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Prank shows that didn't go down well with the pranked

Started by The Lurker, July 29, 2021, 05:51:41 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Natnar

Quote from: thenoise on July 30, 2021, 06:55:53 PM
Radio pranks have a pretty grim track record. There was those Australians who conned a British nurse into telling them about Princess Katie, resulting in her suicide.

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/australian-radio-dj-mel-greig-bbc-royal-prank-call-duchess-cambridge-hospital-nurse-jacintha-saldanha-suicide-divorce-contribute-a7706186.html

i don't have any sympathy for her at all (the DJ not the victim)

Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio One used to, in the 80s, play recordings of radio pranksters from America who were called the Jerky Boys, who would ring up people and do some sort of wind up.

Ham Bap

The infamous Tube Bar Tapes, where 2 fellas pranked a bar owner in Jersey City in the 70s.
Most probably what The Simpsons based Bart and Moes prank calls on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l5tdsyuLX0

g0m

Quote from: Petey Pate on July 30, 2021, 01:30:26 PM
Who could forget the legendary coffee shop prank in Jon He Does It?

If tea is what he wants... then "T" is what he's gonna get

McChesney Duntz

Quote from: Ham Bap on July 31, 2021, 11:18:08 AM
The infamous Tube Bar Tapes, where 2 fellas pranked a bar owner in Jersey City in the 70s.
Most probably what The Simpsons based Bart and Moes prank calls on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l5tdsyuLX0

Also served as the basis for a short film starring the (ideally cast) Lawrence Tierney...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp4DTA3wvd0

Shit Good Nose

Like him or loathe him, Caesar the Boogeyman/Geezer famously being sacked from Talk Radio after one prank too many of course, despite being instructed to be as offensive and outrageous as possible (and despite being a long-term outspoken doubter of US talk radio style presentation working in the UK).  The official line being that he was removed due to declining audience figures and getting too many complaints, despite his last few shows (including the then-notorious one about the end of the world, which so-say caused someone who thought it was real to commit suicide, which in itself was later revealed to be a fabricated story suggested to the press by Talk Radio's marketing team) getting the highest figures of any non-music show at the time, and receiving fewer complaints than Mark & Lard's evening show on radio 1.  You could say that Caesar himself was pranked into failing by Talk Radio.

Since then he's been drifting between local stations, low rent TV work (including a short stint on Television X) and several bankruptcies.

Cold Meat Platter

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on July 31, 2021, 07:59:23 PM
Like him or loathe him, Caesar the Boogeyman/Geezer famously being sacked from Talk Radio after one prank too many of course, despite being instructed to be as offensive and outrageous as possible (and despite being a long-term outspoken doubter of US talk radio style presentation working in the UK).  The official line being that he was removed due to declining audience figures and getting too many complaints, despite his last few shows (including the then-notorious one about the end of the world, which so-say caused someone who thought it was real to commit suicide, which in itself was later revealed to be a fabricated story suggested to the press by Talk Radio's marketing team) getting the highest figures of any non-music show at the time, and receiving fewer complaints than Mark & Lard's evening show on radio 1.  You could say that Caesar himself was pranked into failing by Talk Radio.

Since then he's been drifting between local stations, low rent TV work (including a short stint on Television X) and several bankruptcies.

Was pranked on Brass Eye too, no? Which brings up all Morris' unhappy victims, Amess etc.

Shit Good Nose

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on July 31, 2021, 08:04:44 PM
Was pranked on Brass Eye too, no? Which brings up all Morris' unhappy victims, Amess etc.

Yep, he was.  That was when he was doing pretty much anything for money.

I've always felt a little bit sorry for him in a way as, a bit like Edmonds and Beadle (the latter who shined on Talk Radio - I really warmed to Beadle on that, having previously only known him for Beadle's about and not being a fan of prank shows) actually, he was a pretty good "regular" DJ when he had music shows, but there was a huge amount of ego there as well, which is probably why he never settled in one presenting job for too long.  He was even sacked from TVX IIRC.

Thomas

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on July 31, 2021, 08:04:44 PM
Was pranked on Brass Eye too, no? Which brings up all Morris' unhappy victims, Amess etc.

Reggie Kray was unhappy after being tipped off that Carla the elephant was a pisstake. Sent someone round to the production office, and the team had to move (and possibly employ security?).

The mythical audio of the Reggie phonecall was in Oxide Ghosts, if I remember rightly.

j_u_d_a_s

Not really a prank as such, but this radio stunt where a teenage girl admitted to being raped on (where else) Australian radio ended with both hosts losing their jobs.

What makes this especially grim was the mother being fully aware the teenager was raped beforehand yet still pushed them to do this stupid segment.

The Lurker

Quote from: Cold Meat Platter on July 31, 2021, 08:04:44 PM
Was pranked on Brass Eye too, no? Which brings up all Morris' unhappy victims, Amess etc.

Not sure how I forgot Brass Eye of all shows. John McCririck wasn't best pleased, nor was Noel Edmonds for being accused of decapitating Clive Anderson. The latter's not really a prank though. Dr Fox and Tommy Vance seemed to take it well, good for them.

I felt a bit for Paul Daniels as he seemed to genuinely want to make it a good piece. Quite how he fell for it is beyond me though.

I remember a rumour going around about an unaired Beadle's About prank in which a dead body came back to life. Supposedly, the victim of the prank was so scared that he jumped though a window and injured himself.

Anyone else remember this rumour, and was there any truth to it?

Video Game Fan 2000

I remember that being a tabloid story. I think it might have been an April Fools in the Mirror or the Sun? Because there is no evidence online.

Mark X

Suffice to say, this one didn't go down to well with the intended victim. Or the perpetrator. Or the producers of Balls of Steel, who probably had this exact idea pencilled in for series three.


famethrowa

Quote from: Phoenix Lazarus on July 31, 2021, 10:16:10 AM
Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio One used to, in the 80s, play recordings of radio pranksters from America who were called the Jerky Boys, who would ring up people and do some sort of wind up.

Well their thing seems to be more like "ring a random person and do an absurd comedy routine down the phone". Usually pretty entertaining

Video Game Fan 2000

What about that Longmont Potion Castle prank call where he tries to buy a kids Super Nintendo, and the kid's dad grabs the phone and threatens sexual violence in a creepy Jordan Peterson voice.

Bronzy

There was a radio one here in Scotland that somehow turned into a blackmail attempt.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7S9pt5oFZz4

Quote from: Antiseptic Poetry on August 01, 2021, 03:46:10 PM
I remember a rumour going around about an unaired Beadle's About prank in which a dead body came back to life. Supposedly, the victim of the prank was so scared that he jumped though a window and injured himself.

Anyone else remember this rumour, and was there any truth to it?

I heard Jimmy Savile was involved...

C_Larence

Quote from: Bronzy on August 02, 2021, 03:37:11 AM
There was a radio one here in Scotland that somehow turned into a blackmail attempt.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7S9pt5oFZz4

What was he thinking phoning back after?