On the evening of April 1, 1957, millions of British citizens sat in their living rooms, eyes glued to their television sets, watching the BBC’s esteemed current affairs program, Panorama. What they witnessed was a report so convincing, yet so absurd, that it resulted in one of the most widespread instances of public deception in broadcasting history.
The segment featured a detailed documentary about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland, attributing the agricultural success to an exceptionally mild winter and the virtual disappearance of the “spaghetti weevil.” This broadcast successfully convinced a significant portion of the United Kingdom that pasta grew on trees.
Harvesting Pasta in the Swiss Alps
The three-minute film presented a tranquil scene near Lake Lugano. Footage showed Swiss families moving casually among orchard trees, reaching up to pluck long, uniform strands of spaghetti from the branches. They placed the noodles into wicker baskets before laying them out in the warm Alpine sun to dry.
The narrator explained that while spaghetti cultivation in Italy occurred on a vast, industrial scale, the Swiss maintained a traditional, family-oriented approach. The report specifically noted the remarkable uniformity of the spaghetti strands, stating that this perfection was the result of many years of patient work by plant breeders to produce the ideal length.
The Voice of Authority
The success of the hoax relied entirely on the credibility of the narrator, Richard Dimbleby. As the BBC’s first war correspondent and a leading figure in British journalism, Dimbleby carried an air of absolute authority and seriousness. When he looked into the camera and described the “anxious days” growers faced due to potential late frosts, the audience listened without skepticism.
In 1957, spaghetti was not a common household staple in Britain; it was considered an exotic delicacy, typically sold in tins with tomato sauce. Few British consumers knew that pasta was made from flour and water, leaving them vulnerable to the suggestion that it was an agricultural product.
Staging the Impossible
The concept originated from cameraman Charles de Jaeger, who recalled a school teacher once telling his class that they were foolish enough to believe spaghetti grew on trees. To realize this vision, the production crew traveled to a hotel in Castagnola, Switzerland, and also filmed segments in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
They purchased 20 pounds of uncooked homemade spaghetti. To ensure the strands hung naturally from the laurel branches, the crew steamed the pasta to make it flexible before draping it over the trees. Dimbleby received £250 for his role in the prank, a significant sum at the time.
A Flood of Inquiries
Immediately following the broadcast, the BBC switchboard was overwhelmed with hundreds of phone calls from viewers. While some callers recognized the date and the joke, a large number contacted the station to ask for specific instructions on how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees.
The BBC operators adhered to a standard response for these inquiries: “Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.” Even the Director General of the BBC, Sir Ian Jacob, was not informed of the segment beforehand; reports state he had to consult an encyclopedia to confirm that spaghetti did not actually grow on trees.
On April 1, 1957, the BBC’s Panorama pulled off a legendary broadcast.
Millions watched a serious report about a “spaghetti harvest” in Switzerland.
Viewers saw families plucking pasta from trees, unaware they were being fooled by the most trusted news source in Britain. pic.twitter.com/t8xwc7I1lO
— Fascinating True Stories (@FascinatingTrue) December 16, 2025