The Unbelievable Truth
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| The Unbelievable Truth | |
| Genre | Panel game |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | David Mitchell |
| Creators | Graeme Garden Jon Naismith |
| Writers | Iain Pattinson (Chairman's script) |
| Producers | Jon Naismith |
| Recording studio | Shaw Theatre, London |
| Air dates | 19 October 2006 to |
| No. of series | 2 and a pilot |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Opening theme | My Patch by Jim Noir |
| Website BBC Homepage |
|
- For the film of the same name see The Unbelievable Truth (film)
The Unbelievable Truth is a BBC radio comedy panel game devised by Graeme Garden and Jon Naismith.[1] The game is chaired by David Mitchell and is described in the programme's introduction as, "The panel game built on truth and lies." The object of the game is to lie on a subject, whilst also trying to include the truth without being detected. The series was first broadcast as a pilot on 19 October 2006,[2] with the first actual series broadcast on 23 April 2007.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Rules
The panel is made up of four players. In the game each of the panellists is given a subject. The panellist then must give a short lecture about it. Most of the lecture, however, is composed of lies, but during the course of their speech the lecturer must try to smuggle through five true facts. The challenging panellists must buzz in when they believe that what the lecturer is saying is true. They must state what they believe the fact was. If it was true, the challenger is awarded one point. If it was a lie, then they are deducted one point. One point is given to the lecturer for each truth they smuggle in without it being detected at the end of the lecture. The winner is the panellist with the most points.[4]
Technically, the highest score any panellist can get is 20 points.[5] However, nobody has reached this score yet.
[edit] Reception
The reaction to show was mixed. Many reviews praised Mitchell's presentation of the programme, saying, "Mitchell’s quick, intelligent wit gives it an edge that it would otherwise lack."[6] However, critics have complained that the programme is "Too scripted" and would benefit from more improvisation. One review said, "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."[7]
[edit] Production
A second series of the show was recorded at the Shaw Theatre on the 16th, 25th and 30th April 2008, with two shows recorded at each session. The guests at each recording were:
- 16th April - Phill Jupitus, Simon Evans, Alan Davies and Tony Hawks
- 25th April - Ed Byrne, Adam Buxton, Tim Vine and Lee Mack
- 30th April - Michael McIntyre, Fred MacAulay, Lucy Porter and Graeme Garden
The second series began broadcasting on the 5th of May at 6:30pm on BBC Radio 4.
[edit] Episodes
| Episode | Air Date | Guests |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot and Series 1 - 2006-2007 | ||
| 1. Pilot | 2006-10-19 | Graeme Garden, Jeremy Hardy, Andy Hamilton, Neil Mullarkey |
| 2. 1-1 | 2007-04-23 | Marcus Brigstocke, Tony Hawks, Frankie Boyle, Neil Mullarkey |
| 3. 1-2 | 2007-04-30 | Alan Davies, Clive Anderson, Jo Brand, Jeremy Hardy |
| 4. 1-3 | 2007-05-07 | Alan Davies, Clive Anderson, Jo Brand, Jeremy Hardy |
| 5. 1-4 | 2007-05-14 | Sandi Toksvig, Dara Ó Briain, Jo Caulfield, Graeme Garden |
| 6. 1-5 | 2007-05-21 | Marcus Brigstocke, Tony Hawks, Frankie Boyle, Neil Mullarkey |
| 7. 1-6 | 2007-05-28 | Sandi Toksvig, Dara O'Briain, Jo Caulfield, Graeme Garden |
| Series 2 - 2008 | ||
| 8. 2-1 | 2008-05-05 | Phill Jupitus, Simon Evans, Alan Davies, Tony Hawks |
| 9. 2-2 | 2008-05-12 | Lucy Porter, Michael McIntyre, Fred MacAulay, Graeme Garden |
| 10. 2-3 | 2008-05-19 | Adam Buxton, Ed Byrne, Lee Mack, Tim Vine |
| 11. 2-4 | 2008-05-26 | Phill Jupitus, Simon Evans, Alan Davies, Tony Hawks |
| 12. 2.5 | 2008-06-02 | Lucy Porter, Michael McIntyre, Fred MacAulay, Graeme Garden |
| 13. 2.6 | 2008-06-02 | Adam Buxton, Ed Byrne, Lee Mack, Tim Vine |
[edit] References
- ^ Radio Times, 14-20th October 2006
- ^ The Unbelievable Truth (English). BBC. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ The Unbelievable Truth (English). BBC. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ "Pilot". The Unbelievable Truth. 2006-10-19.
- ^ Five points for successfully smuggling all their truths in their lecture, and fifteen for spotting all the truths in every other panellist's lecture, without making any incorrect challenges.
- ^ Widdicombe, Henry (2007-04-23). The Unbelievable Truth (English). Such Small Portions. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ The Unbelievable Truth (English). UK Game Shows.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
