April 1st is April Fools Day. A day when people play practical jokes on each other.

Here are some of the most memorable ones in England:

In 1957 Panorama, a TV programme, fooled millions of Brits into believing that spaghetti grows on trees! The show announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop.

In 1980 the BBC reported that Big Ben, in order to keep up with the times, was going to be given a digital readout. It received a huge response from listeners protesting the change. The BBC Japanese service also announced that the clock hands would be sold to the first 4 listeners to contact them, and one Japanese seaman in the mid-Atlantic immediately radioed in a bid.

In 2000 early morning commuters travelling on the northern carriageway of the M3 near Farnborough, Hampshire encountered a pedestrian zebra crossing painted across the busy highway. (A zebra crossing is a place where people cross the road. Traffic has to stop for people wanting to cross on a zebra crossing)

In 2002 Tesco published an advertisement announcing the successful development of a genetically modified whistling carrot with tapered air holes in their side. The extraordinary carrots would start to whistle once fully cooked!