Ben, one of the three finalists in the “One Night with Laura” competition, is grilled about his surprising secrets — including an accordion-playing skill, a tendency to stand at attention during the national anthem, and a memorable drunken incident that led to an accidental burglary charge.
This episode focuses on Ben, the accordion-playing bachelor competing for a date with Laura on the Scott Mills Show. Danny Howard introduces him as the latest of three finalists (alongside Shep and Garath), noting that the team had known very little about him beyond his musical ability before he came into the studio.
Ben had participated in a speed dating session with Laura earlier in the week, during which he proved remarkably unfazed by her deliberately off-putting behaviour. Laura burped loudly, asked intrusive questions about wanting children, and even mentioned stinking out the toilets — none of which deterred Ben from his pursuit. He pragmatically observed that most women hide similar habits better, a comment that earned him the joking accusation of having “lost the female vote.”
The real revelations came when Ben agreed to take a lie detector test to prove he wasn’t hiding darker secrets. His friend Simon was called into the studio via phone, and revealed a story from about ten years earlier: Ben and Simon had gone on an all-day drinking binge, and on the way home desperately needed a toilet. They spotted what they thought was a derelict, boarded-up house and broke in through the back door. Unfortunately, the house wasn’t actually abandoned — it was occupied. When police arrived, Ben was arrested for burglary, though he notes the charge eventually fell off his record. As community service, he spent time planting daffodils and cutting grass.
Ben also disclosed an amusing quirk: he instinctively stands to attention whenever the national anthem is played, something his colleagues exploit by playing it as a ringtone in the office. The episode concludes with the live final of “One Night with Laura” scheduled for Friday, 7 April, with results announced at 4 p.m.
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