Are Celebrities Being Cloned?

Home » Are Celebrities Being Cloned?

Inside This Episode

• Working with the Pentagon on military films: Director John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines, A Good Day to Die Hard) wrote in to share his first-hand experience of collaborating with the US military on film productions. He confirmed that the Pentagon handles requests on a case-by-case basis, but once they commit, filmmakers get “pretty broad access” to hardware including F-18 Super Hornets, aircraft carriers and helicopters. Moore explained that the prep process takes months of meetings and serious safety protocols, particularly when aircraft are involved. Richard was impressed, noting that Moore’s account was “a good review for the Pentagon” and quipping that “if every producer could deliver what they promise at a level the Pentagon do, there would be a lot more happy directors out there.”
• How mirrors are filmed in movies and TV: A listener asked about the technical challenges of filming mirror scenes, prompted by a scene in Heated Rivalry. Marina ran through several techniques used by filmmakers, including cheat mirrors (tilting the angle to hide the camera, as in the famous Taxi Driver “you talkin’ to me?” scene), digitally removing the mirror entirely and using body doubles, CGI (as in Doctor Strange), two-way mirrors commonly seen in police procedurals, and James Cameron’s “mirror room” technique of building an identical room behind the mirror. Marina highlighted a famous scene in Contact involving a small bathroom mirror that remains a celebrated example of visual trickery, and revealed that in Terminator 2, Linda Hamilton’s real-life twin sister Leslie stood in on the other side of a fake mirror with a prosthetic Schwarzenegger head. Richard declared the best-ever use of a two-way mirror to be the cold open of Brooklyn Nine-Nine “when [the] lineup sings Backstreet Boys.”
• Do TV shows air episodes in the order they were filmed? Richard gave a detailed explanation of how episode ordering works in television. Shows with rolling elements – such as returning champions on Pointless or rolling jackpots on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – must air in sequence. However, self-contained episode shows can be reordered strategically. Richard described how producers will often “front load” with the strongest episodes, particularly for new formats where reviewers “only ever review the first episode.” He shared an anecdote from his show Two Tribes, where a friend complimented how the show had “found itself” by week three – not realising they were watching episodes completely out of order. He also mentioned that House of Games contestants sometimes request their episodes air after their appearance on Strictly Come Dancing for maximum publicity.
• Celebrity cloning and conspiracy theories: A listener asked about outlandish celebrity conspiracy theories following Jim Carrey’s controversial appearance at the César Awards in Paris, where he accepted an honorary award and delivered his speech entirely in French. The combination of his altered appearance and the French-language performance fuelled claims he had been “cloned” or replaced by someone wearing a mask. Marina noted that Carrey’s connection to Andy Kaufman – whose pranks he famously portrayed – made the theory “a tiny bit more believable.” The discussion expanded to other conspiracy targets including Selena Gomez, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Beyoncé, Paul McCartney and Tupac. Marina confessed that she herself inadvertently started the “Fake Melania” conspiracy in 2017 with a tweet she posted while walking to meet her husband, and was astonished when it went viral and was covered by GMB, Sky News, the Washington Post and USA Today.
• Richard meets Paul McCartney: Richard recounted meeting Paul McCartney at the screening of the Wings documentary, describing it as “one of the greatest things that ever happened to me” and a “pinch me moment.” He had worried about what to say to someone who has lived “absolutely one of the most extraordinary lives of the billions of people there’s ever been.” However, McCartney immediately put him at ease by asking about House of Games: “Do you film five a day or do you come back the next day?” Richard compared it to George Michael watching Deal or No Deal, saying he loves “when icons and legends are human beings.”
• The detective work behind Would I Lie to You?’s “This Is My…” round: Richard shared a detailed account from producer Peter Holmes about the extraordinary research that goes into tracking down the mystery guests for the show’s “This Is My” round. Over 19 years, the show has booked 171 guests and tracked down roughly three times as many candidates. One standout story involved finding Rob Rinder’s secret school crush, a man called Edward, whom Rinder had used as the basis for all his internet passwords for 20 years. The only information the team had was that Edward had “a fairly common surname” and a job that was “something to do with meat.” Researcher Kimberly Boke used Google Earth to search butcher’s shop fronts in the High Barnet area before eventually tracking Edward down in Milton Keynes via Companies House, where he ran a catering business called Porky and Best. The resulting studio moment was “very funny and warm” as Rinder came face to face with his childhood crush. The anecdote also mentioned Denise Lewis and Katherine Ryan as fellow panellists, and Lee Mack as another team captain offering his own fabricated story.

Media Mentions

Films

• Behind Enemy Lines (2001) – directed by John Moore, starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman
• A Good Day to Die Hard (2013) – fifth instalment in the Die Hard franchise
• Taxi Driver (1976) – mentioned for the iconic mirror scene with Robert De Niro
• Contact (1997) – cited for its famous bathroom mirror sequence
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – discussed for the mirror room technique using Linda Hamilton’s twin
• Doctor Strange (2016) – mentioned for its CGI mirror effects
• Top Gun (1986) – referenced in the context of a previous episode about military hardware in film

Television Shows

• Heated Rivalry – Canadian sports romance series directed by Jacob Tierney
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine – cold open with two-way mirror lineup scene cited as “best ever” use of a two-way mirror when suspects in a police lineup singing “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys
• Would I Lie to You? – panel show; detailed discussion of the “This Is My” round’s research process
• House of Games – Richard’s BBC quiz show, referenced multiple times
• Pointless – cited as an example of a show that must air in sequence
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – mentioned for its rolling jackpot requiring sequential airing
• The Wheel – cited as a show that can be reordered
• Strictly Come Dancing – contestants sometimes request House of Games episodes air around their Strictly appearance
• Two Tribes – Richard’s earlier quiz show, used to illustrate episode reordering
• Deal or No Deal – mentioned as a show George Michael used to watch
• Porridge – cited as an older sitcom where episodes could be reordered
• Steptoe and Son – similarly cited as a classic sitcom with reorderable episodes (transcribed as “Step to”)
• Good Morning Britain (GMB) – mentioned as having covered the “Fake Melania” story

Documentaries

• Wings (documentary) – the Wings/Paul McCartney documentary Richard attended and recommended

Live Events / Awards

• The Oscars (Academy Awards) – referenced as recently having taken place
• César Awards – French film awards where Jim Carrey received an honorary prize

Hot Takes

• On the Pentagon as a production partner: “If every producer could deliver what they promise at a level the Pentagon do, there would be a lot more happy directors out there.” – Richard, reading John Moore’s email
• Richard on the best-ever use of a two-way mirror: “The best ever mirror thing” is the cold open of Brooklyn Nine-Nine “when lineup sings Backstreet Boys. That’s the best ever.”
• On the bathroom cabinet horror trope: “I do not like it if a scene starts in a bathroom and the bathroom cabinet is open” because “you know… at some point they’re going to close that cabinet… there’s going to be a mirror and there’s going to be a murderer.” – Richard
• On Jim Carrey’s face: Marina describes his looks as once having been defined by “the rubber face” but now “maybe the rubber has gone a bit harder.” Richard adds: “It’s a bit more epoxy resin, isn’t it, now?”
• On the plausibility of the Jim Carrey conspiracy: Richard concedes it was “a tiny bit more believable” because Carrey “played Andy Kaufman, who did do this sort of thing” – but adds “I don’t imagine he’s been cloned because I feel that medically that would be huge advances would be needed.”
• Marina on accidentally starting the Fake Melania conspiracy: “I’m so ashamed” – she tweeted in 2017 that she was “absolutely convinced that Melania is being played by a Melania impersonator these days” and “thought nothing more of it” before it went globally viral.
• Richard’s joke theory about Marina’s debunking: “I think 2017, for whatever reason, you weren’t in the pocket of whoever you’re in the pocket of now, and you were free to tell the truth.”
• Richard on meeting Paul McCartney: “Of all the billions of people who’ve ever lived… he’s had pretty much, absolutely one of the most extraordinary lives.” He calls the encounter “a proper pinch me moment.”
• On McCartney watching House of Games: “It’s like… when George Michael used to watch Deal or No Deal.” Richard adds: “It’s when icons and legends are human beings. It’s such a lovely thing.”
• Richard on Would I Lie to You?: “That’s why this show is one of the best on TV.”
• Marina on the Would I Lie to You? research team: “That is art. It’s unbelievable… they should all work for the FBI or something.” She adds, when you think “how long the Met take to bring [in] certain people… they should go and work there.”
• Richard on the Would I Lie to You? production team’s craft: “When you’re on, it does have a light touch. It’s like you’re walking on air when you’re on that show. But… that’s because there are people behind the scenes who have done every single thing to make sure that show is gonna run beautifully and perfectly and be funny and charming and warm.”
• Marina on the César Awards: the Jim Carrey cloning theory would be “a long way to go to [attend] some French film award no one cares about.”

Who’s Who

• John Moore – Irish film director (Behind Enemy Lines, A Good Day to Die Hard) who wrote in about working with the Pentagon
• Owen Wilson – American actor, star of Behind Enemy Lines
• Gene Hackman – American actor, co-star of Behind Enemy Lines (transcribed as “Hatman” at one point)
• Jacob Tierney – Canadian writer and director of Heated Rivalry
• Robert De Niro – American actor, cited for the Taxi Driver mirror scene
• Martin Scorsese – director of Taxi Driver (transcribed as “Marnie”)
• James Cameron – director of Terminator 2, credited with pioneering the mirror room technique
• Linda Hamilton – actress in Terminator 2; her twin sister Leslie was used for the mirror scene
• Leslie Hamilton Freas – Linda Hamilton’s twin sister, body double in Terminator 2
• Arnold Schwarzenegger – star of Terminator 2, referenced in the mirror scene discussion
• Jim Carrey – American actor whose appearance at the César Awards sparked cloning conspiracy theories
• Andy Kaufman – American comedian and performance artist, known for elaborate pranks; Carrey played him in Man on the Moon
• Selena Gomez – American singer and actress, mentioned as another celebrity targeted by cloning conspiracies
• Britney Spears – mentioned as the subject of body double rumours in the early 2010s
• Avril Lavigne – Canadian singer, subject of a long-running “replacement” conspiracy theory
• Beyoncé – mentioned in the context of fake pregnancy conspiracy theories
• Melania Trump – subject of the “Fake Melania” body double conspiracy, inadvertently started by Marina in 2017
• Donald Trump – referenced in the context of the Melania conspiracy; was being interviewed by NBC at the time
• Michelle Obama – mentioned as the subject of a conspiracy theory
• Brigitte Macron – mentioned as the subject of a conspiracy theory
• Catherine, Princess of Wales – referenced in relation to the 2024 conspiracy theories during her cancer treatment
• Paul McCartney – former Beatle whom Richard recently met; subject of the classic “Paul is dead” conspiracy
• George Michael – late singer, referenced as having been a Deal or No Deal viewer
• Tupac Shakur – rapper, mentioned in the context of celebrity death conspiracies
• Rick Edwards – TV presenter; appeared in the first-ever week of House of Games
• Angela Scanlon – TV presenter; appeared in the first week of House of Games
• Clara Amfo – radio presenter; appeared in the first week of House of Games (transcribed as “Clara and Foe”)
• Charlie Higson – writer and comedian; appeared in the first week of House of Games (transcribed as “Charlie Hickson”)
• Peter Holmes – creator and producer of Would I Lie to You?
• Rob Rinder – barrister and TV personality (Judge Rinder); featured in the Would I Lie to You? anecdote
• Denise Lewis – Olympic gold medallist; panellist in the Rob Rinder WILTY episode
• Lee Mack – comedian and Would I Lie to You? team captain (transcribed as “Lemak”)
• Katherine Ryan – comedian; was on the David Mitchell team in the Rob Rinder episode
• David Mitchell – comedian and Would I Lie to You? team captain (referenced as “Davis team”)
• Daley Thompson – Olympic decathlete; mentioned in Denise Lewis’s fabricated WILTY story
• Barry Cryer – late comedian; the production team once found a bus driver for his WILTY segment (transcribed as “Barry Crier”)
• Kimberly Boke – Would I Lie to You? researcher who tracked down Edward for the Rob Rinder segment
• Kieran – Marina’s husband, whom she was going to meet when she tweeted the Fake Melania theory
• Harry Styles – singer, referenced in connection with a previous episode about a conspiracy theory

Notable Numbers

• 19 years – the length of time Would I Lie to You? has been running when the episode was recorded
• 171 – the total number of “This Is My” guests booked on Would I Lie to You? over its run
• Three times as many – approximately how many potential “This Is My” guests the production team have tracked down compared to the number actually booked (roughly 513)
• 20 years – the length of time Rob Rinder had been using his school crush’s name as the basis for his internet passwords
• £85,000 – a prize amount referenced by Richard as a potential big win on The Wheel that could justify putting that episode first
• 5 a day – the number of House of Games episodes filmed per day, as enquired about by Paul McCartney
• 2017 – the year Marina inadvertently started the “Fake Melania” conspiracy theory via a tweet
• 2001 – the year Behind Enemy Lines was released