Everybody argues about the dress
The image variously seen as white and gold or blue and black had taken over the internet overnight. Scott declared himself bored within hours, argued that the dress was unattractive in either colour and tried to stop listeners discussing it.
That attempt failed immediately. “Uptown Funk” contained the words “white gold”, listeners proposed dress-themed playlists and Real or No Real later supplied false instructions claiming that pressing a phone to the nose could change the perceived colours. Several people tried it in public and achieved nothing except embarrassment.
George Bradley apologises
Student campaign videos had filled the entire week, many using “Uptown Funk” and increasingly elaborate harmonies, costumes and production. Scott traced the fashion back to George Bradley’s previous campaign, which combined current songs, a leotard and direct appeals to Leeds students.
George had won his election and still enjoyed the original video. Asked to accept responsibility, he apologised to the students of Great Britain for starting a bizarre trend while clearly taking pride in its growth.
Listeners reminded Scott that other candidates, including Irish Brian, had appeared at about the same time. George nevertheless remained the programme’s symbolic patient zero, particularly because later candidates seemed to be reproducing his formula deliberately.
Quiz on a train
Listener Dave had been sleeping on a London-to-Manchester train when the conductor announced an impromptu three-question quiz over the public-address system. The first passenger to reach the buffet car with the correct answers would win a meal deal.
Dave woke and prepared to compete, but somebody from coach C arrived before he had stood up. Younger passengers joined in while others tried to continue working through the interruption. A second caller who had travelled on the same service confirmed that the questions included identifying what kind of animal a velvet ant really was. The answer was a wasp.
The conductor had previous form. Other listeners remembered him saying hello in 15 languages and running quizzes on different Manchester services. Scott proposed collaborating on a future edition and considered Innuendo Bingo on a train, although the water would make it impractical.
Scott becomes Theo from Hurts
Theo Hutchcraft of Hurts searched photographs from the Brit Awards and found an image labelled with his name. The picture was actually Scott, whose face had been supplied by Getty Images as the singer from the band.
Scott apologised for unexpectedly replacing Theo and used the mistake in Real or No Real. Hurts really did use a private jet called Hurts Force One in markets where the group remained particularly successful, despite Gary Lucy and Alan Dedicoat assuming their 2010 breakthrough was too long ago to justify it.
The two guests joined an impromptu Fat Friday edition of the game. Alan ordered food in his announcer’s voice, Gary debated the facts and both became further evidence that a Friday booking could be assembled from whoever happened to be near the studio.
February ended with the dress still unresolved, student candidates still singing and the possibility that any Manchester train journey might suddenly become a radio quiz.
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