Top 10 Biggest Liars in TV History
#10: Sue Perkins
You may be surprised to see the almost universally adored ex-“Bake Off” host on our list. Her most dedicated fans will know what we’re talking about. Every year in Cumbria, the World’s Biggest Liar competition takes place. Contestants get five minutes to tell a tall tale, and whoever is the most convincing wins the award, attracting competitors from across the globe. After running for over a century, Sue Perkins became the first ever woman to win in 2006. She told a story about people going to work on camels after the ozone layer and the ice caps were both destroyed.
#9: Bear Grylls
Tons of people love tuning into a Bear Grylls survival show and seeing what creative techniques he uses to master the wilderness. Many fans believed they were authentic, but it turned out that Grylls occasionally stayed in hotels and exaggerated a lot of the dangers. It led many to label him as a liar and a scam artist, but others argued it would be unethical to genuinely put Grylls’ life at risk. They started adding disclaimers to episodes to stop people from thinking it was all real. Despite all this, the man is an expert at wilderness survival, and his lessons are never fake.
#8: Joe Power
TV psychics are often controversial, mainly because so many people think they’re lying. One who was famously exposed for his deceitful tactics was Joe Power. In 2010, an episode of “Derren Brown Investigates” examined his alleged psychic abilities. Brown set up a slightly staged reading for him, with a woman who lied about her name in a house she didn’t own, which went badly. Another subject of Power’s also turned out to be his sister’s neighbour, making his talents appear highly dubious. The exposed psychic complained to Ofcom about the episode, but they weren’t fussed, and he’s hardly been heard of since.
#7: Coleen Nolan
The Nolans were a massive girl group in the 70s, which turned Coleen Nolan into a celebrity. She later began regularly appearing on “Loose Women” in 2000 onwards, which has led to quite a few controversies. Her most famous was the argument between her and Kim Woodburn in 2018, which ended when Woodburn stormed out crying. The pair both starred in “Celebrity Big Brother” series 19, and according to Woodburn, Nolan had been two-faced and lied constantly during the contest. Woodburn came on “Loose Women” to clear the air between them, but it only made things worse. The episode got over 8,000 Ofcom complaints and led to Nolan taking a break from the series.
#6: Spencer Matthews
When it comes to British reality stars, few are as infamous for lying as “Made in Chelsea” star Spencer Matthews. Not only did he lie to his costars, but according to him, he even frequently lied to himself. This made him the reality show’s villain for a long time, as he kept cheating on his partners and usually blamed them for it. Later on, he admitted most of his issues stemmed from his reliance on alcohol. While it explains his toxic behaviour, it doesn’t excuse it, and he’s gone down in history as one of reality TV’s most memorable villains.
#5: Rachel Duffy & Stephen Libby
Our next entry is a more positive one, as this pair proved themselves to be skilled liars, but all for the sake of playing a game. “The Traitors” series 4 was released in early 2026 and ended in a traitor victory. Rachel Duffy and Stephen Libby were responsible, and they won £48,000 for their efforts. It was the first time multiple traitors won, and a strong case could be made that they were the greatest traitors we’ve seen so far. Libby had the chance to take double the money home, backstabbing Duffy out of her victory, but amazingly decided not to, making for an extra wholesome conclusion.
#4: Gillian McKeith
You may know her better as Doctor Gillian McKeith, which is what she used to go by on her health shows. McKeith has degrees in international business, marketing, and linguistics. This led to a controversy surrounding her choice to call herself a doctor, something she agreed to stop doing in 2007. One of her most infamous moments came in 2010, when she faked a faint on “I’m a Celebrity” to avoid a bushtucker trial. While on the floor, allegedly passed out, you can even spot her pulling her shirt down to cover her belly. We’re not doctors either, but we know when someone’s unconscious, they can’t do things like that.
#3: Roxanne Pallett
One of the most notorious controversies from “Big Brother” history came when Roxanne Pallett accused housemate Ryan Thomas of attacking her. The clip showed he had indeed punched her, but it was a playfight, and it didn’t appear malicious or harmful. Pallett then massively exaggerated the incident, leading her to be separated from the remaining contestants and eventually leave completely. She thankfully withdrew her accusations, but the damage to her reputation had been done at that point. It got over 25,000 Ofcom complaints, plus it turned out she’d done this before to other men in the past, making it unlikely her career will ever recover.
#2: Laura & Philip Borrell
The breakfast show “This Morning” often interviews peculiar individuals. In 2017, they were joined by Laura and Phillip Borrell, with Laura claiming she was the youngest person ever diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. If that wasn’t bad enough, they also claimed her mother was bedridden. A few years later, it turned out they’d faked the entire thing as part of a scam. The couple had taken over £600,000 from Hertfordshire county council, earning all 3 parties involved a few years behind bars. This money was meant to be spent on carers, but as they needed none, they instead spent it on quite a few holidays to America. With such a lack of subtlety, it’s surprising it took them so long to be found.
#1: Derek Acorah
Probably the most famous television medium was Derek Acorah, who had a massive boom in popularity after starring on “Most Haunted.” As is the case for most mediums, he was accused of being a fake. Co-star Yvette Fielding insisted nothing was fake, but it turned out she’d been fooled, too. This was revealed in 2005 after their resident sceptic fed Acorah false information, bait which he embarrassingly took, exposing himself for the fraud he was. Derek was subsequently fired, and his career never recovered in the years after. It didn’t help his image when he claimed to have been contacted by the spirit of Madeleine McCann in 2012.
Who do you think tells the tallest tales on television, and did we mention them today? Let us know in the comments below!
