Utter? I don’t know. I did find myself wishing they had stuck more closely to the true story, which was often compelling enough.
The bottom line of the serie, I thought, was that we’re inclined to believe the fantastic without checking snopes etc. However, when presented with some stories that you know are true or false, ferreting out the difference can be challenging.
Beyond Belief presented itself as ‘some of these stories are true and some we made up’.
The truth was ‘Some of these stories we made up. Some are pre-existing ULs and stories’
Douglas Adams is adamant that this one happened to him. But even discounting Adams’ experience, that particular legend is plausible enough that I’d be extremely surprised if it hasn’t occurred dozens of times.