These days, TV pranks are usually limited to hidden camera shows like Impractical Jokers. But that wasn’t always the case, and a number of different networks have engaged in similar shenanigans over the years, even going as far as to target their own viewers. The BBC, for one, has a long history of playing tricks on the people at home, particularly in celebration of April Fool’s Day. Let’s take a look back at a few of the funniest gags they’ve pulled over the years.
4. FLYING PENGUINS
On April 1, 2008, The Daily Telegraph reported that footage of flying penguins would air on the BBC later that day as part of the network’s Miracles of Evolution series. The show was to be presented by Monty Python star Terry Jones, who was quoted as saying, “The film reveals nature’s stunning glory in exciting and unexpected ways, so much so that it defies belief.” It was later revealed to have been a hoax put together with the help of special effects. Additionally, the filmmaker’s name, Prof. Alid Loyas, turned out to be an anagram of “April Fool’s Day.”
3. THE GRANDSTAND FIGHT
During a 1989 segment of the live sports program Grandstand, a fight broke out between two BBC reporters seated behind commentator Des Lynam—or so it seemed. The altercation grew to involve more people as Lynam played along, as if he were trying to get it sorted out, telling the producers, in one version, “It’s a live show, for heaven’s sake.” The broadcast returned with a mock apology, after which Lynam joked, “Let’s just see that again,” and proceeded to replay the footage.
2. SMELL-O-VISION
In 1965, the BBC interviewed a professor who said he invented what he called “Smell-O-Vision.” The device was supposedly capable of letting viewers smell the aromas emanating from the TV studio from the privacy of their homes. The professor then demonstrated his new technology by chopping onions and brewing coffee. Despite the whole thing being a gag, several viewers called in to say that they’d experienced the scents coming from their television sets.
1. THE SPAGHETTI HARVEST
A 1957 news report from the BBC’s current-affairs program Panorama might go down as their most memorable prank of all. According to the three-minute segment, a mild winter and the disappearance of the “spaghetti weevil” had resulted in a spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. The accompanying footage showed farmers pulling large strands of spaghetti from trees, prompting hundreds of viewers to ask how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. CNN later called it “the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled.”
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