19 Things You Probably Didn't Know About British TVSkip To ContentHomepageSign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge FeedCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapPosted on 25 Sept 2017 19 Things You Probably Didn t Know About British TV Every single TV tidbit you could have ever asked for. by Gena-mour BarrettBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink 1 The secretary in The Apprentice who calls contestants into the boardroom at Lord Sugar s command is actually an actress FreemantleMedia / BBC Plus, the shots of the contestants walking to their taxi after being fired are all filmed at the start of the series. Find out 42 more facts about the show here. 2 Scarlett Moffat from Gogglebox is a trained ballroom dancer and has been fake tanning since she was 14 Channel 4 / BuzzFeed Find out 44 more facts here. 3 Episodes of Grand Designs can take anywhere from one to five years to film Channel 4 All that filming means Kevin McCloud works 52 weeks a year. Discover 30 more facts here. 4 Researchers from The X Factor look into applicants family histories before they see the judges ITV / Via youtube.com The judges then ask the applicants emotional questions in order to create backstories for them. Get 46 more facts here. 5 It took three 18-hour work days to install the set and lighting for Gladiators ITV And it took 75 people and two months to construct the equipment. Find out 32 more facts here. 6 The average age of a Skins writer was 21 E4 Jamie Brittain came up with the idea behind Skins based on a short story he wrote when he was 15. Find out 33 more facts here. 7 The producers of First Dates don t purposely mismatch people They try to pick people who will get along Channel 4 They also try to match applicants who live near each other. Find out 29 more facts here. 8 Jeremy Clarkson was nearly decapitated while presenting Robot Wars when a rotating blade from a competing robot flew towards him at more than 200 mph narrowly missing his head by less than two inches Mentorn / BBC A director was also hacked in the foot by a pickaxe when a robot sharing the same frequency as a local taxi firm unexpectedly "woke up". Find out 28 more slightly disturbing facts here. 9 After an incredibly long day of filming with an hour s wait in-between each course contestants of Come Dine With Me don t get to leave until around 3am Channel 4 Dessert is usually served at around midnight, too. Here's 35 more facts about the show. 10 If you are not selected on Dinner Date you get a microwave meal regardless of whether you own a microwave or not ITV One microwave-less contestant was reportedly made to pour boiling water over his ready meal to create steam before pretending to eat it. Find out 31 more ridiculous facts here. 11 Bradley Walsh host of The Chase sees the show s questions for the first time when the contestants do ITV If he messes up a question in the final chase, the studio lawyers step in, pause the clock, and the question is re-asked from the split second where the previous one ended. Find out 27 more facts here. 12 The first winning University Challenge team to ever have been stripped of their title was Corpus Christi College Oxford in 2009 BBC It was revealed that one of their members, Sam Kay, had actually graduated in 2008 before the final was filmed. Find out 51 more ~scandalous~ facts here. 13 There is an unlimited supply of tampons and Love Island branded condoms on the island ITV And there's a private toilet that islanders can request to use if they're too embarrassed to go for a poo. Discover 29 more facts here. 14 The meals produced by the contestants on Masterchef UK are usually cold by the time John Torode and Gregg Wallace come to sample them BBC / BuzzFeed Because of this, the judges aren't allowed to mention the temperate of the food when they're assessing and reacting to it. Find out 29 more facts here. 15 Each dance on Strictly Come Dancing lasts for 90 seconds and the dancers train for between four and eight hours a day BBC This means the dancers can train for a whopping 40 hours a week. Find out 43 more facts here. 16 There are no clocks in the I m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here camp This is so that the celebs are completely detached from the world ITV Ant and Dec even have to cover their watches too. Find out 45 more facts about the show here. 17 David Tennant who played the tenth doctor in Doctor Who wrote a school essay when he was 13 called Intergalactic Overdose in which he was convinced he was going to play the part of the Doctor on TV BBC And the terrifying Weeping Angels are played by REAL PEOPLE. Find out 37 more facts here. 18 British celebrities who have competed in the UK s regional finals for Eurovision but were not chosen to represent the UK include Katie Price Kym Marsh Big Brovas and Andy Scott-Lee BBC / EBU I know, I know, it's not technically a British show, but you can find out 37 more facts here. 19 And Ian Beale played by the iconic Adam Woodyatt is the last remaining original cast member on Eastenders BBC He joined in 1985. Find 21 more facts here. 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