Best TV factual errors of 2008

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The Inbetweeners picture The Inbetweeners mistake picture

Thorpe Park - S1-E3

Factual error: The same number plate can be seen on two different vehicles in this episode. The registration M483LTH can be seen on the hearse and then on Simon's car when parking. No two vehicles in the UK will ever share a number plate. (00:11:10 - 00:12:30)

Ssiscool

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Ashes to Ashes picture

Episode #1.8 - S1-E8

Factual error: When the bullion van leaves the yard a 1995 N reg Rover 600 is parked on the left hand side of the road, before Ray drives off in his Granada. In 1982 the Rover 600 was not even on the drawing board.

paulnjsmith

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Breaking Bad picture

Gliding Over All - S5-E8

Factual error: When going over the logistics of the plan to kill the ten men in prison, Jack tells Walt that killing Osama Bin Laden was less complicated. Breaking Bad takes place over a period of two years, beginning with Walt's birthday in 2008, and ending on his birthday in 2010. Bin Laden wasn't killed until May of 2011. (00:15:23)

Phaneron

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Murdoch Mysteries picture

Murdoch.com - S2-E10

Factual error: Enid, the telegraph operator, exclaims that "He is sending an SOS." However, in the 19th century, distress calls did not include the letters "SOS," It was not until the early 20th Century that SOS was chosen as the international distress call.

goofyfoot

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: The show is set in the early 1900's, which is the early 20th century. By the time this event transpired, SOS would have been established as a universal distress signal.

The show starts in 1895 and by season 2, it was still the 19th century and before Germany adopted SOS in 1905.

Bishop73

More Murdoch Mysteries factual errors
Fringe picture

Pilot - S1-E1

Factual error: When the 747-aircraft of the fake German airline is being shown, you can see the German flag on the plane. But you also see an "N-xxxxx" registration which stands for USA. If it were a real German plane, it would have a "D-xxxx" registration.

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New Amsterdam picture

Show generally

Factual error: This series uses a beautifully-rendered CGI sequence of New Amsterdam C. 1650 morphing into New York City of the present day. The Native American tribe we see at the start of the sequence, however, never inhabited the New England area. They look more like the Lakota plains tribes seen in Dances With Wolves. The North-Eastern tribes didn't build teepees as seen here, either. The dwellings should be longhouse wigwams made of wood.

Jean G

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Life on Mars (US) picture

Show generally

Factual error: The camera starts out-of-focus looking down a crowded sidewalk full of background actors in period clothes and hairstyles (1973). As the camera racks into focus, Sam is walking toward the camera with many awnings visible in the background - a large blue one reads "24 Hr ATM". Though versions were invented prior to 1973, they didn't come into wide usage until the mid-to-late-80's and certainly weren't available in East Village bodegas at the time of this episode.

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The Suite Life on Deck picture

Show generally

Factual error: In the beginning of the episode "Show and Tell", you can see Woody clipping his toenails on the bed. You can see how many toes he has one of his feet. He has 5 toes. Yet, in one of the first episodes, Woody states he has 8 toes on one foot and 3 on the other.

mld566

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Iron Man: Armored Adventures picture

Iron Forged in Fire: Part One - S1-E1

Factual error: As Tony is being escorted to Obadiah Stane’s office six months after Howard’s death, there is a close up of Trish’s computer keyboard. Everything on the keyboard matches up how it’s supposed to be on a QWERTY layout, except rather than the 4 being between E/R or above the R, as is standard on all keyboards, it's between R/T. All the numbers are moved over from where they are supposed to be. (00:07:50)

Quantom X

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Generation Kill picture

Show generally

Factual error: Throughout the mini-series, the First Recon Marines use AN/PAQ-4 laser sights, when in reality they used the AN/PEQ-2 laser. Another error is that they are using (according to them) AAA batteries for the sights, while both sights actually run on AA batteries.

Matdan97

More Generation Kill factual errors
Batman: The Brave and the Bold picture

Triumvirate of Terror! - S3-E8

Factual error: During the final fight in Lex's lair, Joker gives Batman a good smack with his large hammer. As is common in this show, when a good hit is delivered, a freeze frame is show with the figures moving in slow motion with a stylized colorful backdrop to add to the drama dynamics. But as Joker delivers this hit and this stylized shot is shown, the show cuts to some inmates in a prison cell watching the fight on TV. The same stylized shot is shown on their TV, where it would be show like that there, only to us. They would have just seen Joker hit Batman with the hammer and him fly off in real time with no stylized back drop or slow mo. (00:20:00)

Quantom X

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Wolverine and the X-Men picture

Overflow - S1-E4

Factual error: When the X-Men are surfacing after crashing their jet into the dam, Shadowcat is shown phasing through the jet and pulling Wolverine and Beast through with her. Since Wolverine's bones are coated with a heavy metal, he wouldn't be able to float to the surface. He would sink instead. (00:14:57)

Phaneron

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Sons of Anarchy picture

Huang Wu - S6-E10

Factual error: When Tara goes into her office there's dried blood on the carpet from her faked miscarriage. Considering it's a bio hazard that happened days ago it would've been cleaned up and sanitized since it's a hospital.

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: The blood is on carpet which is very difficult to clean as it's such an absorbent material. The carpet will keep the stain, but as long as it has been thoroughly sanitised there is no issue here. Yes, the carpet could have been replaced, but hospitals don't generally keep spare carpets laying about. Plus the fact that her office isn't a treatment area, there isn't much of a hazard anyway.

Doctor's office with a blood stain on the carpet? Highly unlikely.

Amy Emerick Tice

Highly unlikely doesn't make it a mistake.

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The Andromeda Strain picture

Show generally

Factual error: When the doctors are testing the contagiousness of Andromeda on the rats and monkey, in a highly secure, bio-sealed environment, the robotic arm that does the work simply pushes the containers together - no seals, no suction or vacuum. There would be absolutely no chance whatsoever of a real bio-research lab doing this so casually.

DavidRTurner

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