MONDAY

WOULD I LIE TO YOU? BBC1, 8.30pm

Can Bob Mortimer really pull an apple apart with his bare hands? And did Mel Giedroyc once lick an item of patisserie before it was served to David Bowie at the cafe where she once worked, just so she could feel close to him?

These are just two of the bonkers scenarios depicted during previous series of this celebrity panel show in which an ability to tell the world’s biggest porkie pies is celebrated rather than frowned upon.

For those who haven’t caught the series before (it’s currently celebrating its 10th anniversary on our screens, so what have you been doing all this time?) the format is simple: adjudicator Rob Brydon looks on as team captains David Mitchell and Lee Mack, accompanied by their celebrity guests, attempt to bamboozle the opposition by passing off outrageous stories and anecdotes as the truth.

Some are actually facts, but others are so bizarre they might just be telling the truth...

It’s all played for laughs, of course, but you may end up looking at various stars in a whole new light as they successfully pull the wool over everyone’s eyes.

When the show began back in 2007, it was hosted by Angus Deayton in his panel show return following his axe from Have I Got News For You. He presented the first two series before Brydon (who had been a guest during the second run) took over – he’s stuck around ever since.

Mitchell was drafted in to replace Alan Carr who had been a team captain during the pilot episode but declined a chance to appear when filming began in earnest – as the show has become a huge hit for the BBC, it would be interesting to find out if he’s regretted his decision.

Mack is the programme’s true stalwart, and the verbal sparring between him and Mitchell is often one of its highlights – while Mitchell plays the oh-so-middle class intellectual, Mack is the working class underdog; a kind of Alan Davies to Stephen Fry in the original QI.

Taking part in this first episode of the 11th series are comedians David Baddiel and Jo Brand, politician-turned-showbiz star Ed Balls and ex-Pussycat Doll and Celebrity MasterChef 2015 champion Kimberley Wyatt. But which of them will be crowned Liar of the Week?

And if you’re wondering about the answer to the two questions posed at the start of the article, it’s yes to both!

OUR CHOICE David Mitchell, Rob Brydon and Lee Mack return for the 11th series of Would I Lie To You?