Who’s the more foolish – the fool, or the fool who follows him?

by James

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I’ve never been able to decide on an answer to Obi-Wan Kenobi’s question, but I do enjoy playing the odd practical joke on friends and family. Tomorrow (before midday at least!) is therefore one of my favourite days of the year: April Fools’ Day!

April Fools’ Day can be dated back to the reign of Henry VIII. Although well-known for the dissolution of the monasteries and his six wives, less people are aware of the way in which Henry used to enjoy playing practical jokes on his servants and advisors. During a banquet with the French King in 1532 he feigned choking on a chicken bone, and he often enjoyed pulling on the skins of wild animals and jumping out on people travelling through the grounds of Windsor Castle. When Henry died on April 1 1547, it was decided that the day would be kept as a reminder of the late King’s fun-loving side.

Unfortunately ‘you can’t kid a kidder’ hasn’t always been true in my case and I’ve been on the receiving end of a few pranks myself. I remember being sent for sky hooks, tartan paint and a glass hammer in an early part-time job, and must confess to being caught out for a few seconds last year by this great effort from the BBC:

Some of my other favourites over the years include when Channel 4’s Big Breakfast made it look as if the Millennium Dome was on fire during a live broadcast in 1998, and when Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show reported in 2004 that Germany had dropped the Euro and were in negotiations to adopt the British pound! Of course, one of the classic hoaxes of all time has to be the ‘Spaghetti trees harvest’ clip from Panorama in 1957:

Have a fun morning, and keep your eyes peeled for anything which might seem out of the ordinary. The second paragraph of this post could be a good place to start – sorry couldn’t resist it