A guide to the regular features on Scott Mills’ shows, from the Radio 1 Early Breakfast Show to Radio 2.
BBC Radio 1
4.40 Wake Up Call (c. 2000)
From the Early Breakfast Show. Listeners nominated a song to get people out of bed, and Scott played it at 4.40am.
24 Years at the Tap End
Chris Stark read from his self-described “autobography” across roughly 100 episodes. The title comes from his realisation at 24 that he had always sat at the wrong end of the bath. Download both series.
American Name Game
The team invented or guessed American-sounding names.
The Automated Answer Phone Game (2005–2006)
Chappers pretended to be an automated answerphone to unsuspecting callers to the Radio 1 number, asking them to press various keys to see how long they would last before hanging up.
Badly Bleeped TV
TV clips with bleeps inserted so they implied different words. It was eventually banned. Hear the clips.
Barryoke
Karaoke, but only for people called Barry. Hear the clips.
Beccy Cam / Scott Cam
A live-streamed camera first placed on Beccy’s desk in September 2008, later moved to Scott’s house for a week as Scott Cam. More Beccy clips.
Beccy’s Classifieds
Beccy Huxtable searched classified adverts for unusual or pointless items. The best-remembered purchase was a jar supposedly containing the ghost of George Harrison. More Beccy clips.
The Big Fact Hunt (2004)
Built around an immature name, Chappers posed a question and listeners searched for the answer on the Big Fact Hunt search engine. The first correct email won a limited edition Scott and Chappers mouse mat. Knowledge is power.
The Bookshop Game
A game played in or around a bookshop, often involving guessing books from descriptions.
The Booty Call (c. 2000)
A Friday feature on the Early Breakfast Show. A listener told Scott who they fancied, and Scott rang that person to ask them out on the listener’s behalf. It occasionally returned on the afternoon show as Unlucky in Love.
Camp Man (2004)
A phone talent search for the campest man in the UK. Listeners chose between finalists representing England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Carpark Price is Right (2005)
From Scott’s Breakfast Show stint, a spoof of Carpark Catchphrase. The focus was on the Brucie clips (“I have a friend who lives there”), Price is Right-style voiceovers and bad prizes, with car horns that were entirely unnecessary.
Celebrity Call (2004)
Scott made phone calls using clips of celebrities including Bo Selecta’s Trisha, Alan Partridge, Ricky Gervais and Bruce Forsyth. A favourite on both breakfast and drivetime; at one point it aired at 4.10pm and 6.10pm daily. Hear the clips.
Chappers’ Car Alarm Game (2006)
In a car park, Scott and Laura guessed which cars were alarmed, then Chappers kicked the wheels to find out.
Chris Stark’s Guide to Britain
Chris Stark profiled UK towns and cities in a recurring series.
Daniel off of the Majestic Cinema (2004–2007)
Scott played the recorded announcement from the King’s Lynn cinema, where Daniel read the latest listings in his own unique way.
Dear Scott
Listener letters addressed to the whole team – Scott, Beccy, the Posh Radio 4 Lady and The One That Doesn’t Speak – read out and answered on air.
Don’t Look It Up Quiz
A general knowledge quiz on the afternoon show during the pandemic.
The Download Chart (2004)
Scott hosted the Download Chart every Wednesday from 6pm until it merged with the official Top 40.
Dr Mills’ Great Experiments (2005–2009)
Chappers went out on camera with simple How 2-style experiments, which usually got messy. The series included the Hypno Dog encounter.
Flirt Divert (2004–2008)
Getting unwanted attention on a night out? Give them the Flirt Divert number. Their calls went straight to an answerphone, and Scott played the messages on air. In July 2005, on a trip to Magaluf, the team launched Flirt Divert International for holiday encounters. In January 2006 the number and jingle were changed because it had become too popular. Hear the clips.
Floor Fillers
Scott in the mix with new dance music on Fridays after 6pm, ahead of the specialist dance shows.
Get Me Out of Here (2004–2006)
Anyone on a disastrous date could text “get me out of here” to 81199 and Scott would try to rescue them – though his and Chappers’ acting didn’t always go to plan.
Golddigger (2005)
Scott made up a story about a mystery person looking for someone they had met in a public place. Huge numbers of listeners called in with ridiculous stories claiming it was them.
The Golden Shot (2006)
A one-off with Ant and Dec, in which one of the drinks Scott or Chappers had to down contained a golden surprise.
Granny Tinder
Scott’s grandmother became a recurring character, discussed in the context of dating apps and modern life.
Homes Under the Hammer Game
A riff on the BBC property programme, used as a framing device for specific episodes.
The Honesty Game (2005 onwards)
The lights went down and team members revealed what they really thought of each other, sometimes answering listeners’ questions too. It was the only format in which producer Emlyn Dodd spoke on air, through a low-pitch voice changer. Hear the clips.
Innuendo Bingo
Contestants filled their mouths with water and listened to unintentionally suggestive clips from TV and radio. Spit or laugh and you lost. Credited to producer Emlyn Dodd, it became one of Radio 1’s most recognisable formats, later spawning Innuendo Bingo Duel for celebrity specials. Hear the clips.
Laura on the Streets (2005–2007)
Like Laura the Vigilante, but usually causing chaos rather than fixing it, sometimes in unusual costumes. More Laura clips.
Laura the Vigilante (2005–2007)
Laura took her megaphone to the streets to tackle minor antisocial behaviour – bad parking, dog mess, a neighbour’s son who kept missing family dinner. More Laura clips.
Laura’s Diary (2005–2006)
After a chat about people reading diaries in the pub, the team asked Laura’s sister Mary to find Laura’s early-nineties diaries and read them on the Breakfast Show. It became a must-listen, ran across five series and moved to the afternoon show by popular demand. The 2006 College Years series used her real 1996 diary. The diaries were published as a book on 30 November 2006. Download all five series.
Lloyd the World Cup Guru (2006)
Ten-year-old Lloyd from Oswestry called in daily with World Cup tips while Chappers was in Germany, using jokes and poems to make the tournament easier for Scott to understand. Many listeners thought he sounded like Laura’s sister Mary. Hear the clips.
Lloyd – Weapon of Mass Confusion (2006)
On the breakfast show after the World Cup, Lloyd made calls complaining about poor service and generally confusing companies. Hear the clips.
Lovin’ the Trolls
Scott responded to online trolls and critical comments, usually with warmth or bemusement.
Meal or No Meal (2006)
A parody of Deal or No Deal. Usually Laura took on Scott, eating tinned food and trying to avoid the cat or dog food.
Mills and Spoon (2004–2006)
Broadcast on Spoony’s weekend breakfast show rather than Scott’s. Listeners sent in stories, Scott read them out, and an appropriate song followed.
Never Have I Ever
The party game, played on air by listeners, guests and the team.
Oh! What’s Occurring?
Beccy Huxtable and Chappers competed to predict the outcome of a scenario posed by Scott. “Stupid Street” was a recurring location. Hear the clips.
The On Hold Game (2005–2006)
Scott called a company known for keeping customers on hold, asked for information, then put them on hold – with Scott, Chappers and Laura playing dodgy music and pretending to be an automated voice. How long before they hung up?
One Night with Laura (2006)
An X Factor-style national tour auditioning potential partners for Laura Sayers, ending in a live final on 7 April 2006. Gareth from Chard won; Laura went on to marry James Busson, the first contestant voted out.
Orson’s Telegrams (2006)
During the summer 2006 breakfast show, Orson recorded singing telegrams for listeners – announcing pregnancies, proposing and quitting jobs – mostly based on songs from their album.
Pucker Up for the FA Cup (2006)
A Radio 1 FA Cup sweepstake. The two people with the most wrong score predictions had to kiss.
Random Acts of Kindness (2003–2008)
An occasional feature – have tissues ready. Scott’s version of Noel’s Christmas Presents: a couple who needed pairing up, someone who needed cheering up or someone who was ill. Whatever the cause, Scott wanted to fix it. Hear the clips.
Rate My Listener (2004–2007)
Listeners sent in photos for Radio 1 website visitors to rate, hot-or-not style. Most men were voted minging. Summer 2005 brought Rate My Swimwear.
Real or No Real
Scott and the team decided whether submitted stories and claims were real or made up. One of the longest-running and best-known features of the Radio 1 years.
Relationship Transfer Deadline Day
A transfer window for relationships, with listeners reporting or predicting changes before the deadline.
Revenge Calls (2006–2008)
Like You’ve Been Busted, but instead of confronting anyone, Scott and the team wound up a company or person with their poor acting.
Scott’s Gullible Mum (2006)
With help from Radio 1 staff, Scott acted out bizarre situations to see whether his mum would fall for them. It ended when she got her revenge by getting boss Rhys to call Scott about an alleged incident with Jo Whiley.
Scott’s Loose Lips
Listeners revealed secrets and confessions they had been keeping.
Scott’s Nemesis – The Pizza Guy (2006)
Scott found possibly the rudest person ever at his local pizza delivery service, who gave him abuse for being indecisive. Scott responded with a run of immature phone calls.
Scott’s School Dinners (2005)
From the Breakfast Show. Children aged five to ten played a quiz to win unhealthy food for dinner – pizza, Mars bars and ice cream. It didn’t really go to plan.
Secret Psycho (2004–2007)
Stories from listeners about themselves or their exes showing psycho tendencies after a break-up.
Situations Vacant (2005)
The team placed strange job adverts in local papers – an Eastern European spy, a Swedish volleyball team coach – with the number going straight to a Radio 1 answerphone.
Social Experiments (2006–2011)
Scott and the team tested theories on the public: trying to pull in a supermarket, hopping queues with outrageous lines, dropping a wallet full of money in London to see if it came back, and getting bus passengers to sing along. Hear the clips.
The Star Phone (2005)
Mobile phone pass the parcel. Mariah Carey was the first to be given the phone; she passed it to another celebrity, and Scott kept ringing it to see where it ended up.
Stuart the Bread Guy
Stuart first called in with a problem: his girlfriend ate too much bread. His boring conundrums became a regular fixture. Hear the clips.
Superfan Steve
Chris Stark played “Steve”, an impossibly knowledgeable superfan who quizzed celebrities with the answers hidden in front of him. Targets included Cheryl, Charli XCX, Andy Murray and Gemma Collins.
The Takeaway Game (2004–2005)
Scott ordered from one takeaway, put them on hold, rang a second, and got the first to repeat the order to the second – who thought it was a new order. It got confusing quickly.
Text Roulette (2007)
It began when Scott claimed Laura was the fastest texter in the country, and raced her against Chappers to text the rudest phrase. In the game itself, the team sent phrases such as “I love you” or “I can see you” to someone picked at random from their phone book, then waited for the replies. Trevor Nelson was among those caught out. Hear the clips.
Trapped in the Closet
A format referencing R. Kelly’s hip-hop soap opera, used as an on-air narrative game. Hear the clips.
What Fish Am I? (2006)
The contestant, usually Scott, had to feel a fish and decipher a riddle to work out what kind it was.
What’s Beccy’s Forte? (2009)
A search for Beccy Huxtable’s hidden talent, launched in May 2009, taking in beatboxing, cheerleading, mind-reading, tennis and escapology. Rapping won, leading to Beccy Raps, which ended with her performing Gangnam Style in Korean from memory on her final day. More Beccy clips.
The Who Game
Listeners sent in things from not so long ago that younger listeners might not remember, from Bebo and 10p Freddos to Orange Wednesdays. Search every answer we’ve logged.
Who the Hell Are You? (2004–2007)
Often used by stand-in presenters. Scott and Chappers rang a random celebrity from a Radio 1 DJ’s phone book and took turns keeping them talking until they worked out who it was.
The Wonder Years (2004 onwards)
Every Friday from 5pm to 5.45pm, tracks from the previous decade or so – launched each week with Scott’s “It’s only bley Friday!” Hear It’s Only Bley Friday!.
You’ve Been Busted! (2004–2008)
Met someone claiming to be Damien Rice in the pub, or a friend of Robbie Williams? Scott made a few calls to find out whether they were telling the truth. Hear the clips.
Your Call (2004–2007)
Monday to Thursday requests: listeners texted in, Scott rang them back and put them on air. It ran from 6.30pm to 7pm, having originally run from 5pm to 5.45pm.
Your Home Is At Risk (2005)
The first radio quiz to involve bailiffs and children. On the Breakfast Show, children aged five to ten gambled their parents’ possessions on answering questions correctly.
BBC Radio 5 Live
Blow Our Minds for Pizza
Listeners called with genuinely mind-blowing facts in return for a pizza, choosing which presenter paid. Final-show winners included Australia’s Mount Disappointment, named by unimpressed explorers, and the claim that Viagra can revive drooping flowers.
Kids Review Their Parents’ Record Collection
Children gave unfiltered verdicts on albums from their parents’ collections, from Bat Out of Hell to The Fat of the Land and Madonna’s Immaculate Collection. One suggested improving The Drugs Don’t Work by adding screaming camels.
Real Life TMO
Former international rugby referee Nigel Owens ruled on listeners’ disputes – is it acceptable to leave a gig early, does a starter beat a pudding? Each ruling began “decision given”. The final show closed with Owens singing a farewell to the tune of My Way, sent as a WhatsApp voice note.
Sports Personality of the Week
Scott, Chris and 5 Live’s Ian Dennis each nominated a sports personality of the week – whatever had caught their eye rather than conventional achievements. Ian’s final pick was the chairman and treasurer of non-league Reading City FC, for adding Chinese food to the matchday menu.
Upside Down Quiz
A listener became quizmaster, asking Scott, Chris and a celebrity guest about the show’s own history. Final-show questions included why Rick Astley sang an emotional tribute (Matt Baker leaving The One Show) and what Gloria Estefan was once offered (a job with the CIA).
BBC Radio 2
The Birthday Game
On both the afternoon and breakfast shows (on breakfast, after the 9am news, Monday to Thursday). Listeners email ahead of their birthday and come on air to play a game built around the number ones from the week they were born, with an extra physical challenge for milestone birthdays.
The Easiest Quiz on the Radio
A daily quiz running through the breakfast show.
Elder vs Millennial
An older and a younger team member argue their generation’s view on a topic.
The Faithful
Listeners who are there from the very first minute of the breakfast show at 6.30am are celebrated with their voice notes and texts.
The Music Police
From the afternoon show. Scott and listeners help identify a song someone can’t name.
The Wonder Years
Revived on the breakfast show at 9am on Fridays. Listeners vote during the week for their favourite song from a chosen year, usually from the 1980s or early 1990s, and the winners are played on Friday with listeners’ memories.
Some features spilled off air too: producer Emlyn Dodd wrote and produced Scott Mills: The Musical, which received a five-star review.