National Scouse Day
Scott marked National Scouse Day by asking for genuine Liverpool voices rather than impressions. Listeners sent messages from across the city and surrounding areas, including a young child describing what she had eaten.
The celebration provided a running thread through the morning and led into music connected with Liverpool.
The Easiest Quiz: Chris goes out on question two
Chris Hill from Swansea said friends called him Buddy because he once resembled Buddy Holly, although he now felt he looked more like Mr Bean. He was taking part during St David’s Day celebrations and wanted to beat Lara’s leading score of 13.
Scott reminded him that the quiz was far harder on air and promised to defend him against harsh rulings. Chris successfully named Tony Blair as a British prime minister, although the quiz paused over the speed of the answer.
The next question asked him to name a piece of stationery. Chris froze and only managed “ruler” after the time had expired.
He finished with one point and admitted that the feature had been much easier while playing along at home. Scott told him he had entered with nothing and left with nothing, but praised him for being brave enough to take part.
Lara remained Streak of the Week with 13 and won the egg cup.
Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith joined Scott for an extended and deliberately chaotic Big Guest Friday appearance. She admitted she had booked a hotel next to the studio to avoid travelling early and had ordered a large delivery from her favourite ice-cream shop the night before.
She discussed her podcast Mad, Sad and Bad, recorded at her home. The title came from labels repeatedly attached to her throughout her career: “mad as a box of frogs”, a singer of sad songs and a woman sometimes described as bad.
Paloma said she wanted to challenge those labels and make people feel less ashamed of the difficult, contradictory parts of themselves. Guests discussed experiences connected with madness, sadness or being judged badly.
She explained that the home setting encouraged people to open up and that the sad sections could become unexpectedly emotional. She saw the programme as a way of showing what people shared rather than what divided them.
Throughout the morning, Paloma joined Scott’s links, interrupted trails and reacted to travel updates, making the interview feel closer to a co-presenting shift than a conventional guest slot.
Tom Allen
Tom Allen joined Paloma and Scott to discuss The Apprentice: You’re Fired. He estimated that he had presented the programme for five or six years, with the pandemic making the count difficult.
He talked about the demands placed on candidates, who completed tasks under severe time pressure while living together and being unable to escape the process.
The conversation followed the previous night’s episode, in which a candidate had chosen to leave. Tom said the person still appeared on You’re Fired to explain the decision.
Scott and Paloma teased Tom about the number of Radio 2 presenters who had already appeared as panellists, including Jeremy Vine, Richie Anderson and OJ Borg, while neither Scott nor Paloma had yet been booked.
Tom also joked about Lord Sugar’s television and upcoming tasks including shopping television, before attempting to discover Paloma’s secret business idea. She revealed only that it related to transport.
The Wonder Years
Friday’s Wonder Years began in 1997 with Sash!’s Encore Une Fois, requested by Hazel, who associated it with university days in Manchester.
The sequence continued through the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Celine Dion’s I’m Alive for 2002 and Kelly Rowland’s Stole for 2003.
28 February 2025: Vernon Kay
Scott and Vernon discussed the fact that Scott had been refused permission to play triangle in the Piano Room. Vernon reassured him they were still friends and said that, if it had been his decision, Scott could have played drums.
Scott admitted the orchestra probably did not need him ruining the performance with an out-of-time triangle, but said he was relieved Ellie had not been allowed to play instead.
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