April Fool for a Complete Fool

I cannot believe I forgot to mention this.

Myself, Kettle and Master Ridgway, (although Ridgway at a much later date), decided we should play some sort of April Fools joke on one of 'The Hawkers'. Many potentials were discussed with many potential targets deliberated, (ok, there wasn't). There was only one man who could believe such an elaborate story with grace and respect. Mr.Beddoe.

The story was devised fairly quickly by myself. We would convince Beddoe that he had been nominated for a ... for a... Haha! It sounds so ridiculous. For a, Prince's Trust "Friendship Award". That's right. Beddoe had been nominated, by myself, for being a best friend! Friend! Best friend! Friends forever and ever! He would be on a shortlist of 10 for the 'Michael Stephenson Award'. An award recognising friends who had helped others through a particularly difficult patch in their lives. Seeing as it was a sensitive subject, we figured that Beddoe, (already being massively gullible), would have no choice but to receive it graciously, with the full belief that he was in the running to receive an award from Prince Charlie himself, and a cheque for £500 to go with it! The stage was set.

I spent most of a night devising a professional letter, sent to Beddoe's address in Manchester, with a hand-written envelope from none other than Mother Mitten! The best part of the prank however, came courtesy of Kettle, who suggested we should, "Make him work for it". So, "Diane Carter, Communications Director for the National Office of the Prince's Trust", (a.k.a Mitten), told Beddoe that he had to write a 500 word essay on why he should be the recipient of this coveted award. Excellent.

This is where Ridgway comes in. Where would Beddoe send his passage? We couldn't exactly say, "send it to Mitten", because that's too obvious! So, with the massive help of Ridgway, we managed to buy an email address, (diane.carter@theprincestrust.org.uk .... highly convincing!), and get Beddoe to send it to that!

It worked. Beddoe, the gullible fool that he is, spent all night working out what to put with his 500 word limit and proceeded, after a fair few hours, to send it. To me. It was brilliant. Just brilliant.

Not long after however, Beddoe worked out it was a prank after running a few Google searches, to find there was no such person as 'Michael Stephenson' or 'Diane Carter' and there were no such awards. I suppose this is a good thing. What we had planned, was not only expensive for all of us, but even more brilliant. We had planned to tell Beddoe, via e-mail, as we now had his address, that he had won, and to send him to a posh hotel in London to collect his award. There was a slight hiccup when he announced he was in Scotland on the date of the ceremony, but we would of fought around it! The meer fact that we got Beddoe to work for his so-called, "award" however, and the reaction we got from a classic ANGRY BEDDOE, was enough to call the prank a success. I also hear he got ripped apart from his University housemates aswell, which added spice to the occasion! Oh Beddoe. We will never tire in embarrassing you! However, to avoid any further embarrassment, and JUST IN CASE, you were thinking of joining me as dressing up as a panda come Friday. Don't. You'll be alone in doing so. ;)