Google behind Webdriver Torso mystery

Google has admitted that it is behind the Webdriver Torso web account, an unlikely internet sensation which has mystified and delighted web users.

The mystery began when a series of seemingly pointless 11-second videos - all showing a series of blue and red rectangles - were uploaded in their thousands to YouTube.

Speculation was rife about what could be behind the enigmatic postings and what they could mean.

But now it seems that the reality is that Webdriver Torso is one of many tests channels used by YouTube to ensure video quality.

In an official statement, Google said: "We're never going to give you uploading that's slow or loses video quality, and we're never going to let you down by playing YouTube in poor video quality. That's why we're always running tests like Webdriver Torso."