Telling tales
As Would I Lie to You? Australia returns for a second season, comedian Frank Woodley spills the beans to Lauren Mitchell
What’s your favourite part about being a team captain on Would I Lie to You?
“It’s just a dream gig. Charlie [Pickering] and Chrissie [Swan] are sensational to hang out with. The guests are a diverse, fascinating bunch, it was a delight to meet them all. And getting so much practice in lying, I’m now skilled enough to live out my fantasy of being an international con man.”
Lee Mack and David Mitchell have pretty big shoes to fill, how have you made the role your own?
“I’m a huge fan of the UK version, and I was concerned that its success was purely because of how brilliant those two are. But it turns out the format is so strong that I needn’t have worried.
“It’s so much fun because you always have three entertaining elements at play: you have a corker of a story, you have all of the quips that the players are throwing in, and you have the tension of wondering if it’s true or not.
“And whilst they are big shoes to fill, because I’m a bit of a clown, I’m comfortable in over-sized footwear.”
What is the secret to spotting a liar?
“Before doing the show,
I had much more faith in my ability to guess correctly.
But the game has completely shattered my confidence. I’m now so broken in my ability to distinguish between truth and lies that someone could say: “I’m your long-lost identical twin, that you never knew about. I don’t resemble you at all because I had my face comprehensively reshaped through cuttingedge plastic surgery when I entered the witness relocation program,” and I’d probably respond by hugging them, saying “My brother!”
Have any guests this season really surprised you? Can you tell who’s going to be a good liar?
“Not surprisingly, our two politicians – Jacqui Lambie and Christopher Pyne – were consummate liars. Peter Rowsthorn was such a captivating storyteller I forgot we were even playing a game. Julie Goodwin, who is the nicest person in the world, turned out to be quite Machiavellian.
“Some of the truths that people told were so opposed to their public persona that you won’t be able to look at them the same way again. I can’t do any spoilers, but it’s like finding out Ash Barty has collected every toenail she has cut off since she was seven. Or that Kyle Sandilands created a program that is being used by scientists to stabilise the plasma in fusion reactors. Or that Clive Palmer can do a standing back somersault. Or Ita Buttrose has the world’s largest collection of Rick and Morty figurines.
Or… I could do this all day.”
■ Would I Lie to You? Australia, Monday, 8.30pm, 10 and 10 Play