No. 248.

Lucy Porter was a researcher for Richard and Judy.

(Source: Richard Herring's Edinburgh Fringe Podcast.)

No. 237.

Robert Powell met his wife, Babs of dance troupe Pan's People, in the BBC bar. He saw them come in, but didn't have the courage to ask her out, so he took the whole group out for a drink instead.

(Source: Tales From Television Centre.)

No. 235.

One BBC director was trying to shoot a final scene before the television centre studioes closed at 10pm and came down from the gallery to instruct them from the floor. He ran downstairs, got into the room, and shouted 'will you fucking stop messing around?' It was only then he realised he was in the Newsnight set.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 234.

One of the directors in a BBC meeting said that the presenter on the Film programme appeared to have worn a wig and that he wouldn't stand for it. Barry Norman had in fact simply been having a bad hair day.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 232.

The BBC once broke the world record for largest troupe of tap dancers. They staged a routine with five hundred and one performers in the circular quad in television centre.

(Source: Tales of Television Centre.)

No. 205.

The ghosts in Pacman are called Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde.

(Source: QIkipedia Twitter feed. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 202.

Gromit, of Wallace and Gromit fame, was designed to be a talking cat. Nick Park changed him to a mute dog when it became apparent that this would be easier to animate.

(Source: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-07-10/nick-park---wallace-needed-an-assistant-so-i-drew-a-cat-called-gromit)

No. 195.

Danny DeVito once asked every passenger on a plane whether he could smoke a cigar because the pilot would only allow him if he had everyone's permission.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 179.

Jerry Springer was once Mayor of Cincinnati.

(Source: Documentary commemorating twenty years of The Simpsons. Verified via Wikipedia.)

No. 175.

Ross Noble convinced his audience to all phone into the local radio station to report sightings of an alligator in Manchester's Heaton Park. This "news" made the papers.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 174.

Simon Cowell didn't want anyone to know it was his 52nd birthday, so Cheryl Cole hired a plane to fly around his house, trailing a banner behind it congratulating him on the occasion.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 162.

Charlie Brooker once fell asleep at the wheel during a driving lesson.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.) 

No. 161.

Charlie Brooker submitted cartoons to the letter page of Oink magazine. As a result, they then offered him a job. He was fifteen at the time.
(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 156.

Jonathan Ross got so bored interviewing Barbara Windsor that he couldn't think of another question, so played for time by pretending to pop out his contact lenses. When she started looking for it, he realised he had to get it out for real.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 155.

Jonathan Ross once fell asleep whilst interviewing Charlie Higson.

(Source: Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.)

No. 154.

The Solids, the band that provides the theme song for How I Met Your Mother, was founded by the show's creators, Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.

(Source: Wikipedia.)

No. 153.

In Minnesota's Mall of America, (the United States' biggest shopping centre) a couple were married
in a shark tank. The bride and groom were in full wedding wear, albeit with the addition of scuba tanks.

(Source: The Mighty Mississippi with Sir Trevor McDonald.)

No. 127.

A 1990 film version of Captain America saw the hero played by the son of author J.D. Salinger. The movie was not shown in cinemas in the US, but was released there on VHS.

(Source: http://halloweenjackconnell.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/all-night-i-want-young-american-captain.html. Verified by Wikipedia.)

No. 85.

Singer Olly Murs, before gaining fame on The X Factor, appeared on Deal or No Deal. He won just £10.

(Source: The Graham Norton Show.)

No. 70.

It's not surprising that Peep Show co-writer Sam Bain has a career in sitcoms - his mother was Beattie in Terry and June, his grandmother was Miss Gatsby in Fawlty Towers, and his cousin was one of the RAF airman in 'Allo 'Allo!.

(Source: Sam Bain's Twitter feed: @sambaintv.)