The Unbelievable Truth

David Mitchell hosts, as Marcus Brigstocke, Holly Walsh, Lou Sanders and Tony Hawks talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as the middle ages, geese, the human voice and children's tv.

The Truths

Marcus Brigstocke - The Middle Ages

- Pineapples hanged from trees in medieval times. Aside from the pineapples that were grown in places yet to be discovered in Europe, "pineapple" was the originally the name for the "pinecone" in the middle ages. When pineapples arrived into Europe, the term "pinecone" was coined, in the 1690s. Found by Holly.

- A medieval cure for baldness, popularised by the Vikings, was to rub goose manure into the scalp. Found by Lou.

- Kellogg's were notorious pig killers, in that the name originally meant a pig butcher. Successfully smuggled.

- Middle Age doctors believed that erections were caused by a build-up of pressurised air. Successfully smuggled.

- Murdering a wandering musician was considered a very minor crime, as the church considered such people sinful. Successfully smuggled.

Holly Walsh - Geese

- "Goose" used to be slang for a prostitute. The term is believed to have come from London's South Bank, where the competitive calls of prostitutes to men crossing London Bridge was believed to sound like the screeches of geese. Found by Lou.

- In the 16th century, "Bitten by a Winchester goose" was slang for catching syphilis. At the time the church had significant control of the sex industry, with the Bishop of Winchester owning numerous brothels along the South Bank. The prostitutes controlled by him were known as "Winchester geese". Found by Tony.

- People used to believe that barnacle geese hatched from barnacles rather than eggs. For centuries people thought that barnacles were the embryos of such geese. This mistake was due to the fact that before it was discovered that birds migrate, people spotted the patterns on both barnacles and barnacle geese were similar, and made an erroneous connection. As it was believed that barnacle geese were neither flesh or born of flesh, they could be eaten on days the eating of meat was banned by the church. Found by Marcus.

- Professional badminton shuttlecocks are made from feathers from the left wings of geese. These feathers are more aerodynamic, and mixing feathers from both wings would disrupt the way the shuttlecock spun. Found by Marcus.

- The first widely popular commercial board game was called "Game of the Goose". It is believed to come from Italy in the 15th century, and was similar to snakes and ladders. Found by Lou.

Lou Sanders - The Human Voice

- Mariah Carey can sing in a whistle register, as can Minnie Riperton, Ariana Grande and Christina Aguilera. The only other mammals that can sing a higher register are dolphin. Found by Marcus.

- Italian scientists have discovered you are more likely to get people to do something if you speak to them in their right ear. Found by Marcus.

- The man who voiced Mickey Mouse for 32 years, Wayne Allwine, married the woman who voiced Minnie Mouse, Russi Taylor, in 1991. Found by Tony.

- A man in Japan sued the country's national broadcaster for the mental distress caused by them using too many English words in their programmes. Found by Holly.

- Anal is a language spoken by an indigenous tribe found in Manipur, India and in Myanmar. About 20,000 people speak it. Successfully smuggled.

Tony Hawks - Children's TV

- Emperor Hirohito of Japan was buried with his favourite Mickey Mouse watch, as well as with a microscope. Found by Marcus.

- In France, Noddy is known as "Oui-Oui". Found by Lou.

- Marge Simpson modelled for the front cover of Playboy to mark the 20th anniversary of The Simpsons, with her modesty covered by the ears of the Playboy bunny. Copies of the magazine are currently being sold on eBay around $750. Found by Marcus.

- Benito Mussolini was a big fan of Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. Successfully smuggled.

- Scooby-Doo's real name is Scoobert Doo. The show's producer, Fred Silverman, said that name of the character came from the syllables "Do-be-do-be-do" from the Frank Sinatra song "Strangers in the Night". Successfully smuggled.

Scores

- Marcus Brigstocke: 6 points
- Holly Walsh: 0 points
- Tony Hawks: -1 point
- Lou Sanders: -4 points