Just a Minute of the show, all created by Messiter, include a 1952 version on South African radio, and a television version on the DuMont network in the United States. The pilot for the show was recorded in 1967, featuring Clement Freud, Derek Nimmo, Beryl Reid and Wilma Ewart as panellists. The chairman was originally planned to be Jimmy Edwards but he was unavailable on Sundays, the proposed recording dates, and was replaced by Nicholas Parsons who was originally supposed to be a panel member. Parsons did not want the job and only reluctantly took it, just for the pilot episode. After the
The Unbelievable Truth (radio show) pleasure here – David Mitchell's endearing squareness apart – is the depths to which this silliness sinks". Jane Anderson in The Radio Times described the show as "the funniest thing I've heard on Radio 4 in years and I'm considering suing the network for irreparable damage to my sides" and Chris Campling in "The Times" called it "The most consistently entertaining comedy panel show of the past few years" and praises David Mitchell's chairmanship. Ian Dunn for One Giant Leap also wrote a mixed review of the show saying that it, "may not be the best panel game in the