April Fool's Day 2023: Biggest pranks including silent flights and dust perfume

01 April 2023 , 15:38

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Many people very nearly found themselves fooled today (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Love it or hate it, April Fool's Day has once again wreaked havoc on our lives for one long, chaotic morning, and there's no judgment at all if you ended up falling for one daft prank or another, especially given that some are pretty convincing.

Big brands have been at it again, with B&Q flogging a perfume range of scents including 'Powder of Cement', 'Fresh Saw Dust', and 'Freshly Cut Grass'. For those of us who actually love such smells, it was perhaps a bit disappointing to learn that this was just a hoax.

Over on Instagram, a number of keen readers were positively horrified by one piece of joke news, while one very topical musical theatre announcement very nearly had people queueing up to buy fake tickets.

Gullible people can now finally relax (Stock Photo) (Getty Images)

Square Babybel

The lunchbox staple is instantly recognisable on account of its little red shape, and we couldn't imagine it any other day. Babybel fans were therefore left momentarily shaken after learning that the moreish cheese snack was changing to "a new, more 'mature' shape" after it emerged that the brand was perceived as "too fun".

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Fortunately, this was of course a joke, and you most likely won't be seeing square Babybels on the supermarket shelf anytime soon.

Babybel is still round and fun, despite what you might have heard

Silent flights

Now, many of us will have had to endure a noisy flight at some point or another, and so it may have been music to some travellers' ears that KAYAK was set to launch a 'Silent Flights' feature.

With this feature, passengers could choose preferences such as "No phone call zone" and "No small talk", allowing passengers to more easily "find flights with more fellow quiet comrades for a more zen-like atmosphere".

Unfortunately for those who shudder at the very thought of a chatty seatmate, this feature is of course, too good to be true.

Those who like peace and quiet on flights will still have to invest in earplugs

B&Q perfume range

B&Q nearly had shoppers for a second after announcing they were expanding into the world of perfumery with the launch of "three new home and garden-inspired perfumes".

The DIY giant declared it would be rebranding B’and Que for this unexpected venture, which would see them flog scents such as Powder of Cement, Fresh Saw Dust, and Freshly Cut Grass.

Even though you may well love the distinctive, homely smell of DIY, this was, naturally, just a silly hoax.

Those who love the smell of fresh saw dust will simply have to get going with their DIY plans instead

Dom Joly's 'top 10 April Fool pranks' prank

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Comedian Dom Joly got thoroughly in the spirit of things with a prank that fooled various followers. Taking to Twitter, he shared what appeared to be a clip of his "top ten April Fool Pranks of all time".

Cheeky Dom promised that "number eight is the all-time classic", but when people tried to click on it, they found it didn't actually play, much to their frustration. After a while, it slowly dawned on fans that the clip was in fact just a very convincing screengrab, and one which a number of people confessed was the "only one" they'd fallen for today.

Spare the Musical

After the success of Prince Harry's hit memoir Spare, a number of royal fans were this morning intrigued to see that the bestseller was set to be turned into a musical, featuring hits such as 'The Cold Never Bothered My Todger Anyway', '(Not) The Best Man', and 'I'll Make A Man Out Of You (Behind A Very Busy Pub)'.

As announced by WhatsOnStage, the show would see Ed Sheeran take up the leading role, with fellow ginger star Rupert Grint as his understudy. Sadly, such a production is not in the works, at least at the time of writing.

A Prince Harry musical is currently not in the works (PA)

Digital Books

Book lovers over on Instagram were left dismayed after a harsh prank from retailer Indigo, which today shared an 'article' with the headline, 'Publishers have announced all new releases will be digital only by 2026'.

In this digital era, many traditionally-minded bookworms were left dismayed by the news, until twigging that it contained a quote from the long-dead Victorian author, Charles Dickens.

One person declared they'd been "almost about to lose it", while gasped, "a part of me died."

Julia Banim