Unofficial Mills once ran an Ask the Experts feature, giving visitors the chance to send questions to members of the Scott Mills Show team, or occasionally to the person running the website.
In May 2006, it was Jono’s turn to answer.
With Radio 1’s Big Weekend approaching, questions ranged from how to get tickets and whether Scott would be broadcasting from the event, to MSN Messenger, Pizza Guy and what Scott was actually like to meet.
Can I have tickets to Radio 1’s Big Weekend?
Jono: If you want tickets you need to either apply via the Radio 1 website, or keep listening to the station where they’ll be giving them away in competitions.
I haven’t got tickets, so why would I give them to you?
Can you tell Scott Mills to come on MSN Messenger?
Jono: Yes I can. But so can you by emailing him. Doesn’t mean he’s going to do it though.
Scott says he can barely create a topic on the message board, so trying to get him on MSN would be like trying to get a cow down the stairs.
Are you secretly Scott Mills?
Jono: No. Secretly I’m Jono Read, a student from North Norfolk, who just so happens to run a website about the show.
But don’t tell anyone…
Is Scott a nice guy to meet?
Jono: Scott’s a lovely guy to meet.
I met him in January at the University of East Anglia, where he was DJing for students.
If you get the chance to go to an event with Scott I strongly suggest you go. He comes across as the funny, tongue-in-cheek guy that you hear on the air.
He was very welcoming when he found out I was off of Unofficial Mills, and I’m sure it was weird for both of us to finally meet.
Can I have Pizza Guy’s number?
Jono: Don’t be so lazy. Pick up the Yellow Pages and look for takeaways. Take your pick at which number you use…
Will Scott be on air during Radio 1’s Big Weekend?
Jono: Scott tells me he’ll be on air on the Saturday with Trevor Nelson. Listings will be available on the website nearer the time.
Radio 1’s Big Weekend took place in Dundee on 13 and 14 May 2006, with Scott among the presenters broadcasting from the event.
Who is the bald man who looks a bit like Dom and keeps appearing on the webcam?
Jono: Depends when you’re looking. It could well be Dom off of The Chris Moyles Show.
If you’re talking about during Scott’s show, it might be Rhys, who is doing a bit of work with the show while some of the team are off.
What was this week’s Record of the Week?
Jono: At the time you wrote this email it was Orson – Bright Idea.
There’s a whole topic with all the previous Records of the Week since last year on the message board.
A snapshot of Unofficial Mills in 2006
Looking back, the questions are also a reminder of what following a radio show online looked like in the mid-2000s.
Listeners were using MSN Messenger, Radio 1 still had studio webcams, Unofficial Mills had an active message board, and information about upcoming broadcasts often came directly from the presenters and production team.
The Q&A also came just a few months after Jono met Scott Mills for the first time at the University of East Anglia in January 2006, after several years of running Unofficial Mills.