EastEnders at 40
Scott opened a week devoted to the 40th anniversary of EastEnders, calling the live episode “event television” even for people who had not watched the soap in years. He also joked that the week’s great unanswered question was whether the programme would acknowledge Big Mo’s 89th birthday.
Rylan was dispatched to Albert Square with an access-all-areas pass. His first message to Scott described the early hour as “vile” and “abhorrent”, while his pink puffer jacket was compared with something from “Bianca’s Casuals”.
The outside broadcast allowed Rylan to move around the set, speak to cast members and report from familiar locations. Scott treated him as both correspondent and fan, repeatedly asking for gossip and details that could be shared without spoiling the anniversary episodes.
The show also linked the celebration to Scott’s home life. He and Sam planned to cook Jean Slater’s sausage surprise using a BBC Food recipe and considered turning it into an Instagram cook-along.
The Easiest Quiz: Rachel scores zero
Rachel from Cornwall entered without telling anybody — not even her husband Jordan — because she wanted the option of pretending it had not happened if she performed badly. She worked as an NHS sonographer and also made pom-poms resembling people’s dogs, describing herself as a “pom-pomist” by night.
Her grandmother Janet loved quiz shows, particularly The Chase, and Rachel hoped the programme’s “easiest” quiz might finally allow her to make the family proud. Instead, the first question asked the colour of Doctor Who’s TARDIS. Rachel answered “green” before immediately realising it was blue.
With the quiz over after one question, she became the first player to finish on zero. Rachel apologised to “Nanny Janet” and admitted that she had previously shouted “the Muppets” when Friday’s contestant was asked who wrote A Christmas Carol.
Scott tested the next question informally — “Name a type of cheese” — and Rachel took long enough deciding between Brie and Edam that she feared the result might have been “B-dam”. She concluded that she should stick to scanning people and making dog pom-poms.
Rachel chose Liberty X’s Got to Have Your Love to fill the time the quiz would normally have occupied. Scott reassured her that being on Radio 2 on a Monday morning was still an achievement, even with no points.
The Birthday Game: Rebecca regrets the third spin
Rebecca turned 55 and wanted something she could dance and sing to, particularly 1990s dance music or records from the 1970s and 1980s.
Her first choice was The Four Seasons’ December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night), which had been number one on her birthday in 1976. Rebecca loved it but chose to spin again.
The second was Lenny Kravitz’s Fly Away, number one in 1999. She liked that too, but curiosity took her to the final song.
Rebecca was then left with Joe Dolce’s Shaddap You Face, the 1981 number one famous for keeping Ultravox’s Vienna from the top of the chart. She immediately regretted passing the first two songs but accepted the result with good humour.
The Good Morning Minute also included half-term plans, early shifts and EastEnders-related messages.
17 February 2025: Vernon Kay
The handover looked ahead to Natasha Bedingfield in the Piano Room and returned to Rylan’s morning in Walford. Scott also reflected on Rachel’s unprecedented quiz score.
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