35 Shocking Facts About Disturbing TV Incidents

In 2006, regular programming was interrupted on the Belgian public television channel with a news bulletin claiming that the Northern portion of Belgium, better known as Flanders, had declared succession and freedom from the Kingdom of Belgium. It showed interviews with prominent Belgian politicians as well as footage of the evacuation of the royal family. All of this turned out to be a hoax.

In 2006, a man named Guy Goma showed up at the BBC for a job interview as a computer technician. He was mistaken for Guy Kewney, a computer expert, and put on live TV to discuss a judicial verdict. Despite his amazing performance faking his way through the segment, he did not get the job.

A retired highway maintenance worker named Greg Packer has been quoted over 100 times by news outlets, including AP, New York Times, NY Post, and Newsday, as their "man on the streets." He has admitted to making things up to get into the paper. Many agencies in the USA now have directives against interviewing him.

In 1990, a controversial sitcom aired on British television which was titled “Heil Honey, I’m Home!” The show centered around the fictionalized versions of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun and their inability to get along with their Jewish neighbors. The show was canceled after 1 episode.

In 1994, the duo responsible for 1990s electronic band The KLF, in a performance art piece called “K Foundation Burn a Million Quid,” burned all the money they had earned, which was a million pounds. The video aired on television a year later. They swore off discussing the project for 23 years, but 8 years later, admitted they regretted burning the money.

In 1984, a man named Michael Larson who was a contestant on “Press Your Luck” won 45 consecutive spins and earned a total of $110,237 in cash and prizes. It was at that time the largest one-day total ever won on a game show. He was able to do so by using the stop-motion feature on his VCR and memorize the patterns used in the game board.

On November 22, 1987, two Chicago TV station broadcasts were hijacked by an unknown pirate dressed as Max Headroom. The video ended with the hacker’s exposed buttocks being spanked with a flyswatter by an accomplice. FBI investigation never solved the case and the perpetrators were never caught.

Between 2007 and 2009, a children’s program named Tomorrow's Pioneers was produced and broadcasted by Hamas. It was co-hosted by various costumed characters, including one resembling Mickey Mouse. Most of the said costumed characters were shown to be killed by Jews in some violent manner on the show.

Turn-On, a sketch comedy show from 1969 was considered to be so bad that one station refused to continue airing it after the first commercial break and several other stations that were scheduled to air it later that evening refused to air it all together.

In 2007, UK broadcaster Channel 4 announced to broadcast a season of programming called “Wank Week.” It was expected to consist of a series of three documentary programs about masturbation. The decision came under public attack and it was canceled.