World's Biggest Liar

The World's Biggest Liar competition is held every November at the Bridge Inn, Santon Bridge, in memory of Will Ritson (1808–1890), a pub landlord{{Cite web|url=http://www.santonbridgeinn.com/liar/|title=Santon Bridge Inn|website=Santonbridgeinn.com|access-date=24 October 2021}} from Wasdale, who was well known for his "tall tales".{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7741037.stm|title=King Liar holds onto his crown|publisher=BBC|date=21 November 2008|access-date=2008-11-22}} One of Ritson's most famous fibs was that turnips grew so large in the Lake District that people carved them out to make cow sheds.

In 2003, Abrie Krueger of South Africa was named the world's biggest liar after telling a story about how he was crowned King of the Wasdale Valley. This marked the first time that a foreigner had won the competition, which was marked with allegations of Krueger having cheated.{{cite news|first=Maria|last=Ahmed|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1028389.ece|title=World's biggest liar accused of cheating|publisher=Times Online|date=28 November 2003|access-date=2008-11-26 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} A Bishop of Carlisle{{Cite web|url=http://www.cwherald.com/archive/archive/temple-sowerby-maypole-folklore-20071019298695.htm|title=Cumberland and Westmorland Herald; Letters, 19 October 2007|access-date=24 October 2021}} was supposed to have once won the competition with the shortest-ever speech; he simply said, "I have never told a lie in my life."{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/blog/2007/nov/21/barefacedliars|title=Who's the world's biggest liar?|publisher=Guardian.co.uk|date=2007-11-21|access-date=2008-11-24 | location=London | first=Martin | last=Wainwright}}

Comedian Sue Perkins won the competition in 2006, marking the first time in the event's history that a woman won the competition. Her winning tall tale was about how the ozone layer became damaged, ice caps melted and people had to be taken to work on camels.

In 2008, John "Johnny Liar" Graham won the competition for the seventh time after telling the judges a story of a magical ride to Scotland in a wheelie bin that went under the sea. The previous year Graham's winning lie was that a World War II German submarine had invaded Britain to capture digital television decoders.

Paul Burrows from Essex won the competition in 2010. He told a story of how the lakes and mountains of the Cumbrian countryside had been stolen from the county of Essex, leaving it as flat as it is today.{{cite news|url=http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2010/11/19/worlds-biggest-liar-crowned|title=World's Biggest Liar Crowned|publisher=Independent.co.uk|date=2010-11-19|access-date=2011-01-16|location=London|first=Alan|last=Cleaver|archive-date=2010-11-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124064801/http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2010/11/19/worlds-biggest-liar-crowned/|url-status=dead}}

The 2011 winner was Glen Boylan. His story involved betting on a snail race with Prince Charles (who advised him to remove the shell to make it more aerodynamic) and losing because his opponents cheated with battery-operated snails.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204531404577054372679424072?mod=ITP_AHED|title=Honestly, This Part of England Has the World's Biggest Liars|author=Alistair MacDonald |date=November 25, 2011|publisher=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=December 7, 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/features/i-ve-only-been-one-of-the-creme-de-la-creme-liars-since-i-became-a-supervisor-at-sellafield-now-i-m-having-to-deal-with-lots-of-expert-liars-all-the-time-1.899218?referrerPath=features|title='I've only been in one of the creme de la creme liars since I became a supervisor at Sellafield. Now I'm having to deal with lots of expert liars all the time...'|date=November 21, 2011|publisher=News & Star|access-date=December 7, 2011}}

2013 saw Mike Naylor win for the third time of his Lying career. Naylor, a 57-year-old man from Wasdale told a story about Wassie, the monster that lives in Wastwater, the local lake.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/1.ballet-star-shows-off-charity-portraits/|title=Ballet star shows off charity portraits|website=Bucks Free Press|access-date=24 October 2021}} He is the nephew of Joss Naylor, better known as a fell runner, but himself also a former winner of the competition.{{cite news |url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/features/columnists/latest/8971478.Ad_lib__ad_fib/?ref=rss |title=Ad lib, ad fib |author=Mike Amos |date=2011-04-13 |publisher=The Northern Echo |access-date=2015-06-28}}

In 2019, Phillip Gate from Workington won with a story about how Cumbria is rich not only in coal deposits but also sugar, which is the reason for the county's large jam production.{{cite news |last1=Pidd |first1=Helen |title=Festival of fibs: Workington Man is crowned world's biggest liar |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/nov/22/festival-of-fibs-workington-man-is-crowned-worlds-biggest-liar |access-date=26 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=22 November 2019}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20071111162049/http://www.biggestliar.co.uk/ WBL Official Website]}}
• [http://www.santonbridgeinn.com/the-worlds-bigest-liar Bridge Inn link on Ritson]
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/2527307.stm BBC]

Category:Culture in Cumbria

Category:Deception

Category:Annual events in England