No, really? Top Gear admits that the caravan fire was a hoax

The BBC has had to admit that the "caravan fire" that concluded last season's special look at trailer life was staged. While most viewers might have figured out that Jezza and the gang had started the fire intentionally for comedic effect, enough people apparently thought the fire was real that the BBC felt it had to issue a statement saying it was, indeed, faked. Not only was the fire a fake, but Top Gear paid £1000 to have a fire engine and six crew members on standby.

A spokeswoman from the Dorset Fire Service said they were asked to make the incident look real, and so they "treated it as a genuine fire."

It was a typical Top Gear stunt with entertainment outweighing journalistic integrity. Unfortunately, there will always be people who have no sense of humor and who think everything they see on TV or in the media is real. The BBC pointed out that it never misled viewers, "as it was obviously 'slapstick' with a 'sitcom ending'."

Check out the fire clip after the jump.

[Source: PistonHeads]

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