James O'Brien's Mystery Hour

00:01 This is LBC from Global, leading Britain's conversation. Mystery Hour with James O'Brien. 00:11 Two minutes after 12 is the time. Mystery Hour is upon us, your weekly opportunity. I've done all that already. So what happens is, right, someone rings in, could be you, 0345 6060973, with a question, could be a who, could be a why, a when, a where, a wither, even perhaps an occasional wherefore. 00:29 And someone listening to the programme, could be you, thinks to themselves, oh, I know that one. And I'm going to ring in and tell them the answer. 03456060973. That's it. I know what you're thinking. You can't get a whole hour out of that rubbish. But we can. We've been doing it for nearly 20 years. Have we, Keith? How many years is it? Is anyone keeping count? Can we have a little look? 00:49 You've been here 10 years, have you, really? Did you get a clock? 00:52 Nothing. Well, welcome to my world, mate. I got 20 years. 20 years I've been here. I didn't get a thing. I had to listen to someone else celebrating their 20-year anniversary while I'd been in this slot for the same amount of time. Anyway, sorry. Mystery Hour. Where was I? 01:08 Oh, yes. If you make my favourite contribution of the week, then you can win a Mystery Hour game, either in a box, which is the original Mystery Hour board game, fun for all the family, or the travel edition, which is in a tin. And it's also fun for all the family. I don't know why I said that about the first one. So the tin is the travel and the box is not. And they are different games. They contain different cards and questions. So there is no reason, if you have enjoyed one, why you shouldn't also enjoy the other. 01:37 That's that bit of it. That's a proper competition. So if you want to win it, then the full terms and conditions, you don't need to read the terms and conditions, but if you want to read the terms and conditions, you can find them at lbc.co.uk. 01:47 If you want to find out more about the Mystery Hour board games, plural, then go to mysteryhour.co.uk. It's all there. 01:55 That's how it works. You're not supposed to look things up. Well, obviously, you don't look things up. If you hear someone ask a question, they think, oh, I'll Google it. Just stop for a minute, will you? And reflect upon the fact that if that was welcome or encouraged or allowed on this programme, then the entire feature would have died on its feet about however many years ago it is that we started doing Mystery Hour. 02:16 So don't look stuff up. I do motoring questions, but only on Ask James Anything. So that is yet another reason to subscribe to the exclusive James O'Brien Plus subscription service, where because it says Ask James Anything, you can actually ask me motoring questions. I don't think anybody has yet. If they have, I've managed to excise it from my memory. I don't know what motoring question you'd want to ask me, but anyway, you can't do motoring questions on Miss Jow unless you do, because frankly, my attempts to impose rules upon this programme have not been entirely successful. 02:47 I try my best. Keith sometimes joins in, sometimes can't be bothered. But as a general rule, my attempts to introduce features, regular features and rules, are just ignored by everybody. Almost as completely and as contemptuously as my 20th anniversary on LBC was ignored by everybody in this building. And Keith's 10th anniversary, which is exactly half as important as mine. Five minutes after 12 is the time. The phone lines are open. And yes, I have got a new picture on the app. 03:18 So thank you to everybody for pointing that out. It's a bit like, Jase, did you know you've got a new picture? Yes, I did. I didn't know it dropped today, but thank you for all the kind words. And you're right, I am surprisingly handsome in the flesh. it's a bit like when i walk around this building with my enormous mug i don't know if you've seen my if i haven't got it where is my enormous mug have i left it in there no wonder i'm thirsty no wonder i haven't been to the loo seven times on today's show i walk around this building with my enormous mug and if i bump into someone in the building it's a big old building who hasn't seen my mug before they say to me gosh that's a big mug and i say to them I don't know what to say to that. 03:53 Oh, yes. 03:54 Yes. I think I've told you this before, but it happens. And sometimes it goes in cycles. Last few days, it's happened a lot. Every time I've gone up and down the stairwell, someone's gone past me and gone, crikey, that's a big mug. What am I supposed to say to that? 04:09 Thank you. 04:10 Thank you. You should see the other one. Oh, yes. Oh, yeah. God, you're right. How did that happen? I left the office with a small mug. I must have walked through some sort of magic laser ray that's made my... What do you say to someone who says... Anyway, that's not a mystery, our one. No, my new car is not a Tesla. And that is the end of today's motoring phone-in. It is electric, though. 0345 6060973 is the number that you need. Er... 04:37 I think that's it, really, isn't it? Seven after 12. Shall we crack on, see what happens? Yes? OK, ready? Phil's in Swindon. Phil, question or answer? Question or answer? 04:45 I've got a question for you, James. Oh, yes, Phil. 04:48 Right, so, I need to find out why is it I can't dunk? 04:55 Yeah, I mean, how bad are you, mate? 04:58 Oh, terrible. I've got no rhythm whatsoever. I look like an extra from The Walking Dead when I'm dancing or trying to dance. 05:05 Do you enjoy trying to dance or are you so self-conscious? No, not really. 05:09 It sure puts a spotlight on to you. 05:13 What about if you've lost your inhibitions for whatever reason? 05:16 Well, alcohol helps with that, yes. Yeah. 05:19 anything goes then doesn't it yeah it does and I'm told that in the sort of late 80s early 90s an awful lot of the club culture then was driven by but was driven by drugs apparently Phil and that certainly seemed I wouldn't know watching some of the videos some people were certainly they were very uninhibited back in those days Phil but it didn't actually give you the gift of dancing people have told me it just made you think that you had somehow stumbled across it and you hadn't at all 05:48 no i haven't no i mean i was watching the city's house the other day and uh they were doing some sort of family dance and i said to the missus i said if i took we had a family dance like that i'll be absolutely useless yeah yeah so i mean i can't dance mate every now and then do you ever think crikey i've cracked it like very briefly 06:09 Yeah, me too. And then you suddenly realise that everyone else is dancing to a different beat from you are. 06:18 I mean, I might look like I know what I'm doing, but when you start seeing people laughing at you, then you think perhaps not. 06:24 Oh, I haven't had that for a while. I had that at Chattersley Corbett Village Hall in 1984, and it's still burnt into my memory. 06:31 i was doing that thing i thought was safe where you do a shuffle no no yeah yeah one foot to the other foot and then right foot to the right left foot to the left left foot to the left right foot to the yeah you know the one line dance yeah because i thought that's safe i can't go wrong i was probably doing something a bit carlton banks with my hands at the time but it wasn't like a particularly speedy dance and there were two girls Just on the other side. It was still at the point in the evening where all the girls were on one side of the dance floor and all the boys were on the other. And I'm not 100% sure they were laughing at me, but I think they were. 07:03 I think they were, Phil. 07:05 Well, the handbags are in the middle, so you might have tripped over one. 07:08 I was younger than that. It was before the days. It was Chatsley Corbett Village Hall, mate. It wasn't Images Nightclub. That was a few years later, or down at the Stone Manor Hotel. Right, you're on. Why can't me and Phil dance? Why can't we dance? Can you clap in time with music? 07:22 Well, yeah, I think so. I mean, I tried doing some sort of drumming. I can't do that either. So I didn't know if you had to have a special brain or something. 07:29 I drummed a bit as a kid, but I was rubbish at that as well. So why can't we dance? And you often meet music people, and I could teach anyone to sing. Is it true of dancing as well? Could you teach? I'll tell you who's amazing. amazing at dancing and he does classes as well and i would love to go and i had this conversation with him but i don't think he really knows how bad we are at dancing phil you know tim booth out of james do you like james the band yeah yeah yeah he does this like he does this shaman shaman dancing he does it on stage but he also does it as a discipline he's he's been a teacher of it as well and his body When he's dancing, I don't know quite how to describe it. 08:09 It's like fluid yoga or something. It's beautiful to watch. Absolutely beautiful to watch. Even if he wasn't the lead singer of my favourite band, I'd still love watching him dance. And if I could do that, it's so expressive and free. And yet I just know that if it was you and me, Phil, we'd be there and we'd be like a couple of manky old pipe cleaners within about five seconds of the music starting. So is it possible? to learn to dance, and why are some people so inexpressibly awful at it? 08:40 Thank you, Phil. Simon's in Dudley. Simon, question or answer? Question, please, James. Carry on, Simon. 08:46 Why is it when you're a certain age and you're going grey... 08:50 Your hair looks much grey in a photograph than it does when you look at yourself in a mirror. My hair doesn't, mate. I've got a new photograph out. I look great. Mine definitely does. My hair looks completely grey in a photograph, but when I look in the mirror, there's definitely patches of darkness in there. 09:04 In all of them? In all the photographs? 09:07 Pretty much, yeah. 09:08 So it can't just be the light? It can't just be the light? 09:11 No, I don't think it is. 09:13 I don't think it is. I mean, it's literally white in a photograph, but when I look in a mirror... 09:18 It just looks totally different. I mean, I'm fascinated by what we see when we look in the mirror because I wonder occasionally, Simon, whether or not we actually engage in a sort of form of self-deception when we look in the mirror. 09:32 That's what I was thinking, whether you're looking and imagining what it used to look like. 09:37 You're colouring it in a bit. 09:41 In your brain. Wishful thinking, I think. Yes, it could be that. I don't know. So why would Simon's hair look less grey in the mirror than it does in photographs? Is there something psychological going on? Or is there something physical going on? Could it be the light, the way that photography works or the image gets recorded? I'm going to put 5248 on that. I reckon it's more likely psychological. 10:05 I think I'm thinner in the mirror than I am in photographs. 10:10 I wish I was joking. Thank you, Simon. It's on the board. So why can't Phil dance? And why is Simon? Can we change the tone of this a little bit? Can we get it a bit more youthful and glamorous, please? Why can't Phil dance? And why is Simon Greyer in the mirror than he is in the photographs? Oh, I love that. That's a great one. James, your dance is from Kieran. You're dancing to the words when everyone else is dancing to the beat. If only that were true, Kieran. If only that were true. 10:39 Because, of course, during the heyday of rave music, there weren't many words. There wasn't a lot of words. So it can't be that. Although that was the era in which I thought I was quite good at dancing. 10:53 Becky's in Brighton. Becky, question or answer? 10:56 Hi, James. I'm here to bring the youthful glamour, I think. 10:59 You and me both, Becky. Carry on. Lead the way. 11:02 So, I took my lead from you the other day, and I started watching Slow Horses, because I'd never really been interested, but then you said about it, and oh my God, you were right. 11:12 I'm going to do this in the newsletter on the subscription. I'm going to do a few more cultural recommendations because I get this quite a lot. I mentioned some of that book I mentioned a moment ago. I'll get a few messages about that next week. The Frozen People by Ellie Griffith. Oh, thanks, James. I bought that. I loved it. It's brilliant. Anyway, back to you. 11:28 Back to me, yes. So I was glamorously, youthfully travelling to London for a gig at the weekend and I travelled through Victoria Station and then I got back the following day feeling a bit jaded, sat on the sofa, watched like horses and there was the exact same scene that I just basically walked through with the same tunnel announcement for my hometown and I was like, so let me get this right, they closed the entirety of Victoria Station just for filming or do they have a space Because I know, like, on a film set where you have cars in the background, for example, those cars, they can't just be any cars. 12:02 They have to be cars that have been approved because of number plates and so on. And people in the background all have to be extras. But do they close a whole station just for filming like that? 12:13 I think they do. 12:15 I mean, for two reasons, right? One is, I live in London and I travel by public transport every day. And I've never encountered... 12:25 filming over there while I walk over here, right? 12:29 Yeah, exactly. No, but the second is I have encountered, in the early hours, entire streets being shut down and restaurants being... Yeah, streets, restaurants. But stations would work as well, especially because they're all indoors and they've got artificial lighting. 12:46 I was looking, it was clearly daylight outside, or was it? Or was that just the way they lit it? 12:51 Unlikely, that'll just be the way. They can put a massive, great big light outside the window, you see. I've seen that as well. So there's three reasons why 12:57 There's a lot of extras, though. There's a lot of extras. And the trains pulling in and out. 13:02 Were there? 13:03 Yes. 13:04 Yes, literally. That puts a slightly different complexion on things. Are you sure there were trains pulling in and out? 13:10 There were definitely trains pulling in and out. 13:11 So would they lay that on as well? 13:13 Well, that's it. That's exactly it. I'd like somebody who knows about this. You've got lots of influential people who work in this industry who probably have a lie-in and a Thursday lunchtime. Yeah, they'll have a bit of a listen. 13:22 Exactly that. 13:23 I'd like an answer, please. 13:25 Okay. And it's specific to train stations? 13:27 Well, I think so. 13:29 Because I've seen it in restaurants and I've seen it even in quite, you know, the Covent Garden when they've shut the theatre and they're quite often on St. Martin's Lane. A train station is really interesting. 13:39 And it was Victoria and it's a hub. You know, that would disrupt everything for ages. How do they do it? 13:46 How did they film it? Yeah. I mean, right back to Brief Encounter, isn't it? Which I think was filmed somewhere up north, actually, as they've still got the canteen where Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson had their assignations. All right, you're on. What was the gig? Do you mind me asking? You don't have to tell me. 14:03 Oh, the Skinner Brothers and Wren. Oh, so good. Was it? At the Electric Ballroom in Camden. Okay. Skinner Brothers are so good. You're right. 14:10 I brought a bit of youthful glamour to the occasion. Thank you, Becky. Much needed. 12.17 is the time. If they're filming at a train station, do they shut the whole thing down and lay off? I mean, because these things are expensive. You're writing a script and you haven't got a lot of money. You're not going to set a scene in a train station, are you? Slow horses. Massive. My mate actually makes it. I'll tell you what, if I don't get an answer off Becky, I'll drop him a text. and ask him whether or not they shut the train. He wrote one episode of the new series. It might have been the one you were watching. I'll ask him, did they shut the whole train station down when you're filming at a train station? 14:43 But I don't like doing that. Mystery Hour is for the people. By the people, for the people, of the people. So first choice would be a call on that question. Not specific to that show, but just if you're filming something quite big... and there's a scene set in a train station, do they shut the whole train station? Why can't some of us dance at all? 15:02 And why does hair look grey in the mirror, greyer in the mirror than it does in photographs? 0345 6060 973. 15:13 Mystery Hour on LBC with James O'Brien. Call 0345 6060 973. 15:21 20 minutes after 12. Mystery Hour continues. Lucy's in St Albans. Lucy, question or answer? Question, please. Carry on, Lucy. 15:29 I'd like to know why in canteens across the land, Wednesday seems to be the designated roast dinner day. 15:36 Easy. 15:38 Oh, go on then. When do you have it at home? 15:40 On a Sunday. What's the furthest day away from Sunday? 15:44 Is that really it? Got to be. 15:47 So you don't know for sure? Flipping heck, mate. Come on. I mean, what else can it be? 15:51 You're not going to do it on a Monday. It was like a really interesting historic reason for it. 15:56 Serve it on a Monday and everyone say, I had this yesterday, miss. We had roasted dinner yesterday. I mean, probably not so much these days, but certainly when I was growing up. We had this yesterday, miss. On a Tuesday. Oh, we had this on Sunday. On a Wednesday. Oh, this is nice. I haven't had a roast since the weekend. On a Thursday. I'm having one of these at the weekend, miss. And then on a Friday. We're having this the day after. It's got to be the reason. Is it true? Are we sure it's true? 16:21 I don't know. 16:23 That's what I want to know. Are we sure it's true that it happens up and down the land? 16:27 I'm pretty sure, because I remember it from school, and at my work canteen they do it as well. That's one school. No, I went to three primary schools, thank you very much. 16:34 And all three of them had the roast on a Wednesday? Yes. Thank you very much. 16:39 And my work canteens do as well. There's two of them, and they both do roasts on Wednesdays. 16:43 I'm just going to consult the people who eat in this building. 16:46 Do we ever do a roast here in the canteen? 16:51 Is it normally a Wednesday? Well, flipping heck, Lucy, you're onto something here. Yeah, see, it's a thing. Not every Wednesday, but if there's a roast, it's a Wednesday, I'm told. Well, there you go. Well, I never... Okay, well, if it's not the reason I've given, then I don't know what else it'll be. 17:05 I mean, I can see that working. I'd be interested if there was some sort of deeper reason. 17:10 Occam's razor, mate. Occam's razor, innit? That's what it is. 17:15 Right, you're on. Why are the roasts on Wednesdays in institutions? 03456060973. Crucially, I think, institutions that aren't open on Sundays. But I could be wrong. It has been known. 22 minutes after 12 is the time. Simon's in Edinburgh. Simon, question or answer? 17:32 It's a question, James. Nice to speak to you. Likewise. I'm out for a slightly drizzly and damp but beautifully autumnal walk with the dog. Lovely stuff. I have to sometimes. I have to stop and get something out of my Wellington boot. 17:44 Yes. 17:44 And I did that just now. Are you a dealer? 17:47 What are you carrying around in your Wellington boot? 17:50 You know, a stone or something. Oh, I see. Carry on. You do the usual thing and you put your foot behind your heel and you kick your willy off and then you suddenly get a cramp in your calf. I'm realising this happens quite a lot. But it doesn't happen with any other boots that I've got, but my Wellington's, and I just wondered why. 18:03 Because of the way that you're bending. It's not, because I don't know if I've revealed this yet. Can I just check something with Keith? 18:10 Do you mind? I'm just going to be upset. Have I talked about the yoga? 18:15 Have I mentioned the yoga on the radio? 18:19 I've taken up yoga. Oh, he's gone. I think we scared him off. I didn't mean go away, Simon. I was just checking with Keith while you were there. Get him back, quickly. He's going to have fallen over his wellies. So I'm not going to answer the question until he gets back. Terry's in Belfast. Terry, question or answer? Question, please, James. Carry on, Terry. 18:38 Out for a walk with my kids and my seven-year-old daughter stumped me with a question. Why do the leaves turn red and orange and yellow and not purple or peach or fright them to go yellow or white? Why does it go that colour? 18:52 That's nice, isn't it? I mean, it's going to have something to do with chlorophyll, isn't it? Or what happens next. But why? Because, I mean, green... We know why they're green, but we don't know why they're orange and brown and red and not more excited. Was she hoping for more exciting colours? 19:09 No, she always comes up with... Yeah, I think so. 19:10 She lives in a unique one world and she just... We were talking about how bright the reds were that day. 19:17 Yeah, I like it. 19:18 Why is it not other colours, Dad? And I normally can bluff an answer, but this one completely stumped me. James is the man. 19:25 Well, not me, but someone listening will know. Why do leaves go the colours that they go in autumn? And all different colours as well, despite the fact that they're all green to start with, or most of them are green to start with. I like that. 0345 6060 973. 19:39 Back to Simon. Did I scare you off, Simon, or did you fall down a well? 19:43 No, no, I took the dog. The dog went down by the river. I think there must be a dead zone, so I'm sorry it dropped out. 19:48 No, that's quite all right. So I've done a bit... I've taken up yoga recently. I do yin yoga, where you hold the pose for quite a long time, rather than the really sort of hardcore stuff, which is not for the likes of me. 20:00 And it means that you are stretching things that you don't normally stretch, and you're discovering things that you wouldn't discover unless you were stretching those things that you don't normally stretch. And I think when you take a welly off, you are... 20:13 stretching that calf muscle in a way that you never stretch at any other time. Really? 20:18 Because when you walk up slopes in your welly, if you're going on a slightly up and down walk, I think you do probably exercise your calves. 20:24 But your weight is forwards then, and when you're doing it there, your weight is backwards. 20:29 Oh, so is there a method then that stops it? That's a nice question. 20:33 I mean, in a way, we need to come at this from two or three different angles, don't we? So we need to do what causes cramp... 20:41 Well, of course it's cramp, but isn't it lack of salt? 20:45 But in this specific context, why would you be getting cramp in that context? And then, because I've changed the rules of Mystery Hour recently without announcing it officially, you can have supplementary questions. And then, how should he take his wellies off in order to avoid cramp? To which one answer would be, less often. 21:01 We'll do the biomechanics answer and then the top tips of it. 21:03 You got it, exactly. Biomechanics, then top tips, like Mystery Hour, in a nutshell. You're on. Enjoy the rest of your walk, Simon. Stay safe. It is 12.25. You are listening to James O'Brien on LBC. I don't know why the turnover of calls today is extraordinary. Are we getting some right old clankers? Is that what's going on? Are we getting some right old duffers? So the switchboard is filling up and then it's draining again. And so there are now a couple of phone lines free, which was not the case four minutes ago. 14 minutes ago it was the case, but 16 minutes ago it was... I don't know what's happening, but don't give up. 21:34 0345 6060 973. Callum is in Cambridge. Callum, question or answer? 21:39 It's an answer. 21:40 Carry on. 21:41 It's a question about railway stations. 21:44 Yes, not train stations. I always say railway stations and it upsets the purists, Callum. It's a railway station. Of course it is, dear Hart. Right. 21:52 Firstly, can I just say thank you on behalf of the thousands of out-of-work actors like myself of keeping us going over the years. God bless you. 21:58 Well, that's very kind, although I would say I'm also very popular with working actors. So, you know, you probably want to say thank you on their behalf because you'll be one of them again soon. Well, shortly, yeah, possibly. 22:09 Right, in answer to the question, not always, not in every single case. It all depends on the budget of whatever you're shooting. If it's a huge budget thing, they may well shut down sections of a station. 22:21 Even on some movies and some techniques that I've done, you'll find they just use a smaller lens and they'll use the throng crowds of people moving up and down the platforms as almost like the supporting artists themselves. So real people, just normal people going about their business. Certain things. There's a famous scene in one of the Bourne movies where Matt Damon's taking a call. He's calling Paddy on the platform at Waterloo. And Paul Greengrass did that in a really small lens. And you can just, if you look very closely, people are going, God, that's Matt Gaiman. 22:53 What's going on? What's he doing now? 22:55 Wait there, Callum, wait there, mate. Seriously, wait there. Don't go anywhere, all right? Yeah. Ready? Yeah. Bobby's in Alperton. Bobby, what made you pick up the phone? 23:05 Well, as it happens, I am a supporting artist, and I was actually working on the Bourne Ultimatum in Waterloo Station. 23:12 Right, wait there a minute. Callum, how about that, mate? 23:15 Well, God, there you go, mate. 23:16 If you build it, they will come. 23:18 Am I right? Am I right? And here they are. I think you've got a lot of it. 23:22 Quick round of applause for Callum. No, he's not Matt Damon. Let's not get carried away. 23:26 Quick round of applause for Callum. Back to Bobby. Bobby, what happened when you were filming that then? 23:30 Well, basically, the station was totally open. Trains were coming in and out. It was totally full of regular commuters, I should say. Yes. However, there are signs around when you're filming in a situation like that saying that... 23:45 We are filming, so if you don't want to be seen on camera in the background or something, just keep away from this area, basically. 23:53 And how do they stop people marching up to the star and going, you're Matt, has anyone ever told you? You look just like Matt Damon. 23:59 Well, as it happens, we had to do a retake of a scene quite a few times. 24:05 Was it your fault, Bobby? Was it your fault? 24:08 Well, maybe not, but... 24:11 However, we do have to do a lot of retakes sometimes because they look back at what they filmed and then they can see some people going, oh, look, it's Matt Damon, like Callum said earlier. 24:22 Yeah, yeah. So they didn't get them all out then. One or two must have stayed in there because he's seen it. How long were you there? Were you there all day? It was quite a few years back. I think it was all day, yeah. Nice one. I have to do this. 24:35 I've been doing supporting artist work since 1999. 24:38 Any favourites? 24:40 Well, I was in a few of the Harry Potter movies. Did they dress you up? 24:43 Were you in prosthetics or anything like that? Or were you a muggle? No, no, no. I was just a wizard. Were you? 24:50 Yeah, yeah. Just a background wizard? You see me quite clearly in the Order of the Phoenix. Really? In the lift with Harry. Yeah, yeah. In the lift? Gringotts? Yeah, I was even a Gotham City gang bus in the Dark Knight, would you believe? 25:02 Oh, flipping it, Bobby. You're a superstar. We're honoured to have you on the show. I need to ask you this question, albeit that you've already answered it. What are your qualifications? Yes, sir. 25:10 Well, I've been a supporting artist since 1999, and because I'm so good, I'm actually getting acting roles now as well. Sensational. 25:18 Great work. Am I right in thinking that calling you an extra is not right? Well, we used to be called Noddies years ago. Did you? Because you were just nodding in the background? 25:27 Yeah, well, the reason for that being is that when filming first started, most actors were like royalty or, you know, landed gentry or something. 25:37 Yes. 25:38 And as a Noddy... 25:41 the people in charge would say, you cannot talk to the actors. If they pass you, just nod to them. Ah. 25:47 Don't make eye contact and that sort of thing. And then extras turn to supporting artists. 25:52 Don't tell anyone, Bobby, but we do that here for Ian Payne. What, nodding? No, Ian Payne. You're not allowed to talk to Ian Payne when he's in the building. You're not allowed to make eye contact with him. You're allowed to nod at him, but only when he's come off air, not before he goes on air. It's all very strict. They send emails out every week. 26:10 He must be in the zone. 26:11 You don't want to mess with Ian when he's in the zone. I'm telling you, seriously. Round of applause for Bobby. Sorry, go on, mate. 26:19 I just wanted to say that I'm a regular listener, but first-time caller. 26:24 There it is. And there was nothing to be nervous about at all. Not for a thespian like you. 26:28 Well, I'm never nervous. I'm good in front of the camera. That's right. 26:32 That makes one of us. Bobby, mind how you go. Callum, thank you, mate. I think you got slightly trumped. 26:38 No, it's my pleasure. Thank you so much. Good work. And have you got anything coming down the pipeline? 26:42 Rather brilliant movie coming out in the new year called Frank and Lewis. It's a movie about dementia and the American prison system. Sounds grim, but rather good. Have a look. 26:50 Right, it's on the list. It may even make the James O'Brien Cultural Newsletter. In fact, it probably will, won't it? Because we're all family. It's 12.31. John Stratford has your headlines. 27:00 This is LBC Mystery Hour with James O'Brien. Call 0345 6060 973. 27:09 It's 12.34. You're listening to James O'Brien on LBC. 27:15 Questions that still need answers. It's most of them, isn't it? Why can't some people dance for love or money? Why does our hair look greyer in the mirror than it does in photographs? Becky in Brighton, very happy with her answer to the question about railway stations and filming. Why do institutions generally serve roast dinners on a Wednesday? It's obvious. 27:35 Cramp. Why does Simon get cramp in his calf when he takes off his wellies? 27:39 Why do leaves go the colours that they go in autumn and not other colours? 27:44 And I've written down the wrong answer there. What was the other one? What was the last question that we had before the Born Ultimatum answer? I don't know. 27:53 I think that's it. Peter is in Windsor. Peter, question or answer? Yeah, hi James. Is there a question? Yes. Okay, so when I close my eyes, in my imagination, I can't see colours. Pull back the curtain. 28:06 R2C4. Sorry, mate. I close my eyes. Sets me off a bit into a Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat moment. When you close your eyes. 28:16 In my imagination, I can't see colours. But as I understand it, some people can. 28:22 So you can imagine an image. So imagine my garden, for example. 28:26 If I close my eyes, I can't see it in colour. So it's in black and white? Yeah, and some friends of mine did the same thing and they can see it in colour. I just wondered why that is. Gosh, it's all laughs around yours, isn't it? 28:38 So you sit and close your eyes. 28:40 You can see your garden. 28:42 Can you see colour when you close your eyes? Well, I don't know if... I think I can see colour because I think I can... I'm telling myself that's green and I'm not seeing black and white. I'm sort of seeing green. 28:52 And you're not seeing anything even remotely colourful? No, nothing at all. So you have a monochrome imagination? 28:59 And when I asked the question, your producer immediately said she can see colour. 29:03 Yeah. She closes her eyes. 29:05 Okay. I mean, when did you realise this? 29:09 literally a couple of weeks ago when someone raised the question how interesting and I think most people can but I mean who knows I mean there you go monochrome imagination you don't mind me calling it monochrome imagination do you call it whatever you want no I can't call it whatever I want because I can't call it like Dave that would make no sense at all but monochrome imagination yeah some people have it some people don't presumably exactly and we will find it it's a weird one this it's either brilliant or ridiculous and at the moment Peter I don't know which There's lots of people now closing their eyes, though. 29:40 That's very true. Hopefully not while they're driving. 29:44 It is 12.37, monochrome imagination. All right, I want everyone to close their eyes, unless they're driving, and picture autumn leaves. 29:53 Right? 29:55 What colour are they? 29:57 I've got another song in my head. Do you know which one it is? Red and orange and... 30:04 Yeah, autumn leaves. So what did you see? If you're Peter, you just saw grey, various shades of grey, maybe 50. 30:12 If you're not Peter, if you have a polychromatic imagination, which is the name of my second album, if you have a polychromatic imagination, then you're seeing red and yellow and not pink or green, but orange. 30:26 If you've just tuned into this radio program, send help. 30:31 Ian's in Glasgow. Ian, question or answer? 30:34 Question, James. 30:35 Carry on. 30:36 So, I'm recently retired. I used to work in sales and marketing. Oh, yes. And therefore, I've got a lot of time to waste. 30:43 Have you not taken up golf? 30:46 Oh, God, no. I tried that. I gave it up. So, look, this is just bugging me. Right. Why are pyjamas predominantly tartan? They're not. 30:57 Well, I've done a bit of research. 30:58 Oh, Lord, he's done his own research on the internet. 31:02 Over 30% of M&S lines of pyjamas are tartan. Really? We all know. Yeah. Do you want to see pyjama bottoms tartan everywhere? 31:11 I've got one pair of tartan. Most of mine are striped. And I've got a rather fetching paisley pair as well. 31:16 Okay, so you're an outlier. Not necessarily. 31:19 I think, actually, I'm working my way towards an answer as this conversation continues. 31:24 Well, I've done a bit of research. When did this start? There is a bit of Calvin Klein advertising in the 90s, but also an article in the LA Times in the early 90s. Bloody hell, mate. 31:34 When you said you'd done some research, I thought that you were joking. 31:38 Teenagers apparently were going to school in tartan pyjamas. There's stories about that. Right. But then I was also wondering about, like, the fashion industry is, like, rapidly changing, fast-moving, all the rest of it. But then why do we just go back to, and trust me, the majority of pyjamas, or a significant proportion of tartans, Why do we stick with that for however long we've done it? Is it a psychological thing about bed and safety and Christmas and we don't want to be adventurous when it comes to that? 32:10 I just find it bizarre that retailers keep on producing tartan pyjamas. 32:15 I think it may. I was thinking when I mentioned stripes and paisley. 32:22 I was thinking to myself, is it so that they are immediately distinguishable? So that you can pull them separately out of the washing pile? 32:30 Why are you laughing? 32:32 I don't know. 32:33 You've been researching pyjamas on the internet, man. You can't laugh at me. 32:39 Absolutely ridiculous. 32:41 So you've got your washing there, and you think, I mean, probably you're less likely to iron your pyjamas, are you? You probably iron yours since you retired. My wife irons everything to an inch of its life. Well, then it doesn't apply in your house, but you take the pyjamas out of the washing pile because they're so easily distinguishable. But what about all your floral shirts? they don't look like they're not tartan are they they don't look like pajamas yeah yeah that's true but you know pajamas were invented in asia and tartan was just showing off now you're just showing off now and and tartan was invented probably in scotland yes why why do we put the two together all right tartan pajamas i like it now i like it but i would not be surprised if i've been sort of nibbling at the edge of an answer so are your pajamas tartan 33:29 Do you think on the label in the shops they have easy to pull out of your washing? 33:33 No, of course not, because it's just obvious, common sense. Are your pyjamas tart? And how many pairs of pyjamas do you own? 33:41 I buy them from M&S. 33:45 Yes, so you've got no choice then, have you? It's like they've groomed you into buying tartan pyjamas. All right, you're on. What's the relationship between pyjamas and tartan? 03456060973. Thank you, Ian. 34:00 You need a new... Ian, mate, you need another hobby. 34:03 Has he gone? He needs another hobby. He needs at least another hobby. Not a different hobby, but in addition to the pyjamas. 34:11 Johnny's in Kidderminster, God's Own Country. Are you going to the game on Saturday? 34:15 No, I'm just literally driving. Well, I was driving past. Well, you're not even there anymore. This is brutal. Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup, Johnny. It's all to play for. Why is that significant? Because my first home was in Doncaster and my last home, as in where I live with my mum and dad, was in Kidderminster. So it's a clash of the titans in James O'Brien's personal history on Saturday in Kidderminster, where Johnny isn't. Question or answer? So I have a question. 34:41 I was at the gym the other day and I was watching the England-Tri Lanka cricket game. And it occurred to me, why do we not sing a national anthem before the cricket, but we do before the football and the rugby? 34:56 That's a good question, isn't it? 34:59 Hence why I called. Are we sure that we don't sing? I'm never there for the beginning. No, neither am I, but I've never seen it. Obviously, you've always seen it in rugby and football, but never cricket. 35:11 Yeah, and you've watched it on the telly. You might have watched the beginning. See, I only ever get invited to the cricket by Adil Ray. 35:20 And I come off air... 35:22 And dash to the Oval, where he will be hosting a lovely gathering of showbiz chums. But I'm never there for the beginning. He lets me come late, you see, when I go to the cricket. But I don't know that I've... No, I don't think they ever do the national anthem at the cricket. Well, why? The question is why? I don't know. You'd have thought it would be more likely, what with cricket being so civilised and gentlemanly. 35:44 Absolutely, absolutely. All right, yeah. Why don't they do the national anthem at the cricket? Where are you heading towards? Bromsgrove? 35:50 Yeah, off to Bromsgrove. I've got an appointment, so I'm going to crack on. But thank you for... Don't let me keep you, mate. 35:56 I'm only presenting a national radio programme. You've got an appointment in Bromsgrove. 36:00 Thank you. First time caller, but I'll live what you do. 36:02 You're very kind. Give my regards to the horse fair. Oh, he's already left. He's already gone through, Kidder Minister. It's tatty flag central at the moment, Bromsgrove, unfortunately. It's weird, isn't it, these patriots? Put them up and then don't take them down. They leave the area looking like the bottom of a sock drawer. It's quite bizarre. Anyway, of course, many of them are busy facing criminal charges. Whoever saw that coming? 12.43 is the time. A little bit of politics for you. Right in the middle of Mystery Hour. Chris is in Isha. Chris, question or answer? 36:30 Hey James, love the show pal, and I have a question. Bring it on. So, I had a work dinner very recently, a bunch of us, and we left the restaurant and looking for a little late night bar to have a little cocktail before going to bed. And a couple of people did a run, did an Irish exit, And then we're having a cocktail and we're having a drink and having a chat. And what I'd love the answer to is why is it called an Irish exit? Because every Irish person I know is there to the bitter end and they're not the ones who are leaving without saying goodbye. 37:00 So there's something else as well. Oh, it's the same as a French exit. I've only ever heard it described as a French... Maybe in Ireland they call it a French exit. I've never heard it called an Irish exit. But this is when you slide away without making a big fuss. 37:14 Yeah, yeah, you've disappeared. Don't say goodbye. The rest of us are going. Where have they gone? They've left. Irish, isn't it? 37:20 No, I know what it is. 37:21 Which is completely counterintuitive for any Irish person. 37:24 You'd have thought so. I've never heard it called an Irish exit. I'm thinking... Would it be? 37:34 And I don't want to indulge in any racial stereotypes here. So I would like to establish first and foremost my credentials as a plastic paddy, as an Anglo-Irishman. 37:45 Would it be that in Ireland you are more likely to have to say goodbye to everybody in the pub? 37:57 so yeah so i mean it's not a bit so you know you're there and you know everyone oh it's uncle i said so it's only it's only cousin mave over there i've got better go and say goodbye to cousin mave before i go oh flipping heck it's uncle patrick and then the next thing you know it's it's it's almost come back around to opening time so so an irish exit recognizes the fact that the irish and this actually plays directly into your own theory the irish are so famously sociable that that if they actually made a point of saying goodbye, they'd have to say goodbye to everybody. So it's a lot of these, unlike the English, who are only going to say goodbye to the three people they've gone to the pub with in the first place. 38:32 So it's much easier for an Irish person to slide out subtly without a big song, without a big hoo-ha. 38:40 I'm not sure it's a Ray Liotta, but I'm with you. I think the thinking is pretty good. It is. But if you're the Irish pub, you'd at least go a wave to everyone, right, see you later. 38:50 What do you know? Because they'd be calling you over. Ah, don't be going. Come and have another one, they'd be saying. 38:55 Yeah, maybe. But I'm not taking any prizes for that answer or indeed for that accent. 03456060973. Why is an Irish exit called an Irish exit? 12.46 is the time. 39:09 Mystery Hour with James O'Brien. This is LBC. 39:14 It's 12.49. You're listening to James O'Brien on LBC. Mystery Hour continues. Why can't people dance? Grey hair. Roasts on Wednesdays. Cramp in Edinburgh. Red and orange leaves. Pyjamas tartans. Irish exits. Maybe something else as well that I can't read my own writing. This is very professional. Jeremy's in Woking. Jeremy, question or answer? 39:34 Hello, James. I have an answer for you. Carry on. 39:37 It's to do with leaves. 39:40 Why do you get autumn colours? And it's because they're always there. It's to do with the chemistry of the leaves. They have two other chemicals called anthocyanins and carotenoids in leaves. Different quantities in different trees. 39:57 As the autumn progresses, chlorophyll, which produces green colours, is stopped being produced by the tree. as quite expensive substance to produce in terms of energy, and it withdraws chlorophyll from the leaf, revealing the underlying chemistry of the leaf. 40:14 How lovely. And that's it. And those chemicals, the carrot, what's it, and the other one, they are those colours, orange and... 40:21 They are, yeah. 40:23 The carrot one will be orange, won't it? 40:25 That's right, yeah, carotenoids. So if you have an apple on the tree, one side of the apple will be greener, the other side slightly redder, And the redder side will be the one sort of more facing the sun that's producing more of the anthocyanins. 40:40 Amazing stuff. What a beautiful answer. Qualifications? 40:44 I used to be an arborist and a professional tree inspector. 40:50 I mean, how does one inspect a tree? 40:55 a safety inspection oh i see from the ground you're looking for sort of roadside trees that might fall over that sort of thing of course you are amazing fungus fungal fruiting bodies on trees all that kind of stuff name of my first band um i love that that's yeah so why aren't you an arborist surely you're always an arborist you're just not a professional arborist anymore Well, I'm an estate manager now, so I look after a large area of woodland and heathland. 41:22 Amazing. Do you love your work? Yeah, it's lovely. 41:26 I do. I absolutely love it. I'm very, very fortunate. It's a great job. 41:30 Yeah, well, it's certainly a mystery. A round of applause as well, just when you thought things couldn't get any better. 41:34 Oh, wow. 41:35 Thank you very much. And I hope that, whose daughter was it, would be happy with that? Let me find her. 41:43 It was Terry, wasn't it, in Belfast, who made an Irish exit. Alan is in Tenby. Alan, question or answer? 41:50 It's an answer. Carry on. 41:52 It's an answer to why somebody can see grey hairs in the mirror, not in a photograph. It's to do with dynamic range. So the eye has a much wider ability to... capture the details in the blacks and the shadows than a camera does. Even the highest quality cameras are nowhere near what the human eye can see. So when he takes a photograph, the subtleties of the greys and the blacks all disappear into a black and the whites, they become white as opposed to the subtleties of the greys, whereas the eye can pick those out when he's looking in the mirror. 42:32 Lovely answer. So there's good news and bad news in a way. He's not sort of psychologically deluding himself, but what he sees in the mirror is more accurate than what he sees in the picture. 42:44 And the likelihood is if he's taken the shots with a phone camera, then the quality of the dynamic range of that is much less. I mean, even if you spend thousands on a camera, the dynamic range is nowhere near what the eye can see. So a photograph will never pick those details of the darks and the lights. Qualifications? 43:02 What are your qualifications? 43:03 Professional photographer. 43:05 That'll do nicely. Round of applause for Alan. 43:07 Thank you very much. Thank you very much. 12.53 is the time. I missed a trick there, didn't I? 43:13 So what was the name of the fellow with the trees? Jeremy, was it? Was it Jeremy? I said to Jeremy, are you an arborist now? And he said, no, I'm an estate manager now. And I should have said, oh, you've been branching out. 43:24 See, Keith, you're supposed to do those jokes in my ear. And then I pretend I came up with it all by myself. What happened? Were you having a sip of tea or having a penguin? Is it nap time? Sorry. Ian's in Newton Abbot. Ian, question or answer? 43:36 Answer for you, James. Carry on, mate. 43:38 to do with the national anthems at cricket your initial caller must have not been watching very closely because as long as I've been watching international cricket do they do not do Jerusalem rather than the actual God Save the King sometimes or not no that's the Barmy Army so the Barmy Army they well their trumpeter will play Jerusalem in the crowd when play starts but before before play about 20 minutes half an hour before play they'll get together and they'll do the national anthems and in fact The first public performance of God Save the King after the late Queen Elizabeth died was at the cricket in London, South Africa in 2022. 44:16 So it's a bogus question. 44:19 It is. It's a bogus. Qualifications? 44:21 Cricket Badger played and watched cricket my entire life. 44:24 I met the trumpeter. 44:27 Oh, yeah. Yeah, I can't remember his name. I've even got photographic evidence of it. He wanted a selfie, and I thought, well, I want one too, last time I was at the Oval. He's a really, really lovely bloke. He's quite possibly listening, but I hope not, because if he was listening and he didn't ring in, he'd have got a Ray Liotta, and that would be quite sad, but you've nailed it. So you get the round of applause. 44:46 Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Top 55 is the time. Zubair is in Leicester. Zubair, question or answer? 44:52 Answer. 44:53 Carry on, Zubir. 44:54 So, the pyjamas question. Why pyjamas, tartans or plant? It's just a traditional historic thing. Pyjamas are made from a soft fabric flannel. And flannels traditionally were other plants or tartans. 45:10 Simple as that. 45:12 Why were they? 45:14 We don't. It's a bit like the cotton fabric denim from France was initially dyed blue, so most denim is blue and And cable knits tend to be muted colours like white, cream and beige. So it's just a traditional thing. 45:28 So because you want a softer fabric for your pyjamas, you go for the softer fabrics and the softer fabrics are traditionally, historically, more likely to be tartans or plaids. 45:37 Yeah, exactly. So if you're making pyjamas, you went to a knitter who made flannels, and traditionally... Did you... Because I don't think... 45:47 I have got one pair of tartan pyjamas, but most of mine have always been striped. I like a Derrick Rose pyjama, Zubir. I don't know if you're familiar with that, Mark, but... I am not, no. No, that to me is the Formula One of the creme de la creme of pyjamas, Derek Rose. But mine are mostly striped, not tartan. But you recognised the tartan question, did you, when it was asked? 46:09 Yes, I did. 46:09 You nodded along. What are your qualifications? 46:12 So I used to, I live in Leicester, so I worked in hosiery because Leicester had a huge hosiery industry. And I was a fabric buyer. 46:19 Oh, really? Yeah, so that's what I did. 46:21 I bought fabric, which was really exciting when it wasn't. 46:25 Well, I mean, it could be. I mean, it depends, doesn't it? Some people will get very excited by it, other people less so. You were obviously somewhere in the middle. Have a round of applause on me. Thank you. Have a good day. Thank you. So do I, actually. Some days more than others. I think his name was Billy, that trumpeter. Was it Billy? Is Billy the Barmy Army trumpeter? It'll come. I think so. 12.57 is the time. Julie's in Plymouth. Julie, question or answer? Yes. 46:48 It's an answer, James. Love the new picture. The Irish, goodbye. 46:52 Is it me or is it in low resolution compared to everybody else's? 46:55 I think it's the shirt you're wearing. Is it? I think you need... Don't say this. 47:00 Don't go there, mate. Because honestly, Julie, you've no idea how many times I've had my photo taken recently. And I hate it. I hate it. 47:07 Get them to change the background colour. Is that what it is? 47:10 You don't think they've put me up low res and they've put everyone else up high res? Anyway, where were we? Answer. 47:15 Right. Irish goodbye. I grew up in Coventry. My mum and dad were Dubliners. And I think it's a man thing that go to the toilet, don't say goodbye. Because I think Irish... Very friendly. My mum used to say, don't forget to say goodbye to so and so and so and she'd do it. Yeah, you can't be doing with it. You'd take forever. 47:31 You'd never get out of the pub. No. No. 47:33 And I think it's a friendly Irish way and I find myself doing it now in the pub and people laugh. 47:39 You just want to get away. Just want to get away because I don't want to say 100 goodbyes. And also, they won't let you leave. They'll pull you another. Just come and have one more, would you like, Julie? 47:48 And they talk about you afterwards. Like, Mary didn't say goodbye, did she? Did you notice that? 47:53 So too not for the likes of us. She's too grand, they say. That's Sheila. She's too grand for the likes of us since she went all showbiz. She's knocking about with that O'Brien fella. She's got all high and mighty, hasn't she? 48:06 Yeah. 48:08 Round of applause for Julie, please. 48:09 Thank you, James. 48:10 No, thank you, Julie. I think that's it. I can't squeeze in one more, unfortunately. Oh, I need a favourite. I haven't got a clue. Yes, I have. Give it to the arborist. Can we give the guy if he wants it? Something to play on the cold winter nights in front of the fire. 48:26 If you missed any of today's show, you can listen back on a free Global Player app or the LBC app where you can also stay up to date with all the latest news videos and opinions. It's also one of the places where you can find James O'Brien Plus, your opportunity to sign up for exclusive bonus content as well as ad-free radio and podcasts and indeed newsletters incoming. The first one drops tomorrow and will almost certainly be about those midterms. Download the official LBC app for free from your app store now. Coming up at four on LBC, it's Tom Swarbrick. 48:57 But now it's time for Sheila Fogarty. 48:58 Bye. 48:59 I'm just sliding off. 49:00 Okay. Bye. You probably should. At three o'clock today, have a great day, James. At three o'clock today, Kevin Badenock has told LBC the NHS workforce should be redesigned.