Hi Ahh.... .Thanks ever so for your reply - our explanations for 'heavy' ranged from full of fuel to lots of fat people on board, so it's good to have it put right! I can now sleep easy again!
LXGB - nothing as hi-tech as a scanner! UAL transmit cockpit/ATC conversations on one of their radio channels! The films they were showing were crap, so I was looking at the radio listings, and saw this! You get to hear whatever's going on on the particular channel your crew's talking to, so I was warned well in advance of 'light chop at 290' and knew exactly when the plane in front of us was cleared for take off! It's a great idea though - kept me quiet for hours. If they could just combine it with the snazzy cameras they have on Emirates I'd never come down!