This one comes from the time before colour became the dominant TV technology, and from a source that made it seem believable, as silly as its basic premise was. Best of all, it was preserved on film so later generations could enjoy it, too…
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On April 1, 1957, the BBC’s flagship evening newsmagazine show Panorama featured a 3-minute ‘documentary’ on ‘The spaghetti harvest in Switzerland’. The aftermath of the elaborate hoax was immense: The BBC received more exposure in other media than it had before or since.
Wikipedia recalls: “An estimated eight million people watched the programme on 1 April 1957, and hundreds phoned in the following day to question the authenticity of the story or ask for more information about spaghetti cultivation and how they could grow their own spaghetti trees; the BBC told them to, “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
CNN called the broadcast “the biggest hoax that any reputable news establishment ever pulled,” and that counts all of them – not just the food-themed ones. Today, The Spaghetti Harvest Hoax celebrates its 65th anniversary. Congrats!
Enjoy the mini-doc above, which gives the inside info on the hoax, from someone who was involved in it.
Cheers!
~ Maggie J.