Lorraine Kelly prepares for the Red Nose Desert Trek
Scott used the show to ask listeners for the sort of left-field questions they wanted Radio 1 to put to the stars at the Brit Awards. He was happy to handle the conventional red-carpet chat himself, but wanted the audience to supply questions in the spirit of the previous year’s interviews, from toenail-cutting preferences to whether anyone had ever sniffed a badger.
The following day’s Brit Awards coverage was a big part of the build-up, with Scott listing performers and guests including Tinie Tempah, CeeLo Green and Adele. He asked listeners to text or use Facebook with questions that would cut through the standard awards-night answers, making the programme’s backstage approach clear before the team had even reached the O2.
Lorraine Kelly then joined Scott as one of his fellow Comic Relief Red Nose Desert Trek participants. The group was due to cover 100 kilometres over five days in northern Kenya, and Lorraine’s practical contribution to the expedition included a supply of sweets and chocolates for energy, along with a sun-powered torch for a place with no phone signal or internet access.
Their training that morning had brought home the scale of the task. Scott, Lorraine, Craig David, Dermot O’Leary, Peter White and Nadia Sawalha had spent 45 minutes exercising in a 42-degree heat chamber, using bikes and rowing machines in conditions designed to resemble the desert. Lorraine said she did not sweat but became increasingly red and light-headed, while Scott was struck by just how much Craig David had sweated during the session.
The conversation remained warm and funny, but the purpose of the trek was never lost. Scott explained that the challenge would support Comic Relief’s work, including sight-saving treatment in Africa, and praised Peter White’s decision to take part despite being blind. Lorraine sounded determined rather than complacent, promising chocolate, torchlight and a genuinely impressive level of preparation when the group set off the following week.
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