Top 10 Funniest Beadles About Pranks

#10: The Council Wants Your Roof Back

John’s wife was in on the joke when a man from the local council turned up to repossess his roof, which became one of the most foul-mouthed pranks in the programme’s history. Though the set-up was relatively simple, involving just scaffolding and a bloke pretending to be a roofer, John lost his temper immediately. He tried to pull down the ladder and broke the roof tiles, baffled when they turned up with letters claiming this had been in the works for months. It’s just the kind of nonsensical thing you’d expect the council to do, although the cherry on top was when the new owner of the roof tiles rocked up to take them.

#9: Royal Double

In this grift, Jay was tricked into thinking the police needed her to pose as a double for Princess Diana, getting in the Princess of Wales’ car and leading the French paparazzi far away. After pulling off the diversion, she gets back to find out that she’s been given a parking ticket, with the bobby refusing to believe her. Finally, Beadle puts her out of her misery. Back in the studio, Beadle reveals that Jay and her boyfriend Ricky have actually tied the knot, despite him organising a hidden camera sting on national television. Would YOU marry someone who’d put you up to this? Let us know.

#8: Have You Ever Seen a Ghost?

Prank victim Paul is keeping an eye on an undertaker’s when an elderly woman comes in, wanting to do the sensible thing and plan for the inevitable. She starts testing out the coffins and persuades him to take some pictures, but when the door’s shut, she’s taken through a hidden door and dressed up as a ghost. Paul tries to explain what he’s just seen to the person on the phone, only for the ghost to appear for a second time, scaring the life out of him. Eventually, the coffin opens again and it’s not the old woman, but Beadle with his trademark microphone, revealing the joke.

#7: Council Home Standard

Worse than the council repossessing your roof is the council having a go on your entire house, undoing all of the improvements you’ve made over the years. This included taking out this bloke’s windows and new door, all on the orders of the local council, who say the guidance has been changed and his house has to be reverted. They actually do start breaking into his driveway with a jackhammer, a prank surely too damaging to be allowed today – even if they DID pay to get it fixed. When they start trying to get in through the window, he climbs in himself and refuses to let them in. Just when he’s about to kick the life out of the workers, Beadle turns up.

#6: Squatters’ Rights

One of the most bizarre aspects of English law is squatters’ rights, with holidaymakers sometimes coming home to their worst nightmare: a bunch of strangers living in their house, who they’re unable to get rid of. In this prank, Beadle subverted it by having the squatters set up in their holiday caravan rather than their house. When the squatting dog makes a mess on one of the cushions, our victim sees red, still trying to evict the hippies. The council turns up, only for the local representative to also find himself ejected from the caravan by its rightful owner. Finally, Beadle turns up dressed as a copper to put him out of his misery.

#5: European Lorries

This man was absolutely livid when he found out his front garden had become a temporary site for lorry drivers to stop. He takes out most of his anguish on the bloke running the burger van, smashing up the van and then breaking in to attack him, while the lorry drivers from the Channel tunnel watch in horror. Eventually a new lorry with a French driver turns up, enraging him even more while he chucks everything into the road – including the extension leads they’ve been running from inside his house. If they were making this today, the production team would have intervened long before he started hitting people and taking off his trousers.

#4: Who’s Afraid of Modern Art?

Step aside, Banksy. In this prank, a local man is tricked into thinking the council are transforming his house into a folk art centre, complete with enormous sheets of plywood all ready to be graffitied by some local artists. He is, understandably, irate, and it doesn’t take long for him to start dragging all of the props out into the road. But most outrageous is when a bloke turns up to paint on some yellow lines so that he can’t park in front of his own house. You’d struggle to find someone who wouldn’t lose their temper at these antics. He ended up breaking the record for the most bleeps in a segment.

#3: He Likes an Older Woman

In this outrageous prank, Sylv is out on a dinner date with her daughter and her daughter’s new boyfriend – all organised by the daughter, Laura, of course. But it turns out that the boyfriend prefers a more mature woman, coming onto Sylv extremely strongly, getting handsy with her under the table in a matter of minutes. You definitely couldn’t touch somebody like that in a prank these days. Things all get a bit “EastEnders” when his pregnant bit on the side pops up to accuse Sylv of stealing him away. Sylv’s having none of it, accusing him of mistreating her daughter – before he legs it after saying he’s not got enough cash for the cheque.

#2: Say “I Do”

If you thought it was far-fetched in “Peep Show” when Mark got married out of embarrassment, you must not have seen this classic prank. Hapless victim Jason thinks he’s at a wedding to help the videographer, when a private detective turns up to say that the bride has been unfaithful and HE’S the dirty dog she’s been carrying on with. Jason’s accused of lying about his identity while the mother of the bride says that, because it’s all paid for, she’s not leaving until her daughter gets married. Jason’s strong-armed into going along with it, and actually says the vows out of social embarrassment, while everybody gaslights him.

#1: Aliens Come to Dorset

Could the #1 pick be anyone other than Janet Elford, who was spectacularly duped into thinking aliens had landed in her back garden by Beadle – helped by her family? She was also one of the few legendary prank victims who didn’t start effing and blinding as soon as they were inconvenienced. Janet’s given the responsibility of first contact, talking to an extremely crude alien prop and even, at one point, offering him a cup of tea. Then she starts singing with him, although it all gets a bit Freudian when the alien calls her “mummy”. It just goes to show that people will believe anything if somebody tells them to.

Let us know in the comments if you know anybody who was a victim of Jeremy Beadle.