Scott revisits two of the show’s most popular features: a brilliantly tedious prank call to a credit card company’s customer service line, and the triumphant discovery of Erick Mount, the Spanish singer behind the cult novelty song “Backdoor Love,” who is tracked down live on air.
The episode opens with a listener’s email reminding Scott of “Backdoor Love,” a song by Erick Mount, a musician working in Spanish bars, which was sent in by one of Erick’s friends ages ago. Scott had famously promised to make Erick a star, and this email prompts him to dig out the recording and replay it—a quirky, earnest Spanish ballad with uniquely memorable (and slightly garbled) English lyrics about waiting and willow trees.
The main feature is The On Hold Game, in which Scott and Chopper call a credit card company’s customer service line and deliberately waste the operators’ time with intentionally confusing information. The prank brilliantly exploits the company’s own cold-calling and time-wasting tactics: Scott gives his name as “Steven Clark” (spelled impossibly as “C-L-A-J-T-K-R-L-T”), provides conflicting addresses (“one-five-two,” “one-four-two,” “one-three-two” Hard-take Avenue), and recites a phone number so garbled the operator grows increasingly suspicious and eventually accuses him of having a laugh before hanging up.
The episode’s highlight comes when Scott successfully tracks down Erick Mount by phone in Spain. Erick, bemused to hear from Radio 1 after nearly a year, explains he’s been singing Spanish songs at old people’s homes to bring them happiness. Scott apologizes for forgetting his promise to make him famous, reaffirms his belief in Erick’s talent, and commits to trying to push “Backdoor Love” back into circulation. The call captures a genuinely warm moment between Scott and his unlikely Spanish protégé, complete with Erick’s charming accent and gratitude.
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