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Jeremy Vine has admitted he’s ‘cowering’ after he was reported to the police for an April Fool’s Day video, with viewers outraged after failing to spot that it was all just a prank.
The TV presenter, who is 58 years old, frequently posts videos of himself riding a bike around London and getting into different road rage situations on social media.
But when he decided to turn one of those videos into an April Fool’s Day prank, things went very, very wrong.
The video, shared on Monday, seemed to show Vine riding his bike through Hyde Park while being filmed by a ‘drone’, which was then suddenly attacked by a bird.
But in reality, Vine had actually faked the whole video using a photo of a hawk – only some people didn't realize that it was all a fake.
After the commotion, and three million views, Vine recorded a response saying: ‘Well, that was a funny old day yesterday. I had some footage of me with this camera basically on a long pole, it’s a 360-degree camera so it’s a long way up, it’s not on a drone.
‘And I thought, well, why don’t I say it’s on a drone and then say, I’ve been hit by a bird. And I found a photo of a bird online and it was the most rubbish animation.
‘I thought if I make the bird move really fast, people are going to think it has hit a drone.’
Showing the image he used in slow-motion, highlighting how fake it all really was, Vine went on: ‘I never expected 3m views. And then there was all the anger, particularly seems to be a lot of anger among people who’ve got flags in their profile.
‘So, by the end of the day, I was just cowering. I’d been reported to the Met, The Royal Parks, the Civil Aviation Authority, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
’No birds were hurt. There was no drone. And as for me and April Fool’s, I’m out.’
Sharing the original video, Vine had written: ‘WHAT THE HELL — using a drone for today’s early cycle ride, and it got taken out by a hawk or red kite in HYDE PARK FFS. Smashed to bits, £400 gone in a second.’
The video had sparked outrage, with Vine going on to post some of the responses he’d received, including one reading: ‘Is there a case here that the @RSPBEngland could prosecute? No end of damage could be caused to that bird of prey by this reckless use of a drone. All he is worried about is £400, what about the bird..??’
Others claimed his route was a ‘restricted area for drones’, but some people definitely saw the lighter side.
The Specsavers account said: ‘Come and see us before you fly one again.’
‘The best part of this was going to be the replies,’ Andrew said, while Jennifer wrote: ‘Hook, line and sinker. Best one yet.’
Parody account Sandford Police even commented, writing: ‘We are actively investigating this footage to establish what offences have been committed.’
The Jeremy Vine Show airs weekdays from 9.15am on Channel 5.
