What's your best April Fool's story?

April 1 has seen the usual jokes and pranks to celebrate April Fool's day, with newspapers and television programmes all joining in on the fun.

One of the best spoofs was in Luton where residents were surprised to learn the town had been twinned with Athens, Barcelona and Dublin.

But probably the most famous April Fool's day joke ever is still the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest which was shown on the BBC news programme, Panorama, in 1957.

Huge numbers of viewers were taken in by footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees.

Have you fallen for or played an April Fool's joke on someone? Send us your stories.

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This debate is now closed. Read your comments below.

The following comments reflect the balance of the opinions we have received:

The best I came across was on the radio a while back. Apparently work had stopped on digging the Channel Tunnel after engineers on the English side had struck oil.
Michael McConnell, Basingstoke, UK

When I was at junior school a small group of us had the job of setting up the hall for morning assembly. We set up the chairs for the recorder players and pushed the piano up for the music teacher to play the hymns. All we did was put a large black rubber spider under the lid covering the piano keys. When it was time to sing the first hymn the whole school went silent and the music teacher opened the piano. I'll never forget her scream to this day! The simple ones are always the best in my mind.
Richard Hawley, Chelmsford, Essex, UK

I enjoyed the GMTV one yesterday about the negative calorie diet water. Seems a lot of people fell for it. Ha, ha if only dieting was so easy!
Frances, London, UK

There is nothing to top the Daily Mail's picture of the Queen in the betting shop Pat Pryor, Cambridge, Cambs

The one on Michael Grade being appointed as Chairman. That was a joke, right?
David R Jefferies, Norwich, UK

My favourite was a joke played on a former work colleague who was always late into the office. He was told to be in early one morning (on 1st April, of course) because his team had an important meeting. Of course, when he got into the meeting, his team leader revealed what was on the flip-chart: the words "Top joke!" At least it got him into work on time for a change!
David Hazel, Fareham, UK

When I was younger, the day before my 8th birthday party, April Fool's day obviously, my parents told me that the party was off because nobody could come, I cried for ages, even after my parents had told me that they were joking as it was April Fool's!
Rachel, Malton

One of the best April Fool's joke I heard of was when during the late 90s at a time when Brussels were introducing bonkers EU regulations (what's new?) One of my colleagues put together an EU Directive announcing as of 1st April, 12 inch rulers were to be replaced by 30cm ones. By 9.30am on the day, a long queue of people formed in front of his desk. The look on their faces as they handed over their imperial ruler only to see it turned round and handed straight back to them is something I will never forget!
Pip, Kent

I remember when I lived near Bedford and they first opened up access from the river there all the way through to the sea there was a spoof photo of a liner 'parked' on the river frontage.
Artela, Swansea, Wales

When I was younger I fell for the April Fool's story in That's Life when they televised the introduction of the new animal the Lirpa Loof. A few years later I fell for the Mars bar advert stating they would be selling a 1kg bar! Wishful thinking I think!
Alex Robins, Hendon, London

There is nothing to top the Daily Mail's picture of the Queen in the betting shop today.
Pat Pryor, Cambridge, Cambs

When I was about 11 my brother and mate told me that Liverpool were to play our local non league team Brendan, Belfast

When I was about 11 my brother and mate told me that Liverpool were to play our local non league team on our dingy pothole pitch, I fell for it hook line and sinker and nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement. I think they felt a bit guilty afterwards as they had to break it to me they were only joking.
Brendan, Belfast

I remember the transport spokesman for the GLC saying on London Tonight, or its equivalent, that they were going to move St Paul's cathedral to the country to aid the traffic flow in the area
C Falconer, London

A few years ago during the foot and mouth 'crisis', a friend of mine back at school circulated a letter to all the students detailing how the neighbouring farm was infected and how the school needed to be shut over health and safety concerns.
Matt, Bristol, UK

"Marriage licences that had to be renewed every year." Can't remember which channels news, or what year (some time in the 70s), but I remember my dad being outraged and saying he would "live in sin", before realising it was April 1st! Now-a-days it actually might be a good idea. Save on divorces!
David R, Plymouth UK

...due to 'EU regulations' the hole in Polo's had to be put back in causing the loss of a 'national treasure'...Quality H, London

Their was a Full Page article taken out a few years ago in the times (or maybe the Daily Sport, they're both good reads) claiming that due to 'EU regulations' the hole in Polo's had to be put back in causing the loss of a 'national treasure'...Quality
H, London

Three or four years ago, my local radio station announced new traffic control systems in Sheffield City Centre. Basically if you were at a junction with red traffic lights, and there was nothing coming the other way, you could beep your car horn and the lights would change to green. Judging by the amount of drivers that were beeping their car horns at junctions and roundabouts that morning, I'd say a lot of people fell for it!
Dave, Doncaster, UK

Yeah, I agree with Andy. Peter Mandleson taking over the BBC has got to be the best April fool ever, Please, please let it be an April fool.
Neil, England

I joined the Civil Service on 1 April. Now that I'm a good few years down the line, I'm sure it wasn't coincidence.
Anon, UK

At the beginning of April 1982 I was working in Kuwait and had a long weekend off. When I got back to the office I found a message from my brother saying that Argentina had invaded the Falklands and he had been recalled to his unit and was being deployed to the South Atlantic. I sent him a very sarcastic fax saying that April Fool jokes were a bit childish even for him - I never saw him again.
Andy, Salisbury, UK

My girlfriend just told me she has been seeing my best friend behind my back for the last 3 months! Can't wait for her to say April Fools! (She is taking her time though ... mmm...?)
John, London, UK

The look on his face was priceless - I wish I'd taken a picture of it! Jonny, England

I'm the lead developer on a very high-profile project in my company. Recently the business analyst got headhunted so, in cahoots with him and my manager's manager I went to my manager and told him the BA had asked me to join him in his new company and offered me a vast pay increase to do so. The look on his face was priceless - I wish I'd taken a picture of it!
Jonny, England

Have you heard the one about the Archers' theme tune being replaced with some "modernist composition" cacophony they played on Radio 4 this morning?
Ian, UK

Peter Mandelson taking over as Chairman of the BBC as reported in today's Guardian is a real hoot......Oh hang on a minute, is it an April fool?
Andy, UK

I turned up at my local station this morning, having fallen for the joke that there would be a train to get me to work.
John B, UK

...we were all in stitches until our colleague stormed into the boss's office and pinned him against the wall Jonathon, London

In the early 90's I worked for a guy who was a notorious wind-up merchant. At the time my company was being restructured and the large scale redundancies were handled very badly and affected staff were told in a very offhand and cold way. Early in the morning with some colleagues, I cleared this person's desk of everything - phone, computer, files etc and left a brown envelope on the desk with P45 written on it. The joke had the desired affect and we were all in stitches until our colleague stormed into the boss's office and pinned him against the wall. Apart from that it was hilarious.
Jonathon, London

The reports that the EU had decided to decimalise time. 10 hours a day, 100 minutes an hour, 100 seconds a minute. Brilliant!
RC Robjohn, UK

I got my brother to send my 11 yr old son a text message calling him up to join the army. (I programmed my brother's number into the phone as 'The British Army'. I didn't think it would fool a such a sassy kid, but he was devastated and kept saying 'I don't want to go to Iraq'......
Lizzy Jewkes, Chester, England

I remember hearing on the radio once that over the years we had lost so much time that this particular year we were going to have one extra day added on to the end of the year. It fooled me for a while until I realised what the date was. Can anyone else remember that one?
Trish, England

I resigned as a joke this morning Gwynn Evans, Billericay, Essex, UK

I resigned as a joke this morning thinking my resignation would not be accepted. I was surprised to say that it was and had to do a lot of work convincing my boss that I am committed to the job I do and that I am here for the duration! Silly me!
Gwynn Evans, Billericay, Essex, UK

Many many years ago, my cousin, a gullible young Factory Apprentice, was sent off to a distant corner of the plant, having been told to "ask old Joe for a long weight". Of course, Joe said "Hang on here, while I go and get it". Some two hours later, Joe returns, empty handed, cousin asks him where the long weight is. "You've just had it, mate"....
John, England

The Bucks Free Press newspaper once ran a story saying that the US Navy was planning to dock one of its aircraft carriers in the river Wye that runs through High Wycombe. Despite the fact that the river (a tributary of the Thames) is only about 8 feet wide and 3 feet deep, some people were up in arms over the proposed 'plan'.
Stuart Bate, Birmingham, UK

The "That's life" driving dog was an absolute scream Paul, MK, UK

The "That's life" driving dog was an absolute scream. Especially some of the indignant letters about it.
Paul, MK, UK

A friend of mine in Australia texted me last night saying that Athens had aborted the Olympics and Australia were to host them instead. I thought it was odd it wasn't being reported over here, and then it suddenly dawned on me it was already April Fool's Day in Oz time... Having texted back to tell him I'd sussed him out but that it had fallen flat due to the time zone difference, it turned out it had actually been reported on local radio there and he had believed every word of it and texted me in all sincerity! Talk about egg on face... !!
Luke Bennett, Nuneaton, UK

The late Bob Shaw (the best science fiction author no-one's ever heard of) once told me about the best practical joke he'd ever seen. When he was working in Canada in the 1950s, there was a man in the office who obsessively worked out how much petrol his car used and how much he was spending on it. The other office workers clubbed together to buy petrol and sneaked it into his car during the day, then sat back and watched as it dawned on this guy that his car was using NO PETROL WHATSOEVER!! Very funny and hurt no-one - the perfect practical joke.
Robert Day, Coventry, UK

I carried a lead story on my website Fieldhockey.com about the Great Britain men's Hockey team being thrown out of the Olympics due to England and Great Britain's suspension from the International controlling body. The Times Hockey correspondent fell for it hook, line and sinker and called the FIH to confirm the story. Magazine editors in Holland have contacted me to confirm it was a joke. This one has the potential to take in people around the world and only time will tell how good it was.
George Brink, Hinckley, Leicestershire

This morning I texted my friend who had moved to Australia that Sir Clive Woodward had resigned as England's manager Chris, Oxford

This morning I texted my friend who had moved to Australia that Sir Clive Woodward had resigned as England's manager. He still thinks Dean Richards is taking over...
Chris, Oxford

That Aliens were going to abduct people from Albert Square and take they to Mars and Eastenders would never be the same again!
Lou, West Mids

How about the time they were going to re-float Nelson's flagship Discovery and put it to sea again? Or the time when Belgium split into two countries; the Dutch-speaking north and the French-speaking south?
Graham Rodhouse, Helmond, The Netherlands

That spaghetti thing was a joke? Wesley Hall, Marden, Kent

Wait.... that spaghetti thing was a joke?
Wesley Hall, Marden, Kent

This year I decided I would play my own special April Fool on some of my work colleagues. We work in the IT industry so that seemed a sensible route. I created a fake website supposedly letting you check your cars history. I used a real website and their Reg's to get the bulk of detail and then fabricated 'Minor Instances' and 'Major Instances'. There were write-offs, crashes, stolen-unrecovered etc. Nobody realised it was fake and were asking partners etc for their car reg's and testing them. These of course didn't show up and they assumed they'd written them down wrong. I sat laughing my head off inside as each of them revealed what history their own car had - all of which had history varying in severity - of course mine was clear!
Karen L, Preston, Lancs, UK

My bus being over 40 minutes late this morning. Oh wait a minute, this happens at least three times a week - silly me.
Vince, London