The Unbelievable Truth

David Mitchell is joined by Angela Barnes, Glenn Moore, Shaparak Khorsandi and Neil Delamere, who are obliged to talk with deliberate inaccuracy on subjects as varied as legs, restaurants, travel and tigers.

The Truths

Angela Barnes - Legs

* According to a 2005 Japanese study, if you look at something between your legs, it will look smaller. Found by Neil.

* 19th century surgeon Robert Liston, nicknamed "The fastest knife in the West End", once accidentally removed a patient's testicle during a leg amputation. Found by Neil.

* Pythons have vestigial leg bones, leading some to suggest that some snakes evolved from lizards. Found by Neil.

* At the Henley on Todd Regatta in Australia, the crews poke their legs through holes in the boats and run along the river bed. The race takes place in the dried-up Todd Riverbed. Successfully smuggled.

* When Peter Benchley was struggling to come up with a title for his novel Jaws, his father suggested the title: What's That Noshing On My Leg? Successfully smuggled.

Glenn Moore - Restaurants

* You are more likely to order a dessert if your waiter is overweight. Found by Angela.

* Some McDonald's outlets in Europe serve alcohol, including branches in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal. It is not served in the UK because according to one spokesperson: "it's not something that fits the family-friendly focus of our restaurants in the UK", although David suggests it is because the British are such binge drinkers they would make McDonald's branches no-go areas. Found by Neil.

* The Manhattan restaurant "Twins" was staffed entirely by pairs of twins. Between 1994-2000, the twin employees had to work at the same time, wear identical outfits, and where not allowed to be seen alone. If one twin was sick, the other had to take the day off. Found by Angela.

* Diners at the formerly-named Hitlers' Cross restaurant in Mumbai could buy large paintings of Hitler when they arrived. Found by Angela.

* A restaurant in Connecticut gives diners a free book with their meal. The Traveler Restaurant in Union gives away an estimated 1,000-2,000 books per week. Successfully smuggled.

Shaparak Khorsandi - Travel

* Zagreb, Croatia, is home to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Found by Neil.

* In 2019, the Cornish Tourist Board demanded that weather forecasters stopped standing in front of Cornwall. Found by Glenn.

* In 2004, a Yorkshire couple booked a holiday in Tenerife, but were flown to Tel Aviv instead, and where immediately arrested on suspicion of terrorism. Found by Neil.

* Queen Victoria loved Scotland so much that when she visited it she put on a Scottish accent. Found by Angela.

* In Austria, US citizens who get into difficulty on holiday are encouraged to visit McDonald's as all 194 branches have a 24 hour hotline to the US embassy, and all employees are required to help anyone needing assistance. Successfully smuggled.

Neil Delamere - Tigers

* Charlotte Bronte had a pet, Tiger, who she adored. Tiger was her pet cat. Found by Angela.

* In December 2021, London's Tiger Tiger nightclub was fined £120,000 after one of it's bartenders mistakenly gave customers sodium hydroxide powder to lick instead of salt for their tequila shots. Found by Angela.

* In ancient times, one way of getting revenge on your enemies was to place finely-chopped tiger whiskers among their food. They believed the barbed whiskers who cause pain sores an infections. Found by Glenn.

* Sabre tooth tigers never existed. The animal commonly named the sabre tooth tiger was not even closely related to tigers, being more closely related to lions. Found by Angela.

* If a male jaguar mates with a female tiger, the offspring would be called a jagger. Successfully smuggled.

Scores

* Neil Delamere: 7 points
* Angela Barnes: 6 points
* Glenn Moore: 0 points
* Shaparak Khorsandi: -1 point