Avoiding Happy Valley spoilers
Scott had finally started Happy Valley and was racing through the earlier series after years of putting it off.
He had reached series two but found social media almost unusable following the finale. Words including Catherine, Clare, Ryan, Tommy, Happy and Valley had all been muted, yet spoilers still appeared.
Scott considered staying away from Twitter entirely until he had caught up.
He was also fascinated by the tiny phones used in the drama and the frequency with which characters called one another.
Big Beach Boutique 2
Scott recommended a documentary about Fatboy Slim’s 2002 concert on Brighton Beach.
Around 60,000 people had been expected, but an estimated quarter of a million arrived.
Roads were blocked, trains became overcrowded and the event was allowed to continue because cancelling it was considered even more dangerous.
Scott recalled the traffic chaos and noted that the concert had since become a case study in how not to organise a free event.
The slug counters
Sean and Jane returned after attending a gathering connected with their garden research.
During the pandemic, they counted slugs in their garden every month for 13 months.
They followed the same route, identified the species and sent live specimens through the post in specially prepared containers carrying a “live animals enclosed” label.
Sean said hundreds of slugs had been collected.
They stressed that not every slug should be described as a pest. Some helped the garden by eating decaying material and competing with more destructive species.
The research had also created a new group of friends who were now moving on to other forms of garden wildlife.
The Birthday Game: Anthony
Anthony rejected Aqua’s Doctor Jones, number one on his birthday in 1998.
His second spin was Billy Ocean’s When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going. Anthony was unsure and decided to risk the final choice.
The compulsory third song was Edison Lighthouse’s Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes).
Anthony admitted he had never heard it.
Scott compared its singalong quality with records such as Sweet Caroline and Hi Ho Silver Lining, although one listener immediately challenged the comparison.
The Music Police
Scott opened a new Music Police investigation for Paula.
She remembered a song whose repeated line sounded like: “You don’t know a thing about love.”
Paula could reproduce the melody but had been unable to identify the artist or title.
Listeners began submitting suspects, but the case remained open at the end of the programme.
Handover
Scott handed over to Sara Cox while still refusing to look at any Happy Valley discussion online.
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