The 10 most surprising truths on Would I Lie to You
The most amazing facts we’ve learnt about Rob Brydon, David Mitchell and Lee Mack during ten series of fibbing for fun
1. David Mitchell used to be scared of the sun
When David Mitchell was a child of five or six, he was scared of the sun. Somebody had said to him that if he looked at the sun he would go blind. So when outside he was obsessive about keeping his eyes on the ground. If ever his eyes did flick toward the bright star he panicked he was on the way to “perpetual darkness”.
2. Lee Mack isn’t allowed to a certain retro classic
Lee had to stop listening to a classic 80s pop song, because every time he played it, it made his baby daughter Millie cry. The song was Vienna by Ultravox, and at the point that Midge Ure sang the high part it would make his baby cry. He even recorded the effect as proof.
3. Rob Brydon used to put on a different voice on the phone to pretend to be his own agent
In the late 1980s Rob Brydon used to pretend to be a theatrical agent.He didn’t have one of his own so he created Richard Knight, who could do all the hard bargaining for money when people wanted to hire him for public appearances.
4. As a child, at his grandparents' house, David Mitchell had a little bell he would ring if he wanted anything
Six-year-old David used to have a little bell at his grandparents’ house, which he would ring when he wanted anything. Like what? “Chips, squash or a sense of purpose in life.”
5. Rob Brydon once stole from Catherine Zeta -Jones’s dinner money
Yes, Rob Brydon once stole Catherine Zeta -Jones’s dinner money when both were pupils of Dumbarton House School in Swansea. At the school gates Catherine’s mum told him she had forgotten to give Catherine her lunch money and could he pass it on to her? Brydon later got sidetracked by sweets and bought those instead.
6. Aged five, David wrote to Play Schoolto suggest how the BBC should resolve its union conflict.
He’d noticed a problem when watching the preschool series: below the clock were objects that usually revolved but had suddenly stopped. His parents told him this was due to a union dispute, hence the need for David’s involvement.
7. Lee Mack went horse riding on Red Rum
Lee Mack was “thrown out of college” at 16, and decided he wanted to be a jockey, despite never having ridden a horse. By coincidence triple Grand National winner Red Rum was trained in his home town of Southport, so he phoned the stables. The first horse he ever rode was Red Rum, who by then was retired. One of his jobs was to take horses for walks, and he took Red Rum to his gran’s house and his gran said, “Get him off my lawn!”
8. Lee shaved off a beard he’d been growing for weeks because he didn’t want David to think he was copying him.
When the two had done a radio show together, David had sported a beard. Two months later Lee invited David to dinner; by then he had also grown a beard. Ten minutes before David’s arrival Lee shaved it all off so there would be “no unsaid tension”.
9. Rob Brydon headbutted his wife
After going on a bouncy castle to rescue their two-year-old son George, Rob was knocked off balance by a hefty child, sending him flying off, with his boy in his arms. Although he did land on his feet, to remain standing did involve a clash of skulls. The whole experience is now know as the “bouncident”.
- For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021
10. Lee Mack has designed a special system for remembering which Teletubby is which
Tinky Winky: Lee has a vision of him in the nude – hence PURPLE
Laa-Laa Of all the Teletubbies, Laa-Laa sounds the most like YELLOW
Dipsy Sounds a bit like “Deep Sea” = GREEN
Po Like POstbox, which is RED
Would I Lie to You? returns to BBC1 tonight (Friday 2nd September) at 8.30pm
