The Unbelievable Truth

Richard Osman, Henning Wehn, Holly Walsh and Ria Lina are the panellists obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as glasses, squirrels, Alexander the Great and China. David Mitchell hosts.

The Truths

Holly Walsh - Alexander the Great

- Alexander the Great is greater than Alexander Armstrong, who probably was ahead, but then he brought out that album. Found by Richard. Accidentally included by Holly.

- Alexander could not swim. Found by Henning.

- Alexander washed his hair in saffron to keep it shiny and strawberry blonde. At the time, saffron was as rare as diamonds and more expensive than gold. He added saffron to his bathwater and recommend that his soldiers should do the same, believing it healed wounds. Found by Ria.

- Alexander often stayed up late and then slept until noon. Successfully smuggled.

- Alexander reportedly smelled amazing. Successfully smuggled.

- William Shatner once played Alexander the Great opposite Adam West in a 1963 TV pilot called Alexander The Great. West commented: "It turned out to be one of the worst scripts that I've ever read, and it was one of the worst things I've ever done." The pilot not only failed to get picked up, but it was locked away in a vault for the next four years. Successfully smuggled.

Henning Wehn - Squirrels

- It is believed that the Vikings brought leprosy to Britain in the fur of their pet red squirrels, which they traded in. Found by Ria.

- Squirrels were once the most popular pet in America, and in the 18th and 19th centuries were available to buy in pet shops. Found by Richard.

- Squirrels go to the toilet in their mother's mouth, as do deer. The mother carries urine and faeces away from the nest to stop predators smelling the scent. Found by Richard.

- The Canadian red squirrel makes its own artisan organic maple syrup. They harvest the sap from maple trees in late winter and turn it into syrup by biting into the trees, waiting for the sap to evaporate, and then return later to lick the remaining sugary syrup. It is believed the Native American tribes of eastern Canada learned how to make their own syrup by observing the squirrels. Successfully smuggled.

- In 2017, Prince Charles once suggested reducing grey squirrel numbers by putting contraceptives in Nutella. Successfully smuggled.

Ria Lina - China

- If you are wealthy, it is tradition to hire a body-double to serve a prison sentence on your behalf. Several high-ranking Chinese mafia members have had other members of their gang serve their sentences for them. Found by Henning.

- Britain exports countryside air to China. In 2016, Leo De Watts started selling bottles of British air to Chinese buyers at £80 per bottle. The air is collected in jars held in makeshift nets, in what Watts describes as "air farming". He sells air from Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Wales, Somerset and Dorest. Found by Holly.

- Bon Jovi concerts are banned in China. He was banned in 2015, and while no official reason was given, it is believed it may because they used a backdrop of an image of the Dalai Lama in a 2010 concert in Taiwan. Found by Richard.

- One ancient Chinese sex manual offers 48 ways of fondling a mutilated food. For centuries women in China had their feet broken and bound as a custom. Found by Holly.

- In China, Holmes and Watson are called Curly Fu and Peanut. Successfully smuggled.

Richard Osman - Glasses

- Specsavers have sponsored Scottish Premier League football referees for over 20 years. Found by Ria.

- John Dollond of Dolland & Aitchison invented glasses for horses. In 1893, he created a pair of bifocal equine spectacles. To the horses,it made it appear that the road was rising upwards in a slope, making the horse take higher steps. They became popular with horse trainers and handsome cab owners as higher steps were considered more aesthetically pleasing. We now know that a third of all horses are short-sighted. Found by Holly.

- In 2004, researchers in New York developed lie-detecting sunglasses. Found by Ria.

- Charles Darwin's half-cousin Francis Galton invented submersible glasses, so he could read the newspaper underwater in the bath. He wrote: "With these spectacles I could read the print of a newspaper perfectly underwater. I amused myself frequently with this new hobby, and being most interested in the act of reading constantly forgot I was nearly suffocating myself." Successfully smuggled.

- Elton John owns 250,000 pairs of glasses. Successfully smuggled.

Scores

- Henning Wehn: 4 points
- Holly Walsh and Richard Osman: 0 points
- Ria Lina: -1 point