19 November 2015: Ben Haenow meets his match on Innuendo Bingo

A gateway Christmas jumper

Chris wore a jumper that hinted at Christmas without displaying Santa or an obvious festive slogan. Scott called it a gateway jumper, warning that mild seasonal knitwear could lead to stronger clothing and eventually a bandana.

The office’s reaction made Chris question why his ordinary jumper had become programme material. It nevertheless marked the show’s gradual move towards Christmas, still restrained enough to criticise people who had gone fully festive in mid-November.

Daily pictures from the deli

Chris revealed that Danny from a nearby deli sent him a photograph of freshly cooked pasta at approximately 12:15 every day, normally accompanied by “love and kisses to the ladies”. It followed an earlier identity mix-up in which the man had asked Chris to supply new underwear.

The messages resembled suggestive photographs, except every image showed sauce and pasta from above. Chris felt obliged to reply appreciatively and was running out of descriptions. Scott photographed him eating the latest meal with cream around his mouth and sent it back, making an already unusual customer relationship considerably more intimate.

Ben sprays like an expert

Ben Haenow arrived late for Innuendo Bingo, prompting suggestions that he remove clothing for every missed minute. Once in place, the previous year’s X Factor winner needed no punishment to make the game entertaining.

He laughed freely, sprayed with exceptional force and met Chris’s attacks without hesitation. Ben described it as his favourite game and left both sides thoroughly soaked, producing one of the strongest first-time performances of the year.

Scott then wondered whether pop music was running out of ideas. One Direction had made a video without leaving their hotel room, while Justin Bieber appeared in only a small proportion of the videos released for Purpose. The songs might still be strong, but artists increasingly seemed absent from their own visuals. Greg James played Real or No Real, completing a programme in which pasta photography had shown more commitment than some official music videos.