The Unbelievable Truth. David Mitchell. Copyright: BBC / Random Entertainment
The Unbelievable Truth

The Unbelievable Truth

  • Radio panel show
  • BBC Radio 4
  • 2006 - 2024
  • 177 episodes (29 series)

David Mitchell hosts this Radio 4 panel game built on truth and lies. Contestants must try and smuggle truths into lie-filled speeches.

  • Due to return for Series 30

Episode menu

Series 19, Episode 2

David Mitchell is joined by Richard Osman, Arthur Smith, Lou Sanders and Phil Wang as they lie on the subjects of Kanye West, sugar, chickens and aeroplanes.

The Truths

Arthur Smith - Sugar

- In China they put sugar on fish and chips. Found by Lou.

- One kilogram of sugar contains 1.5 million grains. The figure however would be higher for powdered sugar and lower for brown sugar due to the size of the crystals. Found by Lou.

- Cigarettes contain sugar, which along with caramel and cocoa, are added to improve their flavour and potency. Found by Phil.

- Alan Sugar's childhood nickname was "Mopsy", due to his curly hair. Successfully smuggled.

- In 1919, 21 people in Boston, Massachusetts, were killed by a 2 million gallon, 20ft high wave of treacle, which swallowed eight buildings. The Great Molasses Flood occurred when a 50ft tall tank containing 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst. The flood threw people and horses about, injured 150 people, smashed buildings, and damaged the steel supports of an elevated railway. Rescuers had wave through knee-deep black treacle and sticky debris to reach survivors. Successfully smuggled.

Lou Sanders - Chickens

- Chickens can suffer from depression and can feel empathy. Found by Phil.

- 10 Downing Street was once inhabited by Mr. Chicken. He was the last private resident of the house before it became the official residence of the Prime Minister. Found by Richard.

- Lenny Henry is allergic to eating chicken. Found by Arthur.

- In 2012, a three-year-old Chicken McNugget that looked like George Washington sold for $8,100 on eBay. It got 71 bids. Found by Phil.

- Richard Hammond used to work as a chicken chaser. He decided not go to university and took up a series of part-time jobs when he was younger. As a chicken chaser, he had to get the chickens to a place where they could be sexed. Found by Phil.

Phil Wang - Aeroplanes

- The first American jet fighters in the 1940s and 1950s were nicknamed "blowjobs". Found by Richard.

- If you flew from London to New York via Concorde, due to the time zones you crossed you would arrive 1.5 hours before you left. Found by Richard.

- According to UN law, if a baby is born during a flight, that baby can claim citizenship of the country that airline is registered in. Found by Arthur.

- It was once policy on British Airways flights that if a passenger died mid-flight, the body was given sunglasses, a vodka and tonic and a copy of the Daily Mail to make it look like they were asleep. Found by Lou.

- On Qatar Airways, you can take a falcon with you in economy class. Each plane can take up to six falcons. Found by Richard.

Richard Osman - Kanye West

- At Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's wedding, a team of Italian stone masons was employed to carve the names of the guests into the marble tables. However, many of the names were spelt incorrectly, and as so many of their guests had brought their entourages with them the seating plan turned into chaos. Only Kanye and Kim sat in the correct places. Found by Phil.

- One of Kanye's nicknames is "The Louis Vuitton Don". Other nicknames include, "Pablo", "Yeezy", "Yeezus", "K-Rocks", "Swag King Cole" and "The Black Zac Efron". Found by Lou.

- Kanye South is a parliamentary constituency in Botswana, won in 2014 by the Umbrella for Democratic Change. Successfully smuggled.

- One of Kanye's early jobs was as a karate demonstrator in China. Successfully smuggled.

- Kanye has claimed that Coldplay are better than The Beatles. In 2010 he said: 'In thirty years, when Coldplay are old men, people will look back and say, 'These guys were more talented than The Beatles.'" Successfully smuggled.

Scores

- Phil Wang: 3 points
- Richard Osman: 2 points
- Arthur Smith and Lou Sanders: -2 points

Broadcast details

Date
Monday 9th October 2017
Time
6:30pm
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Length
30 minutes

Repeats

Show past repeats

Date Time Channel
Sunday 15th October 2017 12:00pm Radio 4
Monday 16th October 2017 7:30am Radio 4 Extra
Monday 16th October 2017 5:30pm Radio 4 Extra
Monday 16th October 2017 10:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Tuesday 17th October 2017 5:30am Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 18th November 2021 9:00am Radio 4 Extra
Thursday 18th November 2021 4:00pm Radio 4 Extra
Friday 19th November 2021 4:00am Radio 4 Extra

Cast & crew

Cast
David Mitchell Host / Presenter
Guest cast
Arthur Smith Guest
Richard Osman Guest
Lou Sanders Guest
Phil Wang Guest
Writing team
Dan Gaster Writer
Christine Rose Writer
Production team
Jon Naismith Producer

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