taken over his side of the bed when he got up at four. His boss was apparently horrified that the dog was allowed there, but Scott defended him as “half doodle” and therefore practically a person.
The programme marked the end of January and the end of the new show’s first week. Scott invited listeners to abandon failed resolutions and quoted Cilla Black’s view that she had tried everything and did not recommend it.
A pizza designed to look like Scott arrived in the studio. Tina and Ellie were instructed to keep the box flat before revealing a portrait made from ham, peppers and olives. Scott was impressed but noted the very pink face and raw meat, while the team concluded it could not safely be cooked in the studio.
Joe reviews the first week
Sam’s young godson Joe gave an unfiltered review of the first five programmes. He liked the “spaghetti” material and Willie J Healey, but did not know who Linda from The Traitors was until another child explained that she was a traitor.
Joe thought the Easiest Quiz was too easy because even three-year-old Ruben could answer the questions. He volunteered to write harder ones over the weekend. Asked whether the pizza portrait looked like Scott, he simply replied: “No.”
Despite the criticism, Joe said he had enjoyed the week and would listen again. Scott thanked him for the honesty and promised he would see the pizza on social media.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor joined the first Big Guest Friday as she prepared to move her Kitchen Disco into a new Friday-night slot on Radio 2. The programme positioned her show as the continuation of the station’s Friday party after Michelle Visage.
She explained that the Kitchen Disco idea had grown from the performances she staged at home and had become associated with communal, feel-good music. The new radio version was designed for people going “out out” as well as those staying “in in”.
Scott discussed the continuing life of Murder on the Dancefloor, which had enjoyed another major surge in popularity. Sophie reflected on the unusual experience of a song returning to audiences decades after its original release and reaching listeners who had not been around the first time.
They also spoke about her New Year’s Eve performance and the way the Kitchen Disco identity now connected her live work, family broadcasts and radio programme. Scott used the interview to underline how naturally she fitted the Friday-night schedule.
Sophie’s appearance gave the first Big Guest Friday a direct link into the wider Radio 2 weekend. Her Kitchen Disco was due to begin that night at nine, immediately after Michelle Visage’s programme.
Craig David
Craig David arrived with Scott describing him as the “handsome boy” whose debut album had become a worldwide success when he was 18. Craig said he was currently feeling the same excitement he had experienced at the start of his career, having rediscovered that the point was simply to enjoy the work.
Looking back 25 years, he remembered still living with his mother and making mixtapes in his bedroom while Re-Rewind began changing his life. He described the shift from walking freely into HMV or Virgin Megastore to suddenly being recognised in the street.
Craig and Scott compared starting careers before social media. Craig said performers had to go out, learn to use a microphone and make mistakes away from public view. He recalled being stopped from performing Walking Away on a piano in an Ocean Village restaurant shortly before the song became one of his biggest records.
He introduced his new single SOS, saying he was proud of it and expected it to “bang this summer”. Hearing it played on the radio for the first time reminded him of hearing Fill Me In years earlier and wondering how many people were sharing that exact moment.
Craig was preparing for a tour beginning in Leeds and said he felt “25 years ready”. He promised the established songs, including 7 Days and Walking Away, alongside the new material, and said he still worked as hard as he had around the release of Born to Do It.
Craig helps wake Trevor Nelson
Scott had spent the week calling Trevor Nelson before his new afternoon programme, despite Trevor’s insistence that nobody should contact him before midday. Craig agreed to help leave a message.
Trevor’s updated voicemail recognised that the repeated calls were probably from Scott and told him to stop. Craig then praised Trevor as a legend who had changed the game for Black music and artists, but warned that a 2pm show required him to be awake earlier than his former 10pm slot.
The first Friday Fever Dream
The programme also introduced the Friday Fever Dream, a fast roundup of the week’s strangest moments. It revisited the launch-day icebreakers, Linda, the new quiz, Scottport and the numerous mistakes and phrases already generated during the first five shows.
The Easiest Quiz and Birthday Game
The Easiest Quiz completed its first week and established the first “streak of the week”. Listener feedback suggested the questions might need to become harder, although Scott continued defending the central idea that the quiz was supposed to be easy.
The Birthday Game returned after nine, maintaining its role as the final major feature before the handover. The week had now successfully transferred two of Scott’s established afternoon elements into the breakfast schedule.
31 January 2025: Vernon Kay
Scott handed over after thanking listeners for joining him throughout the first week. Vernon picked up the Friday mood and the pair reviewed the launch, the guests and the growing collection of recurring jokes.
The programme had moved from Monday’s first-day nerves to a full Big Guest Friday with two major music guests, while still finding room for Joe’s review, the pizza portrait and another attempt to wake Trevor Nelson.
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