On the box

A Comedy of deception

If you’re like me, and you can’t stomach the incessant paint-by-numbers crime dramas, or the rampant over-exposure of that sitcom you once liked, then your ever-faithful channel-changer has probably illuminated you to the delight of ABC1.

Aunty still offers a raft of great content that is a more than worthy substitute to the prime time options on the commercial networks. Dumb, Drunk and Racist, Archer and The Gruen Transfer are but a few. I stumbled upon one such program a few weeks ago and it has now become a regular fixture in my house.
Would I Lie To You is a British comedy-panel show, hosted by a comedian where two opposing teams battle for dominance.

Hosted by Rob Brydon, Would I Lie To You sees each team recount embarrassing stories and facts about themselves while the other team receives points for sorting through the falsehoods. 

While the basic premise may seem a little generic at first, however, it is the simplicity of the format that makes the show work (not to mention it’s a great excuse for the show’s creators to overplay an equally great Eurythmics song under the guise of ‘theme music’).

Each team is led by a regular team captain and both are also popular comedians in their own right - with Lee Mack, known for his enduring stand up career and his opposition, David Mitchell very well known for his other television comedy work including the cult hit Peep Show and also popular sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look. Both captains add lots of the one-liners to this very witty program, which is very well moderated by Brydon (made famous by his ‘Man in a Box’ routine and recently featured in The Trip with long time collaborater Steve Coogan), who also brings his fair share of the laughs to the table.

The teams are rounded out by popular British comedians and actors and while the guests rotate like most other panel shows, the focus and fun lie solely in the lying with segments which are broken up into different lie-detecting scenarios and challenges instead of shifting awkwardly into plugs for various autobiographies or albums.

It is interesting to note that a station that is still reeling after the demise of Spicks and Specks could air another successful panel show in a similar tone that works so well.

ABC1 is currently screening Season 4 of the popular program (which is now in its sixth season in the UK) Channel 7 is looking to adapt a similar format with the help of the Chaser team. Its locally produced replica will be hosted by Craig Reucassel and has already begun filming.

Would I lie to you is a thoroughly entertaining piece of television and will most definitely break your television viewing evening up nicely without having to resort to watching something as overly trashy as a Big Brother daily show.
Would I Lie To You airs at 9:30pm on Wednesdays on ABC1