KEY POINTS:
Did you hear the one about the foul-mouthed chef who banned swearing in his restaurants?
It's not been confirmed, but our eagle-eyed entertainment editor was fairly certain she had spotted an April Fool's gag when she saw a story on the Independent's website today that claimed Gordon Ramsay was putting the kibosh on bad language.
"Assistant chefs and waiters will face disciplinary one-on-one 'exercise' sessions with Ramsay, and diners will be fined 5 pounds, for any outbreak of effing, blinding or the c-word in public," the paper reported.
Ramsay's change of heart with regard to colourful language was due to a recent kerfuffle in Australia, where the chef's application to open a new restaurant had been turned down on the grounds of 'decency', according to the Independent.
An 'Australian senator' reportedly told the paper: "We have no problem with vigorous language, where appropriate. But we feel that allowing this sweary fellow to bring his bilious obscenities to Sydney's Harbourfront is a step in the wrong direction."
"Australia is changing. The old stereotypes have been supplanted by a new sophistication and dignity. And frankly, Gordon Ramsay has no part of it. The only Ramsay we want around here is the street in Neighbours."
But the Independent isn't the only news organisation pulling people's legs today.
Australia woke this morning to the news of an alleged brawl between well known members of the country's various sporting codes outside a Hungry Jack's restaurant in Sydney.
Reporting on the early-morning melee, the Daily Telegraph said: "The fight began when a booth of footy players at the restaurant started arguing about whose name appeared most on the Wikipedia entry 'List of rugby league incidents'."
Police - alerted to the rowdiness by cricket boss James Sutherland, according to the paper - needed hours to control the area.
Sutherland reportedly told the Telegraph the incident could have been avoided if those involved drank light beer.
Sportsmen involved in the brawl included the Bulldogs' Sonny Bill Williams, boxer Anthony Mundine, members of the Parramatta Eels and Manly prop Josh Perry, according to the paper.
However cricketer Andrew Symonds reportedly backed away from the scene, saying he was reluctant to "have a hit in such a dangerous place".
The origins of April Fool's Day are a matter of debate, though it's generally thought the day of trickery is a remnant from festivals which were traditionally held around the time of the northern hemisphere's vernal (spring) equinox.
Many news organisations across the world have used April 1 as a day to try and prank their audiences and companies issuing press releases have increasingly got in on the action as well.
The UK's Daily Telegraph today ran a story detailing some of the fake stories being pushed via press release this year. They include:
* The discovery of a Mithraic Temple complex during the construction of Heathrow Airport's newly-opened Terminal 5.
* The installation by British Waterways of speed cameras to catch commuters who have taken to the water in a bid to avoid rush hour traffic congestion on the roads.
* The decision by Irish bookmaker Paddy Power to broadcast live kangaroo fighting as a betting event for its punters.
Five of the best April Fool's pranks
The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest - 1957: A classic gag, which saw the BBC news show Panorama announce that Swiss spaghetti farmers were enjoying a bumper crop thanks to the almost complete elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil. Footage showed Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti from trees and thousands contacted the BBC to find out how they could grow their own spaghetti tree.
Instant colour television - 1962: Kjell Stensson, the technical expert for Sweden's only television channel (which broadcast in black and white), appeared on the news to tell viewers their television sets could be converted to display in colour if they pulled a nylon stocking over the television screen.
The magical islands of San Serriffe - 1977: The Guardian published a special supplement devoted to the Indian Ocean republic of San Serriffe. The idyllic spot was described as consisting of several semi-colon-shaped islands, the largest two of which were called Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse. Few readers noticed that everything about the island was named after printing terminology.
When bras get in the way - 1982: The Daily Mail reported that a manufacturer had sold 10,000 "rogue bras" which had been made using a type of copper originally designed for use in fire alarms. The paper reported that when the copper underwires came into contact with nylon and body heat, they produced static electricity, which interfered with local television and radio broadcasts.
Changing the value of Pi - 1998: In a newsletter of the New Mexicans for Science and Reason, it was announced that the Alabama state legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi from 3.14159 to the 'Biblical value' of 3.0. The newsletter was forwarded by email around the world and the hoax was only uncovered when the Alabama legislature began receiving calls from people opposed to the change.
