Balderdash and Piffle is a British television programme made by Takeaway Media for the BBC. Presented by Victoria Coren, it is a companion to the Oxford English Dictionary's Wordhunt, in which the writers of the dictionary asked the public for help in finding the origins and first known citations of a number of words and phrases. Not to be confused with Entomology, the study of insects. ... Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to document reality. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... Victoria (Vicky) Coren (born 1972), is an author, journalist and poker player. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... 576i is the shorthand name for a video mode. ... Anamorphic widescreen is a cinematography and photography technique for capturing a widescreen picture on standard 35mm film. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... Victoria (Vicky) Coren (born 1972), is an author, journalist and poker player. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... Balderdash & Piffle is a BBC2 series looking at the origins of words and phrases in the English language. ...

The OED panel consists of John Simpson, the Chief Editor of the O.E.D., Peter Gilliver, who was also the captain of the Oxford University Press team in University Challenge - the Professionals, and Tania Styles, who has also appeared in "dictionary corner" in Countdown. John (Andrew) Simpson  (b. ... Richard Twice Nightly Whiteley Countdown is a British game show presented by Des OConnor and Carol Vorderman. ...

Series One

The first series of Balderdash & Piffle was first broadcast in January 2006, with each programme being based around a letter. Following the conclusion of the first series, a follow-up episode aired on 16 April 2006 with updates on the discoveries members of the public have made, resulting in several further changes to the dictionary. April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Series Two

A new Wordhunt was launched in January 2007 and the results will feature in the second series of the programme which begins on Friday 11th May at 10pm on BBC Two.

The second series is divided thematically. Victoria Coren is joined by guest reporters who attemt to trace the etymology and first documentary use of words, based on suggestions from the British public. Victoria Coren then takes the evidence they have found to a panel of Oxford English Dictionary staff, who decide whether this evidence is sufficient to include in the dictionary. Not to be confused with Entomology, the study of insects. ...

Book

Balderdash and Piffle is also the name of a book written by Alex Games and published by BBC Books in 2006. This is loosely related to the TV series, and explores the origins of a number of words in the English language. Not to be confused with Entomology, the study of insects. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... BBC Books is the book publishing division of BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... The barcode of an ISBN . ... BBC Books is the book publishing division of BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

A second book by Alex Games, 'Balderdash and Piffle: One sandwich short of a dog's dinner' was published by BBC Books in April 2007 to accompany the second series of the show.

External links

• BBC Balderdash and Piffle site
• Oxford English Dictionary's Balderdash and Piffle site