Preparing for the BRITs—with Mum at home
Scott is attending the BRIT Awards that evening, but the glamour is complicated by his mum Sandra staying at his house. Chris imagines Scott returning in the early hours with an after-after-party in tow while Sandra waits up. Scott insists everybody has been briefed and that his home is not a hotel.
He has responsibly ordered his mum a margherita pizza for 6.30 p.m. Unfortunately, it arrives four hours early because he entered 2.30 instead. This does nothing to reassure Chris, who continues asking whether Scott will be all right. Scott has the familiar “BRITs fear”: excitement about the night, mixed with the knowledge that plans, outfits and other people’s dinners may all become difficult later.
The first national Poohsticks broadcast
Four friends in Petersfield play Poohsticks from the same bridge on their walk to buy lunch, four days a week at precisely 12.15. Their dedication, photographs and serious match commentary convince the show that this small private ritual deserves national coverage. Scott crosses live to Ryan, Ben and the rest of the group as they select sticks, drop them upstream and wait to see which emerges first.
A specially made Poohsticks song gives the occasion sporting grandeur far beyond its length. The race is over quickly, but that is part of its charm: a group of mates have invented an ordinary tradition and Radio 1 treats it like a major outside broadcast.
Zak Abel writes a song about fish
Tune of the Week artist Zak Abel visits to discuss “Unstable,” the four years he has spent developing his sound and the deep voice that made listeners compare his arrival with George Ezra’s. He joins Real or No Real and admits that, despite talk of expensive bowling alleys and gold balls, he cannot currently afford his rent.
At a conveniently placed piano, Zak improvises a song for the programme. It rhymes Scott Mills with gills, makes Scott a fish, pairs Chris with his beloved shark Mabel and ends by naming its creator. Scott records the moment for the future, confident that when Zak becomes enormous they will remember the afternoon he sang about aquatic Radio 1 presenters.
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