E1338 - The Spaghetti Harvest

One of the most famous hoaxes in broadcasting history aired on the BBC’s revered Panorama programme on April Fools Day, 1957: a segment purporting to show a “spaghetti harvest” taking place near Lake Lugano. According to the report, mild weather and the disappearance of a “spaghetti weevil” had resulted in trees unseasonably laden with strands of pasta. 

The prank originated with Charles de Jaeger, who drew on a childhood memory of being teased that spaghetti grew on trees. With the backing of Panorama’s young Editor, Michael Peacock, his team travelled to Switzerland to film convincing footage. Local partici...