Best April Fools' Day jokes 2016: The pick of this year's newspaper wind-ups

Could Olivia Colman be set for a role as 007?
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Hatty Collier1 April 2016

April Fool's Day has seen newspapers make mischief with their annual selection of far-fetched stories that turn out to be red herrings.

Here is a round-up of some of the best jokes in the newspapers and online.

The Guardian claimed the royal family was planning to make a dramatic intervention in the Brexit debate by announcing that it supports Britain remaining inside the European Union.

“Sources” claim the Windsors are furious about the Sun’s depiction of the Queen as a Brexit supporter and are considering “provoking a potential constitutional crisis”, according to the newspaper.

The Daily Mail reported that Broadchurch star Olivia Colman is set to make history by become the first female 007.

Apparently, the newspaper can “exclusively reveal” that Colman, 42, who recently starred in popular BBC drama The Night Manager, would take over the role from Daniel Craig for the next movie - currently known only as “Bond 25”.

Big plans? Boris Johnson 
Reuters / Peter Nicholls

The Independent reports that Boris Johnson has sparked outrage among conservationists with a secret plan to tarmac over Britain’s canals to create a nationwide “cycle superhighway” if he becomes prime minister.

Mr Johnson was the subject of another April Fools' gag in The Metro, which reported that he is set to unveil plans to push through Boris Boards - hoverboards for hire - before he steps down as London Mayor.

'Naming row': Imperial College London (Picture: PA)
PA

The Times revealed a campaign by students at Imperial College and King’s College to rename the institutions in an attempt to "decolonise and demisogynise" higher education.

Members of the University of London student union called for the universities to be named Gaia College and Citizen's College to quash “historical and structural racism and sexism that cause daily microaggressions to students of colour and those who self-identify as female".

And The Daily Mirror joked that music mogul Simon Cowell has invested in a trapdoor for the latest series of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent auditions to remove rubbish acts from the stage.

Britain's Got Talent: Simon Cowell  
ITV

In another corner of the world, the New Zealand Herald reported that airline Air New Zealand pulled a stunt involving a bus travelling around central Auckland during the busy morning peak with “Hawaii” on the front as the final destination.

Anyone curious enough to jump on board may have been initially disappointed at where they ended up, but that was soon resolved by receiving a “Hawaii boarding pass” for a genuine free return flight to Honolulu.

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