WOULD I LIE TO YOU?: Premieres Monday, 8.30pm (AEDST), Network 10 /10 Play
Professional poker players say they can read opponent's body language and tell if they are bluffing.
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Broadcaster, theatrical impresario and writer Chris Taylor has put this theory to the test as one of the team captains on Channel 10's latest entry into the game show wars - Would I Lie To You?
"More highly trained people than me might be able to see it, but no. Frank [Woodley, his opposing team captain] was really hard to pick.
"A couple of contestants I think I worked out, but I was so supremely confident one story was a lie and was blown away it was true."
The well-known member of The Chaser (ABC TV series CNNNN, the War on Everything) cohort describes himself as "the quintessential jack of all trades and master of none".
"I'm easily bored - creatively restless. I like to get out of my comfort zone.
"I rarely appear on panel shows, so I was a left-field choice for this. But I have been a fan of the original British version for years.
"And I like to learn new skills. It's so hard coming out of the blocks with the Australian version, the UK show has had 15 seasons to reach that slickness. I love a lot of British panel shows, they do them very well - it's that English wit.
"One of the great joys of the show is working with them [host Chrissie Swan and Woodley].
"I'm a huge fan of Frank. Knowing he was the other team captain was one of the clinchers for me to sign on. I had confidence the show would click because he has such dexterity with language.
"Chrissie is the most competent TV host I've ever worked with. She knows just when to chime in or not. It's a pleasure to watch her work."
Taylor says most of his year is spent writing things.
"It's the hat that sits most comfortably.
"Performing for me is an indulgence, but I don't think I'm particularly good at it.
"I haven't been on TV for a long long time. I didn't make a conscious decision, I just never had an ambition to be on TV, but I always had an ambition to write. I kind of like putting words in people's mouths.
Taylor says he had concerns about his "match fitness" for the show.
"If I was being brutally honest, I was concerned. All through lockdown I just played games with people on Zoom.
"But that's the beauty of WITLY, as we call it, there's the play at home element
"I felt so comfortable with Frank being there and thought 'maybe I can be the guy who wants to win'.
"That became my schtick on the show. I played the role like an intimidating barrister in the court room, drilling down on any holes on anyone's story."
He says he has learned things about Australian celebrities he would never have dreamed of.
"I mean they didn't just cast the usual comedians. Dr Susan Carland was really great; Abbie Chatfield, who was on The Bachelor, I'd never met before, and she was fantastic with the game, she just waltzes in and looks like she belongs.
"It was interesting seeing these people out of context.
"A lot of people [guests] were quite nervous. You have a sense of how it's going to go, but there is no think music when you turn the cards over.
"But it's such a generous show with a very supportive atmosphere.
"The funny people were brilliant at it because they are just funny. We were lucky to have Luke McGregor and Ross Noble on the first show.
Taylor says the producers write the event or story down on a card, having spoken with the celebrities maybe months previous to when they appear.
"It's either a lie or it might be a truth. And you have to give it your best sell either way, with the opposite team trying to guess if you are lying or not.
"It's one of the best games on TV in a long time. When you play along at home and get invested in the outcome it's even more entertaining, addictive even.
"We did have a ball making it and I hope it comes across. Every laugh is genuine."
