A test without Radio 1
Newly qualified driver Laura explained how she tried to make her second practical test less stressful. She asked the examiner whether she could listen to Radio 1, but he refused, possibly because he was not part of the station’s target audience.
Her alternative calming method was a cherry drop. It fell out of her mouth and bounced from the dashboard to the floor as she repeated an instruction, while the examiner later knocked his additional mirror down. Laura decided the test had become such a mess that there was little point remaining nervous, relaxed and passed with four minors.
Scott and Chris wondered whether Innuendo Bingo would have improved the atmosphere or caused an immediate failure. They also remained fascinated by people who take a photograph with their examiner after passing, something none of them had been offered.
Shawn Mendes in the woods
Shawn Mendes spoke from a residential studio in upstate New York, where he was writing and finishing his album with the team behind “Stitches”. The isolated setting removed distractions, although Shawn admitted the group could go slightly mad and that he had even been forced to make his own eggs.
He introduced “Treat You Better”, already successful around the world within hours of release. Scott could hear crickets and doors opening behind him as Shawn moved through the woodland studio, reinforcing how far the recording process was from ordinary pop-star promotion.
The whitewash is stopped
Scott reached Friday four-nil ahead in Battle of the Bangers. He chose Gemma Collins’s “I’m Claustrophobic Darren”, while Chris made the most desperate and topical move available: Blonde and DJ Kenno’s full version of “Will Grigg’s on Fire”.
Listener Mitch judged the songs rather than choosing the result that would produce a five-nil score. He picked Chris, sending the football chant out in full on Radio 1 and reducing the final weekly score to four-one. Scott felt the building’s power dip as listeners switched off, but accepted that Chris had respected the banger and saved himself.
Radio 1’s new film expert
Ali Plumb announced that he was leaving for a two-week American road trip. Radio 1 had selected Chris as the deliberately unlikely temporary film correspondent, even though he admitted he did not particularly follow new releases and counted Ghostbusters II and The Mighty Ducks among his specialist subjects.
Chris immediately developed a more sophisticated alter ego named Kristoff, complete with a black rollneck, foreign accent and plans to speak about himself in the third person. He also wanted to retain Ali’s plum-based rating system, leaving Ali to wonder what would remain of his job when he returned.
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