The Unbelievable Truth
Contents |
Host
Broadcast
Random Productions for BBC Radio 4, 19 October 2006 (pilot), 23rd April 2007 to present
Synopsis
David Mitchell hosts a parlour game which, it could be argued, is the bastard child of Just a Minute, The Railway Carriage Game and the opposite of Many a Slip.
Panellists are given a subject to present a talk about. The talk must be completely facetious, except that they have to slip in five items of truth which the other team have to identify. Points are awarded for correct challenges and successful smuggling, but penalties are incurred for incorrect challenges.
The idea is quite a smart one, and there is some good banter. However most of the programme is essentially listening to four rather silly pre-scripted stories, as if it's story time at primary school, and as such the real facts are often rather easy to spot in comparison. It may have been more dangerous fun if the contestants were supplied with their facts to be smuggled just before going on air, to allow even the pretence of some improvisation.
Nevertheless, David Mitchell's clever wit makes this a passable attempt at another Radio 9 gardening reality show (see what we did there?)
Inventor
Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith
