The Radio 2 Dog Garden
Scott and Jo Whiley launched the Radio 2 Dog Garden, inviting listeners to nominate their dogs for a place at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The premise was treated like an awards campaign for pets. Scott described it as “like going to the Oscars if you’re a dog” and asked owners to explain why their canine deserved VIP status.
The show encouraged listeners to submit photographs and a short pitch. Scott immediately became invested in the competitiveness of the process and began assessing whether each dog had enough personality, backstory or star quality.
Gary Davies later complained that nobody had asked him to pitch for his Cavapoo, Chilli. Scott invited him to make a formal case, leading Gary to launch the campaign “Chilli for Chelsea” and promise a voice note explaining why Chilli belonged in the garden.
The campaign became a running thread across the programme, with Scott warning that well-known Radio 2 dogs would not receive automatic entry without making the same effort as everyone else.
Jo Whiley
Jo joined Scott to explain the idea behind the Dog Garden and why dogs had become central to Radio 2’s Chelsea Flower Show plans.
She discussed the atmosphere of the show, the challenge of creating a space that worked visually and practically, and the appeal of involving listeners’ pets rather than relying only on presenters’ animals.
The conversation also reflected Jo’s long relationship with music and festivals, with Scott treating Chelsea as another major live event requiring careful planning and a strong line-up.
Jo helped judge the early dog pitches and reacted to the enthusiasm from owners who regarded entry as a genuine honour.
Her appearance established the rules of the campaign and left Scott with the job of continuing to promote it throughout the week.
The Easiest Quiz: Vivian scores 17
Vivian Edwards from Mistley in Essex opened the new quiz week. She and her colleague Teresa were obsessed with the feature and regularly compared scores over Microsoft Teams before holding a “post-mortem” on contestants’ answers.
Vivian worked from home while Teresa was usually in the office, but the quiz remained one of the things they followed together.
She finished with 17 points, setting the first target of the week. Her score would eventually be matched by James on Wednesday, producing the programme’s first joint Streak of the Week.
The Birthday Game: Michelle chooses Bucks Fizz
Michelle from Worthing turned 50 and planned a day involving the beach with her husband and dogs, dinner in Brighton, a hot tub and fizz.
Her first song was Craig David’s Fill Me In, number one in 2000. Michelle was delighted — “I’m in love with Craig David” — but made the unusual decision to spin again despite describing it as nearly perfect.
The second selection was initially introduced with the wrong clip before Scott corrected it to Bucks Fizz’s My Camera Never Lies from 1982. Michelle stopped there because it was “pure, beautiful cheese”.
The unused third song was McFly’s 5 Colours in Her Hair. Michelle said she had definitely made the right choice, although Scott noted that all three options had suited her.
14 April 2025: Gary Davies
Gary’s handover became an extension of the Dog Garden campaign. He objected to Chilli being overlooked and promised to produce a proper audition under the slogan “Chilli for Chelsea”.
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