0:00:02 > 0:00:03- Holy cripes! - LAUGHTER
0:00:03 > 0:00:05It was like a human lie detector.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08SHE LAUGHS
0:00:28 > 0:00:31For those of you who haven't heard, this is the David Meade Project,
0:00:31 > 0:00:36and if my eyes don't deceive me, that's him now, David Meade.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38- You're 22.- Yeah.- Are you, really?
0:00:38 > 0:00:40- Is that what your PIN number is? - Yeah.- Yes!
0:00:40 > 0:00:46Once again, David is going to play around with a side of human behaviour common to us all.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Trouble is, not everyone can handle it.
0:00:49 > 0:00:50Obviously, he's a mastermind.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- It just blew my mind.- Just unbelievable.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57David's latest fascination is with the naughty side of human nature.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Telling lies.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01We've all told little fibs now and then,
0:01:01 > 0:01:04but imagine meeting someone who could see through them straight away.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11As a student of human nature,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15David knows you can't always focus on the plus side.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Sometimes just the bad behaviour is more interesting.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23But remember, not everything is what it seems with David Meade.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28For years now, I've been looking into some of the science and the research around deception, lying
0:01:28 > 0:01:30and spotting when someone isn't telling the truth.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35David is out on the street with random strangers observing their skills of deception.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39All they have to do is lie about their PIN number.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Today we are all terrified about losing our identity,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46about identity theft and about people stealing our personal information.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49So I think there is nothing more terrifying than a person
0:01:49 > 0:01:51being able to work out your PIN number.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58I want you to think of your PIN number. We always try to keep these things a secret,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01but it's my job to try and work out if you are lying or telling the truth.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03So I want you to think of your PIN number,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and call out all the digits one through nine.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- Go!- OK. One, two, three, four, five,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13six, seven, eight, nine.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17OK, you're really conscious of your upper body, you're trying not to give anything else away.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21You're trying to catch me out. What you didn't realise is your left foot only tapped on the number six.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24- Is the second digit number six?- Yeah. - It is, yeah?
0:02:24 > 0:02:27- OK, think of the third digit...- My foot tapped?- Yeah, it did, yeah.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30As a mentalist, I am going to use every skill and every tool that I have
0:02:30 > 0:02:32to try and work out exactly what's going on inside their head.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37David's keen mentalist intellect will take stuff he's read in books
0:02:37 > 0:02:41and mix it up with his skills of mind manipulation.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46Today he's focusing on the funny facial expressions people are supposed to make when they lie,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49called "tells".
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Whether or not tells actually exists, is up for debate.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56But I need the participants to believe they do for this to work.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Hi, guys, what's your name?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01David has picked on this pair of vict...I mean participants,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03a couple of trainee lawyers.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- Are you studying law as well?- Yes. But I am a year ahead of him.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08So you're both, sort of, liars then? Is that right?
0:03:08 > 0:03:12David, that's allegedly, allegedly!
0:03:12 > 0:03:15David is still determined to discover their PIN number.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18But you want to watch it, mate, don't mess with these legal eagles.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- One to nine, quickly, first digit. - One, two, three, four.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- Oh, is it one?- Yes!- Ha-ha! Very good! All right.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28- Say no to all of these things. One.- No.- Two.- No.- Three.- No.- Four. - No.- Five.- No.- Six.- No.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Seven. You're feeling yourself starting to laugh. So it's seven, eight or nine.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- Seven.- No.- Eight.- No.- Nine.- No. - Seven.- No.- Eight.- No.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- It's a seven, isn't it?- Yes!
0:03:37 > 0:03:38- All right, OK. Last time.- OK.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42We can do it however way you like. Do you want me to call it out to you or do you want to call it out or...
0:03:42 > 0:03:45- I want to do the noes again.- You want to do the noes again?- Yeah, and go - no!
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- OK. She's obviously used to it.- Yes, she is.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49So...
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- One.- No.- Four.- No.- Two.- No.- Six.- No.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56- Is this making it more difficult for you? Seven.- No.- Nine.- No.- Eight.- No.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59- Four.- No.- Four.- No.- Four. It's four! Was it four?
0:03:59 > 0:04:01- 1474?- Yes!
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Now, don't think for one minute that this lot have kept the same PIN numbers.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05OK, all right. OK.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08They've all changed after David figured them out.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Because there's no telling what he might do with them.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15I want you to think of the first digit of your PIN number for me.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Not satisfied with chancing one lawsuit,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20David wants to go again with lawyer number two. Is he crazy?
0:04:20 > 0:04:25One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...
0:04:25 > 0:04:27All right, so your upper body is very tense.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30That suggests to me that you know that I'm looking for a signal.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34And you didn't give anything away with your eyes. In fact, you blinked incredibly consistently.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37What you didn't notice was that your left shoulder only lifted on six.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Is the first digit six?- It was. - It was, OK, all right!
0:04:40 > 0:04:45So don't feel bad, you know what I'm looking for now. You know what I'm looking for.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47- Think of the second digit for me.- OK. - And do the same, all the numbers.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49One, two, three, four...
0:04:49 > 0:04:53I don't want you to feel bad, but one and two were a little bit higher than three and four, but keep going.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54Oh, is that a problem?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57- So it definitely was one or two, right?- I'm not saying that.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Oh, it was one. You looked to the left. Second digit one?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Yeah.- OK!- I didn't want to tell you...
0:05:03 > 0:05:05You've got to teach me how to do this.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- So starting at one, say no to all of these things. One.- No.- Two.- No.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12- Three.- No.- Four.- No.- One.- No.- Two. - No.- Three.- No.- Four.- No.- OK.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15You're really conscious of what you're saying.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19What you don't notice is I'm not really particularly paying attention to your face.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23- Your foot tapped on four. Was the last digit four?- Yes.- It was? So 6144?
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Yes.- Is that what it was? - Yes.- You're easy!
0:05:26 > 0:05:29I think that if I ever have a huge case,
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I want him on my side to read the jury.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37The minute that they mentioned that they were lawyers, I was genuinely terrified,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41because I thought, you know, they're well able for debate.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44But I think that overconfidence made my job a little bit easier.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- I don't know why I kept counting to ten...- You know what?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I could have sworn it was a three or a five. What's the last digit?
0:05:51 > 0:05:54- The last? Five!- All right, so it was a three or a five.- Yeah!
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- All right, OK. You're not a bad liar. - Yeah!
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And say no to all of these things.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02- No matter what I say, you just keep saying no.- I say no, OK.- One.- No. - Two.- No.- Three.- No.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06- Four.- No.- Five.- No.- Six.- No. - Seven.- No.- Eight.- No.- Nine.- No.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Is your PIN number 1985?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- Yeah.- Is that what it was, yeah?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Oh, brilliant, good job!
0:06:14 > 0:06:15Obviously, he's a mastermind.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20Obviously, he's good at what he does, so maybe I'm not a good liar after all.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25The success of his game on the streets has given David a new idea.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Detect any lie, you've got to admit that would be a great skill to have.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Just imagine if you could tell when anybody was telling a lie.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40As usual, David wants to investigate the concept that would make
0:06:40 > 0:06:43some people a little bit uncomfortable.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45And that's no word of a lie.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49I think the reason that lying and deception are such interesting areas is that
0:06:49 > 0:06:54we are all terrified that someone might be able to spot whether we're lying or not.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58There are certain environments where lying is part of the currency of communication.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03So to test my skills, I want to take myself to somewhere where lying is kind of OK,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06where it's not frowned upon to lie.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09In fact, maybe somewhere where you are kind of expected to lie, supposed to lie even.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13I want to throw myself right into that lion's den.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21To get down to brass tacks, David has chosen a group who are no strangers to bull.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23COW MOOS
0:07:23 > 0:07:25The young farmers of Fermanagh.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29I've come to Fermanagh to meet a group of young farmers.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33I want to meet them in an environment where they don't feel too guilty
0:07:33 > 0:07:35about telling little white lies.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37It's time for some speed dating.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39HORN BEEPS
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Talk about Farmer Wants a Wife. And have a butcher's at this bunch of young hopefuls giving it all that.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48I'm looking for a man with plenty of money and a good body.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49He knows how to treat a woman.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Obviously she's a lot in her.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53A bit of lamb...
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Well, if he wears wellies and has leggings and drives a tractor, it's good enough for me.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01If you've ever wondered the definition of blarney, hark at this lot.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- How much land?- I've got 70 acres. - 70!
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Usually a farmer will exaggerate what he owns.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11So, in other words, if you've ten acres, you might say you've 30, 40.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15- What kind of tractor do you have? - Uhm...Massey Ferguson.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17I try not...I try and be as honest and straight as I can,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20but obviously there are times you have to exaggerate a wee bit, like.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25I haven't come here to pick up a date, at least, you know, who knows, that's not my plan.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28I want every single one of them to give me a fact about themselves
0:08:28 > 0:08:32and my job will be to work out whether that fact is the truth or a lie,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36and these guys, more than anyone, should be up for a laugh.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Hiya, how is it going? What's your name?- Rebecca.- Rebecca, brilliant.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45- Look at that, jingle bells.- I know. - OK, Rebecca.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Have you been on many dates, Rebecca?
0:08:47 > 0:08:52No, actually, I've only been on a couple, but some have been more successful than others.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54- All right, what happened? - Well, he was too nice.- Oh, really!
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- Do you want someone that is going to treat you rudely?- No, but...
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Get the hell out of here!
0:08:59 > 0:09:03I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm fascinated, I'm really interested in the lies
0:09:03 > 0:09:05- that people tell on dates, OK.- OK.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Now, Rebecca, whenever you're ready, go ahead and tell me a statement about yourself.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Well, I recently was given my sister's car, which is a black Corsa,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16and it's 2004, and to be honest, I don't really like it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Oh, my gosh, that's really detailed.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21I really don't like it.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Is that the best you could come up with? It's not exactly hot date material, is it?
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Put up both your hands for me. I want you to say over and over again, I was lying, I was lying.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32BOTH: I was lying, was lying, I was lying...
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Say I was telling the truth...
0:09:34 > 0:09:36BOTH: I was telling the truth...
0:09:36 > 0:09:38- You were lying, weren't you?- Yeah! - Really?
0:09:38 > 0:09:40So what's the truth about it. Did that happen at all?
0:09:40 > 0:09:45- It's a blue Corsa! - All right, OK. Brilliant. OK.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Blimey, that's a real deep, dark secret.
0:09:47 > 0:09:48HORN BEEPS
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Nice one(!)
0:09:50 > 0:09:54I go to the gym once a week, and I do a bit of body building.
0:09:54 > 0:09:59Right, OK. I am going to say you are...
0:10:00 > 0:10:02I'm going to say you're telling the truth.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04LAUGHTER
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- No, it's a lie.- Is that a lie? You're a good liar, I have to say. Brilliant.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Good man, well, you beat me. Good man. Cheers, brilliant job.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12HORN BEEPS
0:10:12 > 0:10:15That fellow certainly pulled the wool over David's eyes.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19He would have to up his game to detect something a little more tricky.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23I want you to imagine you could go on a date with anyone, any celebrity in the world.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- Yeah.- I'm going to try and work out who this is, OK?- Right.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I want you to go nose to nose, nose to nose right now, OK.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- This is not...- You love it.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33LAUGHTER
0:10:33 > 0:10:35You love it. You've been waiting for this all day.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38I want you to imagine you're going for a date with this person.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- Yeah.- By the way, you smell amazing.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41LAUGHTER
0:10:41 > 0:10:43I want you to imagine who this person is.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- You can go for a date with anyone in the world, OK?- Yes.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- Say no to all of these things. Actress. Keep saying no.- No.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- Politician.- No.- Musician.- No.- Singer. - No.- Poet.- No.- Stripper.- No.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57LAUGHTER
0:10:57 > 0:11:02- You wished... OK, say no to all of these things, OK? American.- No.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- British.- No.- Irish.- No. - Canadian.- No.- Australian.- No.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- Are you thinking of Catherine-Zeta Jones.- Holy cripes!
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- That's...- Is that who it was?- Yeah! - Ah, brilliant! Good man, good man.
0:11:16 > 0:11:17HORN BEEPS
0:11:17 > 0:11:21This is like bootcamp training for David's detection skills.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- I'm 18 and legal.- You're 18 and legal! What do you mean by legal?
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- That's for you to work out.- OK.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Name any country in the world, any one, go.- Australia.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- Name any celebrity. Go.- Paris Hilton. - You're lying.- Yeah, I'm lying.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- Are you? How old are you?- I'm 17.- Oh, brilliant!
0:11:35 > 0:11:41These farmers are really giving David a chance to limber up to spot their lies.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17...- You're not 18, you're older, keep going.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- 19, 20, 21, 22, 23... - Are you 22?- Yes.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Are you, really?
0:11:50 > 0:11:54And the bullsh... I mean, hot air detector, is in full effect,
0:11:54 > 0:11:59and the more he does, the more David hones his skills of lie detection.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01LAUGHTER
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- All right, OK, let's go.- I don't think you need the socks.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Come on, come on. All right, OK. So...
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Ah, look at that!
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Give me your statement again.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I had a football trial with Arsenal Football Club when I was 14.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15I can smell milk.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17LAUGHTER
0:12:17 > 0:12:21- I am going to say...- Don't tickle me, ah! Don't!
0:12:21 > 0:12:23You're telling lies, that's a lie, isn't it?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- It's a lie.- It's a lie! Oh, brilliant! Good man, cheers.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29That was a really good limber up for me.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31I have to say some of them gave a genuine run for my money.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It seemed like the more I tried, the better I got.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38And now that I've honed my skills, I want to see just how good I am at this.
0:12:45 > 0:12:52Back in the city, David wants to push his mental skills in lie detection to a new level.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56He's focusing on a human emotion common to us all.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01It's always astounded me how guilt can built inside a person from the very moment that they tell a lie.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05So today, I'd like to see if I can uncover some guilty secrets.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08For me, I think that lies always tell the truth on you.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Cos that guilt follows you around like a massive cloud,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14so I'm going to help some people get things off their chest.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I'm going to ask a few people to think of the biggest lie that they've ever told.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21And I'm going to try and work out what it is.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25So are you a good liar, or...?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Uhm, I can be, yeah.- OK, all right.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- You've gotten away with quite a few? - Yeah.- OK.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I want you to think of a really big lie. A lie that you've told at any point in the past.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- My job is going to be to try and work out what it is.- Yeah, no problem.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41So all you need to do is relax. Face me, face me. Let both your arms go totally loose.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44And I want you to think of, first of all, who you told this lie to.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47All right, just think about who it is. Try to give nothing away, right?
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Say no to all of these things. It could be a boss.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Just keep saying no to everything. It could be a boss.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It could be a brother. Cousin.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Mother. Father.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02It could have been a teacher. Could have a been a boyfriend, or friend.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06It could have been... Oh, so it was a boyfriend, was it? Is that right?
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- Yeah. - Try not to give anything away, now.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Is it a current boyfriend or an ex boyfriend? Oh, it's an ex boyfriend, is that right?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Let both your arms go down by your side.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Is your mum going to be embarrassed if she hears this?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20- All right, never mind.- Maybe! - Don't worry, OK.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Give me your hands and let them both go totally loose.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25No to everything.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- It could have been about money.- No.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31- It could have been about work.- No. - It could have been about a partner.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33It could been about relationships, about travel.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- It could have been about school. It could have been...- No.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I think I know what it is. Are you sure you want me to say this out loud?
0:14:40 > 0:14:41THEY LAUGH
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- Were you caught cheating with somebody else?- Yes.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- Were you caught with a fellow by... - That's what it was.- Oh, my god.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- Do you remember this?- Yes.- Oh, god.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53- So did that feel like a pretty big lie?- Yeah. Probably the worst.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58- Did you feel guilty?- A wee bit, to be honest.- A wee bit guilty.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Research shows that everyone lies between four and six times a day.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04The question isn't then - is a person lying or not?
0:15:04 > 0:15:06The only question is when they're lying.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Oh, let me see...
0:15:08 > 0:15:10It could have been to do with money, it could have been to do
0:15:10 > 0:15:13with relationships, with jobs or education.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15This is to do with relationships, isn't it?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18You looked down into the left, which suggests you were trying to hide something,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21trying not to disclose...you were trying to keep a secret from someone.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- Yes.- You didn't want someone to discover something.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Let me see straight into your eyes. Were you...
0:15:26 > 0:15:31Oh, you were trying to hide an ex girlfriend from a current girlfriend?
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Is this man crazy? Fancy letting that one out the bag.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38Isn't that your current lady love standing right next to you?
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Oh...
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- Think about what the lie is.- OK. - Think about what it is.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48- Say no to all of these things. Big lie.- No.- Small lie.- No.- Money lie. - No.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- Absence lie.- No.- Sickness lie.- No.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Sickness, did you pretend you were sick to get off work?
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- May have.- Is that what it was?
0:15:55 > 0:15:59May have, yeah. He was like a human lie detector. He caught me out every time.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03- You lied to Stephen that you were sick.- Yeah.- So that you didn't have to go to college.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07I don't know how he could tell that. It just completely...completely blew my mind.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Uhm, I'm just angry, but I don't care.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I'm not a mind reader, but that is the laugh of a very nervous man.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22That was a lot easier that I expected.
0:16:22 > 0:16:27It seems to me that there are an awful lot of guilty consciences roaming around the streets.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28I know that I can do it now.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32The big questions is - can I make someone else a human lie detector?
0:16:37 > 0:16:41David has been holding sessions to find new recruits to the art of lie detection.
0:16:42 > 0:16:47It would be really easy for me to choose a subject expert to do my experiments or games with.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51That would make life a lot easier for me, but it would also make it a little bit boring.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55I want to take ordinary people and have them do extraordinary things.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57That's the real challenge for me.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02I'm truly spoiled for choice when it comes to selecting people for this next test.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06The reason being that I want ordinary people who will just trust their instincts.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09The problem is that they are so many people that I might be able to choose from.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15There's one person in particular who, I think, could be excellent.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18And then there's another one that I'm not quite sure about, if I'm honest.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23But I have a feeling that she would at least give it a good shot.
0:17:23 > 0:17:24I just hope it works.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27- Two candidates have caught David's eye.- Hiya.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Diane.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Diane has recently graduated,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and Lisa here is no stranger to the odd lie, too.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Well, she's a mum.
0:17:36 > 0:17:41I like to think I'm good at spotting lies, cos I've got children to raise, ha-ha!
0:17:41 > 0:17:43And I know they're testing me all the time.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48David has collected 100 mug shots.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51In each, the person has written a statement about themselves
0:17:51 > 0:17:52on their blackboard.
0:17:52 > 0:17:5550 are true, 50 are complete lies.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58It's up to my participants to try and discern
0:17:58 > 0:18:02whether those statements are lies or whether they are telling the truth.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Check out these fools.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06That's got to be a lie.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08I suppose that was on a flying pig.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Oh, don't be so ridiculous.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12You've got to be joking.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Here we have roughly about 100 mug shots.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22And in front of every mug shot, every person has got a statement.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27And your job is going to be to work out if you think these people are lying or telling the truth, OK?
0:18:27 > 0:18:29And, Diane, you're going to be looking for the truth tellers here,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33you are going to be looking for whoever you think is being honest.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37And for you, Lisa, you are going to look for the people who look like they are deceiving you.
0:18:37 > 0:18:42- OK.- And I'm not going to give you any clues, so go ahead and start now.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50- What kind of things are you looking for, Diane?- Just their eyes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Are they looking directly at the camera, or are they smiling?- OK.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- Cos normally people smile when they're telling a lie.- OK.
0:18:57 > 0:18:58You sound experienced on this?
0:18:58 > 0:19:00SHE LAUGHS
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Shall I just keep picking?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Yeah, absolutely, just keep going. Fill up your pile.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17So let's get this straight - Diane is filtering out the true statements,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20while Lisa is sniffing out the lies.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23I suppose what's really important for me to underline
0:19:23 > 0:19:26is that my job as a mentalist is to make these participants believe
0:19:26 > 0:19:28that they can be human lie detectors,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31whether or not they can operationalise these skills in the real world is one thing.
0:19:31 > 0:19:35But I need them to have that confidence.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Now, we have two piles here. Before we continue, I need to check.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Are you absolutely confident and sure
0:19:40 > 0:19:43that you made all of these choices yourself?
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Yes.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47So you were looking for the truth tellers,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and you were looking for the liars.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51OK, one for one. One for one.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Two. Two right, two for two.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Three for three.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01Four.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Five.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Six.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Seven.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Oh, oh, OK, so don't feel bad.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11You've got one wrong there.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Correct, correct, correct.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18Diane, that is unbelievable!
0:20:20 > 0:20:23That is unbelievable! You are my winner.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26You have successfully...
0:20:26 > 0:20:27That's amazing!
0:20:27 > 0:20:32Diane seems to have achieved the impossible, and got every truthful statement right.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37Lisa's gut reaction wrongly accused a couple of mugs of lying,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39when they were really telling the truth.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44That floored me, that really floored me because it's just a picture, you know,
0:20:44 > 0:20:50and you're basically guessing, or using your prejudices or whatever.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Did that really happen? Is that really true?
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I was looking for a lie card to come up any second, and I thought
0:20:56 > 0:21:00one was going to come up because Lisa had truth cards come up in her pile.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03My heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. I was just so pleased.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06In my heart, I feel really disappointed for Lisa,
0:21:06 > 0:21:10because on any other day, she would have done extraordinarily well.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Her performance was far greater than chance or luck or just guessing.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16It was way more than 50/50.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21But, unfortunately, she was up against an amazing opponent in Diane.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23I need them to believe that they can do this, so that one of them
0:21:23 > 0:21:28will have the confidence to move through to what will be a virtually impossible task next.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38What David has set up for Diane will be the ultimate conclusion
0:21:38 > 0:21:40of his journey into the murky world of deception.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Diane is up against not one, but six potential liars.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51And these six aren't going to make it easy.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54They can use every trick of body language
0:21:54 > 0:21:57and rapid eye movement to keep Diane off the scent.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01And I wouldn't trust a single one of them.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Is it me? Or has this all gone really serious?
0:22:06 > 0:22:10At this point, I want Diane to look for what I call a baseline.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13So what's going to happen is I'm going to have every one in the room
0:22:13 > 0:22:15tell the truth, and the baseline is
0:22:15 > 0:22:19observing their behaviour to see how they react when they're telling the truth.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22That way, when or if the participants tell a lie,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Diane should be able to spot the deviations in their behaviour.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Watch carefully now, and remember how these players behave
0:22:29 > 0:22:31when they are telling the truth.
0:22:31 > 0:22:37Oh, and by the way, David and Diane are separated from their subjects by a two-way mirror.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42They can watch and listen, but their adversaries can neither see nor hear them,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45which is just as well, because David can be a little bit bitchy.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Number one, could you stand up please?
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Get ready - truthful statement number one.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55I can speak my Chinese language, Mandarin, very well.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- Stand up and take two steps forward.- I hate spiders.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09I've lived in five different countries.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11Uhm, she's a tough one, now.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16I'm getting married this year on my birthday.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19What do you think of that?
0:23:21 > 0:23:24I needed microsurgery by making porridge.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28He needed microsurgery by making porridge?
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Me and my partner are having a baby.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37So they were the true statements,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39this is the fun bit.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44This game is all about something people never reveal to you when you first meet.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Their middle name, of course. I don't know what you were thinking.
0:23:47 > 0:23:53All the participants have written their real middle name on a card hidden against their chest.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56In a moment, they will stand up and call out a name.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00But will it be their true middle name or can they fake it with a lie?
0:24:00 > 0:24:06Neither David nor Diane have any way of knowing the suspects' real middle names.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11The pressure is now on the human lie detector to spot who is telling a lie.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- I'm nervous. How are you?- On a scale of one to ten...
0:24:14 > 0:24:19before I came into the room probably six. Now it's about eight and a half.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- Eight and a half. Really?- Yes. - No toilet breaks for you.
0:24:23 > 0:24:28Oh, is this a good time to remind everyone that David isn't a scientist? He's a mentalist.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Despite briefing Diane with his skills, all his theories might be codswallop.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Pay attention now, here's subject number one.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Is this the truth or a lie?
0:24:38 > 0:24:43My middle name is Chu...Chun.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46You see, what's her body language giving away?
0:24:48 > 0:24:50I think she's going to tell the truth.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53So you think that was the truth, that was her middle name?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- Yeah.- OK. Write it down.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00My middle name is Stewart.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03He's held the same position as he did the last time, when he came up to speak.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05And he told the truth last time.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07- I think he's going to tell the truth.- OK.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11My middle name is Mary.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Oh, she's lying! She's lying, yeah.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17- Do you think so?- Yeah, definitely.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19- It's too short and two sweet.- OK.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23- And she's just trying to hold her face.- OK, so a little bit too closed.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Yeah. It's just too concrete.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28OK, brilliant.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30My middle name is Mary.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36OK. She's very nervous. I think she's telling the truth.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38- You think she's telling the truth? - Yeah.- If you don't mind me saying.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- Yeah.- I disagree on that one. - Oh, OK.- I disagree.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44It was just something about her.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49- I'm pretty...I'm 90-95% sure, I think I am...but I know you can do this. - OK.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51My middle name is David.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- Um, he's a quirky character.- OK.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59I think he's lying through his teeth.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03My middle name is James.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07Not much movement in the face, and he hasn't moved much.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I'm going to go with he's telling the truth.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- You think he's telling the truth? - I think he is.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12OK, write that down.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17So you've made your guesses now - truth, truth, lie, truth, lie, truth. OK?
0:26:17 > 0:26:22- So participant number one, you thought participant number one was telling the truth.- Yeah.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27Participant number one, the human lie detector thought that you were telling the truth.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Were you telling the truth or were you lying?
0:26:28 > 0:26:31I'm telling the truth.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33My middle name is Chun.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39Well done, one out of six. Participant number two, please turn around your card.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43I was telling the truth. My name is Stewart.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48OK, so the odds of you getting this right are incredible,
0:26:48 > 0:26:53because you have no information about these people, you know nothing about them.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56OK, so number three, you thought they were telling a lie.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00Participant number three, were you lying or telling the truth?
0:27:00 > 0:27:02I'm lying, my middle name is Anna.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Participant number four, the human lie detector thought you were telling the truth.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13- Were you lying or telling the truth?- I was telling the truth. My middle name is Mary.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- Yes! I told you!- OK, I was wrong.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21You don't need to make a big deal about it.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Participant number five, the human lie detector thought you were lying.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- Were you lying or telling the truth? - I was lying.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28My middle name is William.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30OK. Five out of five.
0:27:30 > 0:27:36Participant number six, the human lie detector thought you were telling the truth.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- Were you telling the truth? - Yeah. It was James.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Yes!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50There was one bit where David disagreed with me.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54And I thought he was right 100%, and then I got it right, and I just pushed him.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58And I could see everyone inside, they were all getting all excited as well.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00And...just unbelievable.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04At the very end, I just jumped up and down. I just didn't know what to do.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06I just had such a rush!
0:28:07 > 0:28:12I think it's pretty obvious by now that lying is one of those important functions of human behaviour.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17Imagine we didn't have any lying, every day would be filled with awkward honesty.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19So I think we should embrace our lies.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Maybe even tell some more, but let's just make sure that they are all really small.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Or do what I do. Don't tell any lies at all.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd