Scott worries about Ben hearing the show
Scott opened up about the unusual pressure of knowing Ben had listened to the programme. Friends and family were one thing, but Ben did not normally tune in, and Scott said he preferred it that way because he could become self-conscious about sounding like he was showing off or being a “dafty pants” on air.
The timing had been especially awkward because the show had recently been discussing the small domestic details of their relationship, including Ben’s dislike of Scott breathing on him in bed. Scott had been told that Ben thought the programme was funny and that Scott made him relaxed and himself, which was sweet, but it did not stop Scott feeling exposed by the whole experience.
The programme also checked in on the Comic Relief Red Nose Desert Trek, which was moving from a distant fundraising idea to an imminent physical challenge. Scott and the team spoke about the forthcoming journey to Kenya, while a chat with BBC Radio Manchester demonstrated how easily the exact desert and its location could get muddled in conversation.
Scott’s ordinary-life uncertainty extended to shaving, as the team returned to his attempt to manage it himself. As usual, a small personal task became a larger on-air discussion, with the joke lying in the contrast between Scott’s nerves about it and the amount of attention everyone else was prepared to give it.
The episode held together the things that made this period of the show work: affectionate ribbing, a glimpse of Scott’s life away from the studio and the growing reality of the desert trek. Ben’s accidental audience membership gave the chat a little more vulnerability than usual, while Beccy and Chris ensured it never stayed earnest for long.
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