MATT: I'm Matt Parker
TOM: and I'm Tom Scott
and we're here at King's Cross Station
at 5:30, the busiest time for the network.
MATT: And we're not here to go anywhere:
we're here to test some of the biggest lies on the London Underground.
TOM: We all know that the Tube map distorts reality.
Usually, that's useful, but not always.
I'm going to take the map's route from Lancaster Gate to Paddington.
MATT: And I'm just going to walk above ground.
-- Go! -- Do it!
TOM: I have to go down a lift,
wait at a platform,
catch the train two stops,
get off the train,
take a long walk through a station and up some stairs,
wait at another platform,
catch another train two stops,
and then walk through the bowels of Paddington Station.
It takes 15 minutes for me to get there.
MATT: As you can see on the above-ground map,
Tom has taken a massive detour,
when in reality the two stations are just around the corner.
From my perspective...
-- Go! -- Do it!
MATT: I just took a pleasant five-minute walk
through the streets of London.
It didn't cost me anything,
and I even had enough time at Paddington Station
to get a cup of tea and really freak Tom out.
TOM: Oh, for... I genuinely thought I'd won there.
TOM: There are more subtle lies on the Underground too.
Bank station gets a flood of commuters
going one way in the morning,
and the other way in the evening.
So the signs change depending on the time of day.
MATT: According to the BBC series 'The Tube',
at times staff will even route commuters
deliberately around a very long detour.
This will slow them down
and prevent a dangerous crush
without making anyone angry.
TOM: But it doesn't explain King's Cross.
From the Victoria Line, I'll follow the signs to "Trains".
MATT: And I'll do the smart thing.
I'm going to head straight to the low-key "Euston Road" exit.
TOM: While Matt uses his insider knowledge,
I have to walk along the crowded platform,
up a set of stairs,
through a series of rather long tunnels
that just keep going,
through the new northern ticket hall,
through King's Cross itself,
before finally meeting Matt after five minutes.
TOM: I have got to start taking the short route!
MATT: Why did I get there first?
Because all I had to do was
go up an escalator,
pop outside for a minute,
and there I am.
At the mainline entrance in about half the time.
It may not seem like much,
but when you're running for a train,
that little bit of time can make all the difference.
The trouble is, if everyone went the same way I did,
there'd be a huge crush. There's not enough room.
It would be slower for everyone.
TOM: The tube's signage is a masterpiece of design.
The occasional lie makes it quicker overall.
As a wise man once said,
the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
That's why the London Underground lies to you.
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