First broadcast 14th March 2014.
Lee Mack
Simon Foster
Emily Grossman
David Wharton
John Sergeant
Jon Richardson
Ricky Tomlinson
Sara Cox
Francis McGlone
Timo Mäntylä
Lee Mack
Simon Foster
Emily Grossman
David Wharton
John Sergeant
Jon Richardson
Ricky Tomlinson
Sara Cox
Francis McGlone
Timo Mäntylä
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00This is a show where we put to the test some of the most incredible facts you've probably
00:24never heard of.
00:25During the show, each of our guests will present their own stunning piece of knowledge.
00:28We'll test each fact and decide which is the best.
00:31So before we do, let's see who's on the show tonight.
00:34An interesting fact about my first guest is that he released his own album in 2001 entitled
00:39Music My Arse, which I assume is him playing a lot of wind instruments.
00:42Please welcome Ricky Tomlinson.
00:43And an interesting fact about my second guest is that he once confessed to being celibate
00:53for eight years during his twenties.
00:56Now I don't want to show off, but I can beat that record by a whole two years.
00:59It's Jon Richardson.
01:00And an interesting fact about our final guest is that she has a dog called Snoop.
01:07But there is no truth in the rumour, she has plans to get a cat called Stevens and a beaver
01:11called Justin.
01:12Please welcome Sarah Cox.
01:13So, this is a show all about extraordinary but slightly odd facts.
01:21For example, there's a fruit that makes sour things taste sweet, right, and they're called
01:25dulce berries, otherwise known as the miracle fruit.
01:28And here they are.
01:30We also have underneath this tray, we've got the dulce berries, this is vinegar, right,
01:35and that's your lemons.
01:36So if you'd like to take one of your berries, now do not eat the pip, and don't chew it.
01:40Just like melt it on your tongue and make it all round your mouth, OK?
01:43What does a pip do if you swallow it?
01:45You're alarming me.
01:46What happens if you wake up in my cellar?
01:48Make sure it's all round your mouth, OK?
01:51Now these are called dulce berries, OK?
01:53And it contains a chemical that binds with acid in your mouth to create a brand-new chemical,
01:57resulting in the perception of a sweet taste.
01:59Take the pip out.
02:00Right, now, get a bit of lemon, you won't believe this, get a bit of lemon now, taste
02:04that lemon.
02:05Oh, wow, it's like sherbet.
02:06Isn't it lovely, that?
02:07Wow, that's mad.
02:08It's like an orange, isn't it?
02:09Yeah.
02:10Are you doing that, Justin?
02:11No.
02:12Did you put that berry all round your mouth like you were told, young man?
02:13I think mine's broken.
02:14Try the vinegar, though, now, straight over.
02:18It will taste like, honestly, champagne.
02:21Oh, you can drink that, yeah.
02:30Don't drink it, Ricky, don't drink it.
02:34Oh, it's nice.
02:36It's a sweet...
02:37No?
02:38Without wishing to lead you down a path.
02:40It's fine in the mouth.
02:42Yeah?
02:43It's horrible when you swallow it.
02:45LAUGHTER
02:47APPLAUSE
02:52OK, let's get on with the game.
02:53All the guests are brought in a fact that they really love,
02:55but who's his best?
02:56It's time for Round One.
02:57Fact off.
02:58APPLAUSE
03:02Jon, you're up first.
03:04What have you got?
03:05I've got a fucking horrible taste in my mouth.
03:09Sorry, ladies and gentlemen,
03:10Jon's working on some new catchphrases.
03:13What's he got?
03:15No, don't do that.
03:17My fact is that scratching is contagious.
03:21You mean the physical act of scratching?
03:23Yeah. If I scratch, you'll all scratch.
03:25That's a fact.
03:26Go on, then, scratch.
03:29It's working.
03:30I know, it's...
03:31It's working well, isn't it?
03:33Can't believe I drank vinegar for you
03:35and you won't scratch to prove my fact.
03:37Is there even a part of you, Ricky,
03:39that's getting itchy watching that, even anything?
03:41Not at all, I'm afraid, no.
03:42The beard, you're not thinking that?
03:44No, well, I'm used to it, see, aren't I?
03:45Does the beard get itchy?
03:46It does when I'm kissing somebody.
03:48For the person you... For them.
03:50Does it? Yeah, yeah.
03:51Especially if he's a sailor.
03:55I don't think it's right, actually.
03:56You don't think it's right? No, I don't.
03:58Cos I suffer from a thing called nodular parietal.
04:00What's that?
04:01It's the most itchy thing in the world.
04:03Can we swap seats?
04:05If that worked, I should be going tearing myself like that,
04:08and I'm not, so...
04:09Is it flaky when you itch?
04:10Is it like a snow globe when all the flakes come off?
04:13Cos I get that when we dry our legs,
04:15it's like I've got, like, some ready brek up there,
04:17without the milk.
04:19Do you know what? I'm genuinely loving this panel today.
04:21It's very rare that I'm the least northern bloke on the panel.
04:26So, that's Jon's facts.
04:27So, Ricky's doubting this, right?
04:29I do doubt it, yeah.
04:30I kind of think there's a bit of truth to it.
04:32You obviously fully believe it, Jon.
04:33Let's take a look at the evidence.
04:38Feeling itchy?
04:39You probably weren't until we started talking about it on the show.
04:42But can scratching really be contagious?
04:45Here's someone clever with an answer.
04:47When you see someone scratching,
04:49there's an urge in you, the observer,
04:51to also copy what they're doing and scratch yourself.
04:53This is now being understood to be part of a mechanism
04:56called the mirror neuron system in our own brains.
04:59Observing someone scratching
05:01makes you hypersensitive to that scratch
05:04and it sets up a physical sensation in your own brain
05:07that that body part on you is itching
05:10and you want to then scratch it.
05:12So, let's put this into practice.
05:16This is an average suburban street in South London.
05:20And it's home to a man named Fergus.
05:22He's going to be our scratching guinea pig,
05:24but he doesn't know it.
05:27This is his brother, Toby.
05:29He's helping us to set up the experiment
05:31and to film Fergus on hidden cameras
05:33so we can monitor whether he copies any of our scratching.
05:38Our day in Fergus' started at home.
05:42Cue Toby with attempt number one.
05:46Whilst chatting over a spot of intricate shoelacing,
05:49an important start to every man's day,
05:51he attempted our first scratch.
05:55And incredibly, Fergus scratched right back.
05:58Result.
06:02Next up, Fergus headed off to work,
06:04five minutes round the corner.
06:06We were waiting for him with cameras
06:08hidden in bags, vans and even prams.
06:12Standing by was an actress.
06:14She was looking for the leisure centre
06:16and was also feeling rather itchy.
06:20Oh, excuse me. Sorry.
06:22Do you know where Latchmere Leisure Centre is?
06:26This way.
06:28But despite scratching and scratching again,
06:31Fergus offered nothing back.
06:34Oh, dear.
06:36Were we at risk of failing to prove our theory?
06:39Thank you. Bye.
06:41With one success and one fail so far,
06:44here's hoping the next attempts are up to scratch.
06:50Let's find out as Fergus arrives at work
06:53at a children's events company
06:55run by these two chaps, Charlie and George.
06:59So it's time for boss number one
07:01to see if he can encourage some scratching
07:04with a traditional, if exaggerated, cheek scratch.
07:08To which Fergus replied with an unexpected nipple rub.
07:12So anything boss one can do,
07:14boss two can do better, right?
07:18He took things up a level by adding props
07:21with this delightfully subtle phone scratch.
07:24And Fergus treated himself to an indulgent head-to-neck scratch.
07:32So after a busy afternoon in the office,
07:35Fergus and his workmates headed to the pub.
07:38We sent in this actress collecting money for our fake charity,
07:42Social Carers Raising Awareness to Combat Hardship,
07:45or SCRATCH.
07:48But did she get one out of Fergus?
07:52Yes, he gave her a cheeky chin wipe back
07:55before boss number one got a final scratch in for good measure.
08:00As did boss number two.
08:06With a grand total of six mirrored scratches from seven attempts,
08:10Fergus proved that scratching is contagious.
08:17But that was just one man,
08:19and perhaps he was having a particularly itchy day.
08:22So to definitely prove our hypothesis,
08:25we needed a lot more scratching guinea pigs, and here they are.
08:29A whopping 27 unassuming scratch specimens
08:33lurking at this lecture on trends in technology.
08:37You don't necessarily need people to go through a full login procedure
08:41so that they can access their accounts.
08:44It sounds like the perfect subject to fit in a few bored scratches.
08:49So would our lecturer scratching be so contagious
08:52that an audience of 27 people will all scratch too?
08:56Surely not.
08:57So there is a certain security issue that we start to get with stuff,
09:00and you're right, we should be questioning that.
09:02But as he started to scratch,
09:04slowly but surely so did everyone else in the lecture room,
09:08until almost every single person in the room had scratched.
09:13Proving once and for all that scratching really is contagious.
09:26Now, that was interesting that, John,
09:28because you pointed something out in the audience there.
09:30I was watching that section of the audience there,
09:32and I'd say at least half of them scratched during that seminar,
09:35just the seminar bit of that.
09:37Do you know what's interesting?
09:38Ed, our floor manager, has just come up to me
09:40whilst we were watching that and said,
09:42John's been scratching constantly.
09:45I didn't notice it because I was looking at the thing
09:47and having a good go at my bollocks, but...
09:51I don't want to sway where you pick your subjects
09:53for these sort of things,
09:54but someone who works in children's entertainment
09:56who goes to work on a scooter.
09:58Yeah.
09:59Oh, he seems sweet.
10:00If I saw someone on a scooter,
10:01even if I was being paid to be an actor,
10:03I'd think, I'm not going up to him.
10:05That's the cool look on the scooter, isn't it?
10:08You know, I am carrying it off.
10:09Is that your scooter face?
10:10Yeah, well, I've slightly put the shoulder forward
10:12as if to say I'm not even trying.
10:14Now, you've just done that.
10:15Do you know what them fingers were in the olden days
10:17when people drank tea?
10:18What's that?
10:19Because syphilis was rife.
10:24And if they went to a party and all the young women were there
10:26and they weren't like that, it meant, I'm clear.
10:28Well, surely everyone was doing that then.
10:30No, they weren't.
10:31Everyone was honest and thought, I'd rather be honest.
10:33A lot of them were in hospital with syphilis.
10:37I genuinely always thought that was ballast.
10:39I thought that if I had a cup of tea without doing that,
10:41I'd just fall over to the left.
10:43If I put my finger up, I'm just perfectly balanced like that.
10:46I'm on a very fine centre of gravity.
10:48So, I thought it was a scientific thing.
10:50Turns out I'm riddled with syphilis.
10:52So, that was Jon's facts.
10:53Now, we're going to score it.
10:54Ricky and Sarah, based on what you've seen,
10:56on a scale of one to ten, how amazing is that fact, Ricky?
10:59I'd only give it five, honestly.
11:01Five? Yeah.
11:02I'm still not convinced.
11:03You get a gang of people like that.
11:05People scratching there and there.
11:07They're not watching anyone scratch.
11:08No, but they just watch that VT.
11:09Maybe that's why they're scratching.
11:10But maybe it's not.
11:11Well, that's true.
11:12That's true.
11:13That's a good scientific argument.
11:15I'm only giving it five, because I'll leave you on.
11:17All I will say is that bad scoring is also contagious, so...
11:22You better have a pretty good fact up your sleeve.
11:26Sarah, what are we giving?
11:27I think a nice round eight, I quite like it.
11:29You can kind of do that sort of experiment just to pass the time.
11:32You can sort of scratch and see if the children copy you.
11:34You can do it at work or on public transport,
11:36if I weren't too posh to use it these days, which I am.
11:40Well, I'd say five's a little tough,
11:42cos the VT did prove quite a bit.
11:44I'd say eight's a little kind.
11:46Oh, where's this going?
11:47As Ricky...
11:48Cos as Ricky pointed out, it's not like everyone in the audience is great,
11:51but there's enough of them to prove there's some truth in the fact.
11:53I'm going to give it a nice seven.
11:55So, let's add that up and see what that gives you, Jon.
11:58Jon Richardson has scored 20 points.
12:04That's all for part one, but join us after the break
12:06when Sarah Cox will be wowing us with a staggering fact of her very own.
12:14Welcome back to Doug Paxton Echo,
12:16the show all about unbelievable facts.
12:18With me are Ricky Tomlinson, Jon Richardson and Sarah Cox.
12:24Now, before the break, Jon Richardson showed us
12:26that scratching is contagious, scoring 20 points for his troubles.
12:29Next up, Sarah Cox, what fact have you got for us?
12:32OK, so, picture the scene, Lee, OK?
12:35You move in towards a lady.
12:37She's not a relative.
12:38Careful.
12:39And she's willing.
12:41She's willing and she's not a relative?
12:42Yeah, you've got to use your imagination.
12:44I did say that, I did say that.
12:46OK.
12:47You move in and you're about to kiss.
12:48Yes.
12:49And you will move your head to the right
12:51because two thirds of people move their head naturally to the right
12:54when they kiss.
12:56Two thirds of people move their head to the right when they kiss?
13:01So...
13:02Well, that's interesting.
13:03It's nice, isn't it? So try it.
13:04I mean, imagine it now.
13:05I would have thought it was 50-50.
13:06Imagine this is a lady.
13:07I've been doing that all my life.
13:17Jon.
13:18Oh, you've got lovely eyes, Jon.
13:19Let's have a kiss.
13:20This is freaking me out.
13:21Oh, is it?
13:22Yeah, sorry, that wasn't helpful, was it?
13:23He's had a very unfortunate incident with rodholonemia again.
13:27What's a bar to the right, though?
13:28Do you mean, like, lean or do you mean, like, veer off?
13:30Well, you can't veer off.
13:31They're not running away, Jon.
13:32I mean, as in, when you go to kiss,
13:34you've got to swivel your head one way or the other, haven't you?
13:36Because of the nose.
13:37You can't just kiss straight on, the nose will get in the way.
13:39Unless you're Voldemort, which he probably just goes straight on.
13:41But we're not here to discuss that.
13:43But even he has to be kissing another one without a nose as well.
13:45That's true.
13:46So he'd have to be Voldemort on a pug dog.
13:49I'm trying to work out.
13:50I mean...
13:51Tell you what, though, the more I do this to work it out,
13:53the more I think, you know when you talk to a dog and it's confused?
13:57Next time I do it, I'm going to think it's trying to get off of me.
14:03And don't overthink it.
14:04If you get a new girlfriend and you both go to the right afterwards,
14:08don't go,
14:09Oh, well, that's interesting, because 2,000 people do that.
14:12Because it'll just kill the moment.
14:14You need to say something else.
14:15Or mine's like, Oh, that were dead good, can I touch your legs?
14:18It's a good line for if the thing does happen,
14:20where they go to the left, you can say,
14:22Ha!
14:23What are the chances?
14:24Exactly a third.
14:25Yeah.
14:26Now, let's get them knickers down and see what happens.
14:30I'm genuinely not sure about the girls I'm with.
14:32Kissing's not allowed. It's one of the rules.
14:37Well, interesting.
14:38That's a good place to find out that itching is contagious as well.
14:41Yeah, itching is very contagious on that one.
14:43Now, we need to test this fact.
14:44So we have ten couples in a room backstage.
14:47There they are.
14:48And in a minute, they're going to come out and kiss on our command.
14:51Now, because we don't want to bias the results of the test,
14:53we haven't told them everything about the experiment.
14:55They know they're going to be kissing, but that's all.
14:57So before we bring out the couples,
14:58let's take a little look at the science behind the fact.
15:01Scientists have observed that when kissing,
15:03people tend to tilt their head to the right.
15:07Researchers have long known that human embryos and newborn babies
15:12have a preference to turn their heads to the right.
15:15This right-handed bias in the development of babies
15:18is thought to be the reason why most people are right-handed.
15:22It's also thought that this early preference
15:25is why people turn their head to the right when kissing later on in life.
15:31So, time for some rigorous love action, sir.
15:34Yes.
15:35Bring on the kissers.
15:45Hello, kissers.
15:46Congratulations on having such loving relationships.
15:49Now, you lot, of course, have no idea what the experiment is.
15:52All you know is that you're here to kiss.
15:54So, here we go.
15:55Couple number one, please commence the kissing.
16:02Oh, wow. OK.
16:03It was quite a wet one, that.
16:05We'll mark down the results.
16:06Couple number two, Chris and Paul.
16:08Sorry, that was Louis and Alice.
16:10And can I just say how much Louis looks like Leonardo DiCaprio,
16:13ladies and gentlemen?
16:15Incredible.
16:16Oh, do you know what?
16:18Incredible.
16:19Oh, do the thing with the arms, like on the show.
16:21Oh, yeah.
16:24Oh, it's lovely.
16:25Right, we've got Paul and Chris.
16:27Away you go.
16:29Sexy.
16:30Look at the noises.
16:31OK, thank you very much.
16:33Kelly and Dino, away you go.
16:35Oh.
16:36Oh, hello.
16:37How are you?
16:38Blimey, she's got hold of that beard.
16:41Sasha and Curtis, away you go.
16:43Bit of a height difference here.
16:44Do you want to lift up?
16:45No?
16:46Oh, hello.
16:47All right, Curtis, back off, your mum might be watching.
16:51OK, Ivy and Graham, here we go.
16:55Graham's having a lovely time.
16:56That is the smoothest thing I've ever seen.
16:58He put his thumbs up behind her, eh?
17:01OK, Louise and Casper, away you go.
17:05Casper's taking his top down.
17:06He's started to already undress.
17:09OK, Louise and Casper.
17:10Maureen and Anthony, away we go.
17:12I do feel like I should be hiding in a hedge, don't you?
17:15This is so weird.
17:16This is the weirdest thing I've ever done on telly.
17:19Sheila and Ray, away you go.
17:21I'm loving Sheila and Ray.
17:22Oh, he licked, he licked first.
17:24Oh, my goodness.
17:26Lovely, thank you very much.
17:27Terry and Ron, away you go.
17:30Oh, hello.
17:31Oh, the hands, what's with the hands?
17:33What's with the hands, madam?
17:34And last but not least, we have Pam and George.
17:36Go on, Pam.
17:37Go on, George.
17:38Go on, girlfriend.
17:39Do it for the country.
17:41Pam and George.
17:43OK.
17:45Now, Kissers, I'm sure you're desperate to find out
17:47what the heck was going on there.
17:49I can tell you that the fact is
17:51two-thirds of couples turn their heads to the right when kissing.
17:56Do you think most of you were doing that?
17:58Yeah.
17:59What's the stats, Sarah?
18:00OK, so of ten couples, seven turn their heads to the right,
18:03which proves that two-thirds of people
18:05turn their heads to the right when they kiss.
18:07It's factualism, ladies and gentlemen, it's factualism.
18:09Thank you very much, Kissers.
18:12APPLAUSE
18:21There you go.
18:23Fact proven.
18:24So, are we having that fact now?
18:26Well, it's been proven, hasn't it? I mean, there's...
18:28Yeah, it looked really good to me.
18:29Seven out of ten's not bad, yeah.
18:31I felt like the women sort of kept their heads still
18:34and it was the man who did the tilting.
18:37Just putting that out there.
18:38You'd also have to tilt your head a bit, wouldn't you?
18:40One would be at an angle with the lips and the other one...
18:42It would be a little bit odd, that, wouldn't it?
18:44I felt there was a bit of that going on, a bit of clamping.
18:46The man was clamping the head and forcing it into position.
18:48That was practically sexual assault what I've witnessed there.
18:52You know what, I give you eight points for your fact and I like it,
18:55and then you turn around and you abuse me like that
18:58in front of all these lovely people who've come out for a night out.
19:01Is it because you fancy me?
19:03This is awkward now.
19:05Is it sexual tension?
19:06Yeah, it's like when boys kick the footballs at girls in playground
19:09because there's a tension there.
19:11I don't think I started it.
19:12I'm not the one who thrust an appendage into the other one's face
19:16trying to coax me into getting off with your aunt.
19:19Some sort of kinky sex game.
19:21I had the feeling that me and you were going to be sat in the corner
19:24on our own whilst those two get it on over there.
19:26At least we can watch.
19:30OK, Ricky and Jon, how are you going to mark that out of ten?
19:33Ricky?
19:34Eight.
19:35Give it an eight?
19:36Yeah.
19:37A good solid eight, that's not bad.
19:38Jon?
19:39Well, I had issues, obviously, with the test,
19:41but you can't argue with the stats, so I will also give you an eight.
19:44Thank you very much, I'm pleased with that.
19:46I am also very impressed.
19:49You were bang on. I'm giving it an eight as well.
19:51Yeah, bang on.
19:52That's eight, so let's total them up
19:54and see where it puts her on the leaderboard.
19:56Ooh, you're in the lead with 24 points.
19:58Sarah Cox, 24 points.
20:01And now, last but by no means least, let's hear Ricky's fact.
20:04That men are better at multitasking than women.
20:07Oh!
20:15It's supposed to be a light entertainment show
20:17and we've caused a riot.
20:19You can only clap so loud cos they weren't doing anything else.
20:29Is there any women in the room tonight
20:31that would admit that men are better at multitasking?
20:33Yes!
20:38So, men are better at multitasking, Jon.
20:40I think, you know, what do you reckon?
20:44I haven't... I don't like multitasking.
20:46You don't like it? I don't like... I like tasking.
20:48If you're given a job, do it well and then do something else.
20:51Why are you doing four things at once?
20:53Concentrate on the tasking. Sometimes you've got to.
20:55If you take Noah, for instance, he built the ark,
20:57he counted the animals in, he cleaned all the animal shit up.
21:00That's true. Imagine how much more impressive
21:02it would have been if that had been a true story.
21:04Yeah!
21:06So, you're basing this on... You're a married man, aren't you?
21:08Yes.
21:09And you think you're better at multitasking than you are?
21:11I am, yeah.
21:12Well, don't you just go through history or...
21:14Just take an ordinary one-man band in the street.
21:16He plays drums, cymbals, things there, accordions, the like.
21:19You've never heard of a one-man woman band, have you?
21:22I think that's because women are so self-aware
21:24they know they would look like a lunatic.
21:26Exactly. But I seen a one-man band getting arrested in Liverpool
21:29by the police and they said to him,
21:31are you going to come quietly?
21:38But, now, listen, listen.
21:41All the world's greatest jugglers,
21:44they're all throwing the clubs up in the air and the balls and the rink,
21:47they've all been men.
21:49And the unicycle and all them fellas who can...
21:52Well, I can watch the telly, have me tea, listen to Rita,
21:56switch channels over, like that.
21:58That's...
21:59Yeah, but behind every great man juggling is a woman
22:02picking up his balls.
22:03That's right.
22:09OK, so that's what we all think, but join us after the break
22:12where we'll put the fact to the test.
22:14See you in a minute.
22:20Welcome back to Don't Quack, Don't Echo,
22:22the show that leaves no stoned unturned in the hunt for bizarre facts.
22:25Before the break, Ricky told us
22:27that men are better at multitasking than women.
22:29Now, we've all said what we think, but we have to know for sure,
22:32so we put it to the test.
22:39For centuries, it's been said
22:41that women are far better at multitasking than men.
22:44But could we have been wrong all these years
22:47and are men actually better at multitasking?
22:50We asked a leading professor
22:52at the forefront of studies in multitasking.
22:55Multitasking involves spatial-temporal coordination,
22:58that is, the ability to handle tasks both in time and in space.
23:02Men, on average, are better in most tasks of spatial ability than women
23:07and therefore also better multitaskers.
23:10One reason for this is that increased levels of estrogen
23:14during the ovulation phase of the menstrual cycle
23:17affect spatial ability and multiple-task performance in women.
23:23Sounds complicated.
23:25So with that in mind,
23:27let's settle this epic battle of the sexes once and for all.
23:31Our test was a classic multitasking situation
23:34that everybody could identify with,
23:36helping children with their homework whilst doing domestic tasks.
23:40Our testers had to recite the two times tables
23:43whilst hanging out washing
23:45and hoovering all the dirt from this strip of carpet
23:48in as quick a time as possible.
23:50Sounds simple enough. Let's see how they did.
24:02Go.
24:05Two times two is four.
24:07Two times three is six.
24:09Two times four is ten.
24:11One times five is ten.
24:13One times six is twelve.
24:15One times seven is fourteen.
24:17Two times eight is sixteen.
24:19Two times nine is sixteen.
24:21Two times ten is twenty-five.
24:23Two times eleven is twenty-six.
24:29The girls came back with a time of 1 minute and 50 seconds.
24:33However, the men finished in 1 minute and 40 seconds.
24:37So the men won our multitasking test.
24:40But Professor Teemo and the scientists weren't 100% happy.
24:44They concluded it was too difficult to determine
24:47in whether the individuals had achieved proper multitasking, and looking at the timings,
24:52the men only won by 10 seconds. On a subject as emotive as male and female multitasking,
24:59we needed to do a test that provided us with some accurate results. Unfortunately, Timo
25:05is the world's leading expert on multitasking, and has designed this computer test for us
25:10so that it will give a definitive answer. That makes us and the scientists very happy.
25:16This computer program required the groups to simultaneously keep track of four separate
25:20digital counters, tapping the keys, when they saw the number combinations they had been
25:25told to look out for. It's not up there with the PlayStation or Xbox, but it's the test
25:32the scientists used to rate our multitasking ability. It's not as easy as it looks.
25:39On their test, the women got 50% right, but the men got 58%. So not only did they win
25:49the domestic challenge, they also won the official scientific test, proving beyond all
25:55doubt that men are the better multitaskers. Sorry, ladies.
26:02I mean, some men, to be honest, they're genuinely thrilled. I mean, look at those two lads there.
26:15They're like, yeah.
26:16It's like the greatest thing that's ever happened to them. It is true that blokes are now going,
26:19yeah, we win. But now, like, whenever we go, well, I can't do two things at once. Your
26:23wife goes, oh, you can. I think you'll find that it's scientifically proven that you can.
26:29Women of the nation, seize this moment. It makes us stronger. Let me hear you say yeah!
26:33Yeah!
26:34Woo!
26:35Let me hear you say yeah!
26:36Yeah!
26:37Let me hear you say nothing. This isn't that kind of show. OK, so we've tested Ricky's
26:43facts. Sarah John, marks out of ten, please. Start with you, Sarah.
26:46I still don't believe in it. It's not that I'm a bad loser. I honestly don't believe it.
26:51I'm going to say, I think you're great, Ricky, but I'm going to give you a five.
26:57Oh, hang on.
26:59And also, you get...
27:00You believed the facts when it was in your favour with your go.
27:03Yeah.
27:04But the facts have proved now that we were superior.
27:06We're superior in every way.
27:08Well, no, to be fair, I don't think they were saying you're superior in every way.
27:11Oh, I missed that bit.
27:13Jon.
27:16I want to punish you because you were horrible about my fact.
27:20I mean, the fact that...
27:21That's something that I will be able to use in my life.
27:23At some point I'll be able to say it's proven.
27:25So I was going to give you a ten, but I have to give you a nine now
27:28because you held your arms up and you said men are superior at everything
27:32and that's going to have consequences for all of us.
27:36But it's a nine from me.
27:37Lovely.
27:38OK, I'm like Jon, I'm like, I'd better shave a bit off of that comment
27:42because then I'll be roped into the gang and I'm too terrified.
27:45I'm going to give you a seven.
27:46OK, that'll do me.
27:47OK, so let's add that all up and see where that puts you on the leaderboard.
27:50Ricky Tomlinson in second place for 21 points.
27:54That'll do me.
27:57So, Sarah is just about in the lead with 24 points,
27:59but there's still plenty of time for Jon and Ricky to catch up
28:02in the next round, Fact Finder.
28:07Not only do we ask our guests to bring a fact to the show,
28:10we also ask our audience.
28:11They told us their facts before the show and Ricky, Jon and Sarah
28:14have all picked out the audience fact that they think is the best one.
28:17Right, Jon, you're up first.
28:19Which audience member have you chosen?
28:21I've chosen Simon Warhut.
28:23Yeah, what is it good for?
28:25Simon Warhut?
28:26Simon Warhut.
28:27But you can't...
28:28You can't do it without a Simon Warhut.
28:30What is it good for?
28:31Facts.
28:32Right.
28:33Simon Warhut, what is it good for?
28:35Where are you from?
28:36Osterley, West London.
28:37Osterley, West London.
28:38Yes.
28:39And what do you do, sir?
28:40I'm a schoolteacher.
28:41And what do you teach?
28:42I teach French and Latin.
28:44Do you?
28:45Yes.
28:46Well, that's a handy language, Latin.
28:47It's very handy, yes.
28:48So, er...
28:49We're using Latin all the time without realising it.
28:51Well, every day we don't need to learn it.
28:58Tell me this, Simon, what is your fact?
29:00My fact is that...
29:01Can I just say, you've got the greatest voice of any human being
29:04I've ever heard.
29:05That's years of assembly.
29:06See, one man I'm thinking,
29:07why are they bothering with a microphone?
29:09Just open the window, everyone will hear you.
29:11Sorry, tell me again, Simon.
29:13Right-handed people live nine years longer
29:17than left-handed people.
29:19Wow.
29:20Where did you hear this fact?
29:21When I was at prep school, the handwriting teacher,
29:23if any of the boys in the class used to use their left hand,
29:26he'd say,
29:27oh, don't use left hand, use right hand,
29:29otherwise you'll die nine years before others,
29:32he used to say to us.
29:33Oh, he was a northern gentleman, was he?
29:36This man, just by any chance,
29:37was he wearing a cap and carrying a loaf of Hovis?
29:42And a friend of mine who was left-handed used to call me ginge,
29:46which I objected to, and I said,
29:48well, at least I'll live nine years longer than you will, mate.
29:52He's dead now.
29:53Is he dead?
29:54He's dead.
29:55How long ago did he die, though?
29:57I murdered him, yeah, yeah.
29:59And his last words as he was dying, he went,
30:02at least I'm not ginger.
30:05APPLAUSE
30:08Now, what do we think, then?
30:10Do we think there's any truth in this,
30:12that right-handed people live nine years longer?
30:15Maybe it's just if you're left-handed
30:18and there's lots more right-handed people
30:20and if they're, like, throwing rocks at you,
30:22it's harder to duck from the angle,
30:24there might be something physical in it like that.
30:26I'll have a conversation with a girl from Bolton,
30:28you know when the blokes are throwing rocks at you?
30:31You're like, oh, you flirt.
30:34You know, like, can openers and that are all designed
30:36for right-handed people, aren't they?
30:38So do you think people starve to death?
30:40OK, now, that's Jon's chosen fact.
30:42Now, we can't test this, cos we only just heard it tonight,
30:44but as ever, we've employed some clever clog boffins
30:46to help us get to the bottom of the fact.
30:48So please welcome rocket scientist Dr Simon Foster,
30:51expert in cell biology and genetics Dr Emily Grossman
30:54and chemical engineer David Wharton,
30:56otherwise known as The Verifiers.
30:58APPLAUSE
31:00So, come on, is there any truth in Simon's fact?
31:03Well, actually, about 10% of the population,
31:06including me, are left-handed.
31:08And unbelievably, a study has shown that in left-handed people,
31:12they are on average going to live nine years less
31:15than right-handed people, so it is actually true.
31:18Studies have shown that left-handed people
31:20are nearly six times more likely to be involved
31:23in life-threatening accidents.
31:25So maybe it's just that we're more clumsy
31:28or probably that we're facing the perils of living
31:31in a right-handed world, where, for us,
31:33everything is upside down and back to front.
31:35So, for example, the safety switches on most machines
31:38are on the right-hand side.
31:39But it's not all bad news, because left-handed people
31:42on average tend to be a bit more creative,
31:44they make good mathematicians and musicians,
31:47and sometimes they make great athletes,
31:49because the reaction time for the left hand
31:51is marginally faster than for the right hand.
31:54Well, well, well. That's incredible.
31:57I never knew that.
32:00Right, we'll score it at the end,
32:02once we've heard everyone's facts.
32:04OK, your turn, Sarah.
32:05OK.
32:06Whomever you've chosen.
32:07Tony. Tony with an I.
32:08How are you, Tony, with an I?
32:09Hi, thanks, how are you?
32:10I'm very well, thank you.
32:11And what do you do, Tony?
32:13I work in customer services.
32:14Do you? Who for?
32:15A health and safety education board.
32:17Ooh. Good.
32:18I tell you, I'm so hoping that mic falls off
32:20and just bops you on the head.
32:23So, Tony...
32:24I don't like things like, you know...
32:26You don't like things hanging over like that?
32:28Well, that's my idea tonight, out the way.
32:30Now...
32:34So, tell me, Tony, with an I, what's your fact?
32:36It's that you can fit the world's population on the Isle of Wight,
32:39but it would cause it to sink.
32:41Would everyone in the world going on the Isle of Wight,
32:43would that be considered a health and safety issue?
32:45Slightly, yeah.
32:47Great news for red-funnel ferries, though.
32:51How do you know this fact?
32:52It was a geography teacher at school that told me.
32:54Will there come a point when there's so many people on the Earth
32:56that the Isle of Wight isn't big enough anymore?
32:58And will someone have to tell him?
33:00You know your fact about fitting everyone.
33:02Too many people now, so you've lost your fact.
33:05And also, so, are they all on each other's shoulders,
33:08or are they all in a kind of, like, smooch position, and then...?
33:12Hey, there's only one way to find out.
33:15Verifiers, is there any truth in this?
33:17Unfortunately not.
33:19The Earth's population is well over seven billion now,
33:22and the kind of size of the surface area of the Isle of Wight
33:26is 384 million square metres.
33:29So if you kind of divide one by the other,
33:31that's 19 people for every square metre.
33:34That's trying to fit 19 people on the car bonnet.
33:37So no matter how friendly you are, that ain't going to happen.
33:39Even if you could do that, if you think about it,
33:42the Isle of Wight is a solid landmass.
33:44It goes all the way down to the tectonic plate underneath.
33:47It's not some boat floating off the coast of Southampton.
33:50You can't just load people on and they start to sink.
33:52Yeah, you idiot!
33:54You've not thought this through, have you?
33:57Sorry, unfortunately, it's wrong.
33:59Well, keep trying anyway, if you're watching at home.
34:02OK, well, good fact, but I'm afraid it doesn't sound like it's very true.
34:05So, right, your turn, Ricky. Which member did you pick?
34:08Brooke Engle, please.
34:10Brooke, how are you? I'm good, how are you?
34:12Very well, thank you. How old are you, Brooke? You look quite young.
34:15I'm 29. 29? Well done, you've obviously not worked much.
34:20So, what's your amazing fact, then, Brooke?
34:22OK, so my fact is that koalas get the sexually transmitted disease
34:26chlamydia, like people do.
34:28Have you got any evidence of this?
34:30Well, a friend told me about this.
34:32It's always a friend.
34:35She's a doctor, so I think she's a credible source.
34:38What, is she an Australian doctor? Yes.
34:40Not credible.
34:43But apparently humans can catch chlamydia from koalas.
34:47Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hang on, hang on.
34:50Only in Australia.
34:52Yeah, they are a bit clingy, to be fair.
34:55They can get their fluids on you,
34:57probably if you put it in some sort of orifice.
34:59Hang on, are you talking about if you have sex with a koala bear?
35:03If you're having sex with a koala bear,
35:05the least of your worries is chlamydia.
35:08You need to be seriously looking at your whole lifestyle.
35:12I've read, cos the popular bands that the kids are into,
35:16One Direction, went to Australia and held a koala and it pissed on them
35:19and they thought they'd all caught chlamydia.
35:21So, just to be clear, you can catch chlamydia
35:23from a koala bear just by it weeing on you?
35:25I think so, yeah, apparently.
35:27What if you got stung by a jellyfish
35:29and the only person nearby was a koala bear?
35:33Koala bear pissed on you to get the jellyfish sting
35:35and went, well, there's good news and bad news, I'm afraid.
35:39What do we think, Verifiers?
35:41Well, yep, koala bears do get chlamydia
35:44and, in fact, in some regions of Australia,
35:4690% of the koalas are said to be contaminated with chlamydia
35:51and it's a threat to their existence.
35:53Now, they don't just get it through sex,
35:55they get it through all sorts of contact, just through general contact,
35:58but it is transmitted through their urine.
36:00It is, however, a different strain of chlamydia than human chlamydia.
36:05The human chlamydia is called chlamydia trachomatis
36:09and the koalas have chlamydia pneumonia.
36:12Now, it's a different strain.
36:14It's not the same thing and they rarely cross species.
36:17So, One Direction were quite safe.
36:19That was tabloid hoo-ha.
36:21If you do get weedon by a koala bear with chlamydia, you're safe.
36:27I love David Wharton.
36:30David Wharton, I don't know.
36:33So, we've heard whether the facts are true,
36:35but what points will our Verifiers give them?
36:37After the break, we'll find out who's got the best audience facts
36:39and who's going to win the privilege of helping me prove my very own facts.
36:47Welcome back.
36:48So, before the break,
36:49each of our guests chose their favourite fact from the audience.
36:52We've found out whether each fact is true,
36:54but who will get the most points from our Verifiers
36:56and who will win tonight's show?
36:58Let's find out.
36:59Jon, please remind us of your chosen fact.
37:01The fact is that right-handed people live on average
37:04nine years longer than left-handed people.
37:06OK, Verifiers, what score are you going to give that fact?
37:08Well, scarily, for us lefties, a study has shown that that's true,
37:12so we're going to give that nine points.
37:16OK, Cheryl, remind us of the fact you've backed.
37:19My fact came from health and safety Tony with an eye,
37:22who says you can fit the world's population on the Isle of Wight,
37:26but it would sink.
37:28And when I say fact, I meant it was a load of balls.
37:32But I think she's lovely.
37:34Verifiers, what are we going to give that?
37:36Unfortunately, there's no truth in this whatsoever,
37:38but we do appreciate the attempt, so we're going to give you one.
37:42Sorry, I don't know if you've ever been patronised before.
37:45By the way, can I just say, Dr Simon, well done for being
37:48the only one of the Verifiers tonight who got the memo
37:50about it being dressed down Friday.
37:54I thought he was dressed up, that's the problem.
37:56And finally, Ricky, which fact did you go for?
37:59My fact came from Brooke Angle,
38:01who said that koalas can pass on chlamydia to humans.
38:05So, Verifiers, what are we going to give that?
38:07Well, we thought about that one.
38:09We decided that because koalas do get chlamydia,
38:11we'd give it some points, but because you can't blame a koala
38:14for giving it to you, we'd only give it six marks.
38:16OK, so let's put all that up onto the leaderboard
38:19and see how it's affected the final score.
38:22OK, Sarah Cox in third place, Ricky Tomlinson in second,
38:24but tonight's winner with 29 points, Jon Richardson!
38:27Well done, Jon.
38:32Well done, Jon.
38:34You've won tonight's Star Prize,
38:36the chance to help me prove my very own fact.
38:39And here it is.
38:40When you're scurred, you literally get cold feet.
38:43It's time for Max's fact.
38:50So, for this fact, we're going to see what sort of effect
38:53being scurred has on the temperature of your feet.
38:55So, Jon, we need to get you ready, and while you're doing that,
38:58here's the science behind the fact from Dr Emily Grossman.
39:01Well, fear activates a part of the nervous system
39:04responsible for the fight-or-flight response.
39:07What happens is that that releases adrenaline,
39:09and adrenaline increases the flow of blood to the heart,
39:12to the brain and to the core muscles
39:14to prepare the body to attack or to run away.
39:17The response to that is that the body has to achieve this
39:20by diverting the blood away from the less important areas,
39:23such as the extremities, like the hands and the feet.
39:26Now, blood carries heat, so restricted blood flow to the feet
39:29means that you get cold feet.
39:33Thank you, Emily.
39:34Now, helping me is our researcher, Ali.
39:36He'll be monitoring foot temperature throughout.
39:39Now, Jon, we need to take your shoes and socks off
39:42to do this experiment, so plonk your little tuxes up here, son.
39:45That's it. Put your feet on it.
39:47Are you getting off on this?
39:49When am I supposed to be scared? Because it started early.
39:52Right.
39:53So, we'll take these off and we'll see, first of all, obviously,
39:56how hot you're...
39:58Oh, I'll have to peel them off for you.
40:00I feel like we're going bowling together.
40:03Sorry, my love.
40:05What's the temperature, Ali?
40:0627.5.
40:07So, the readout is telling us that your feet are 27.5 degrees,
40:10and that is because you're nice and cosy and relaxed.
40:14But not for long.
40:15It's time to introduce some fear.
40:18Are you ready for some fear, Jon?
40:19Some more fear, yeah.
40:21OK, I want you to...
40:23See, that's what I think.
40:25I want you to...
40:26Bring out the animal handler.
40:28Oh, God.
40:32This is Grace, and she's an expert handler
40:35of deadly and exotic animals.
40:37She's got some very dangerous creatures in this box here,
40:40so please listen carefully, and we're not joking,
40:42to what Grace has to tell you.
40:44OK, so, the most important thing with doing this
40:46is that you don't twitch or flinch or make any sudden movements.
40:49Don't worry, he's like that with women in general.
40:52OK, so, it's really important that you use
40:54the antibacterial hand gel that we've got here,
40:56just to clean your hands to start with.
40:57There you go.
40:58And that'll stop, or hopefully prevent,
41:00the animals from thinking that you're free.
41:02The word that you want to be worried about there is hopefully.
41:04Yeah.
41:05Thank you, Grace.
41:08Jon, you won't be able to see what's in here,
41:10but for the audience and people at home,
41:12let's find out what you're going to be confronted with, OK?
41:16Ooh.
41:19So, Jon, for the first time tonight,
41:21please put your hand in the box.
41:24How do you know it's the first time?
41:26Can I do it with a fist?
41:28Yeah, another Jon Richardson chat-up line.
41:33Oh, there we go.
41:34Oh, ah!
41:36There you go, go on, go in, go in, go in with your fingers.
41:38Fucking Simon.
41:41Come on, we've done it with all the stars on this show, Dave Allen.
41:44Go on, in you go.
41:47Get your hand in.
41:48I mean, you can't rush a man.
41:50Yeah.
41:51If you want me to, just fuck wearing your...
41:53Just fuck off.
41:56Go on, get in there.
41:58Can you tell them to shut up?
41:59That's not helping.
42:01Ooh!
42:03That's it.
42:04I can see his face.
42:05He's twice the size of me, that guy,
42:07and he just went, oh, no.
42:10Right, go on, get your hand in.
42:11Go on, go on, go on, it's fine, it's fine.
42:13Get your hand in, go on.
42:14Get your hand in.
42:15Put your hand down, put your hand down.
42:17Hand down, put your hand down.
42:18Put your hand down.
42:19Now your fingers.
42:20Wiggle your fingers a bit.
42:26OK.
42:29What's the temperature, then?
42:3221.6.
42:3321.6, which means a total drop of 5.9 degrees.
42:37So you've proved my fact that your feet get colder
42:40when you're scared.
42:44So that's just about all we have time for.
42:46A big thanks to my guests, Ricky Tomlinson,
42:49Sarah Cox
42:51and Jon Richardson.
42:53I'll see you next time, goodnight.
42:58Here we go, I'm going to count you in.
43:00OK.
43:01OK, please let this work.
43:02Three, two, one, go!
43:10It's the age of the games console
43:12and I'll stop at nothing to get his hands on one
43:14when we catch up with Moonbyte next.
43:16I'll head to Sky 2 for a roundup of the latest developments
43:19in the trial of Oscar Pistorius.