FACT CHECK: Did BBC News Publish This Article About Radiohead Fans?

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a BBC News article about Radiohead fans being “left red-faced” after mistaking a guitar tuning session for a new song.

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

There is no record of BBC News publishing this article about Radiohead fans. It appears to have originated from a Twitter account that often posts satirical content.

Fact Check:

The image shows what looks like a BBC News article that puts up the headline “Radiohead crowd left red-faced after applauding three minute guitar tuning, mistaking it for new song.” Radiohead is a popular British rock band known for songs such as “Creep” and “Karma Police.” The supposed article places the alleged Radiohead fan incident at a Glastonbury Festival.

A search of the BBC News website didn’t turn up any articles with titles matching the one in the Facebook post. Unlike stories published online by BBC News, the alleged Radiohead article doesn’t have a byline, indicating it has been fabricated.

A BBC spokesperson confirmed to Check Your Fact in an email that it is fake. In 2017, a real BBC News article described Radiohead’s performance at the Glastonbury Festival that year as “absorbing, challenging and achingly beautiful.” (RELATED: Did Kurt Cobain Predict Trump’s Presidency?)

The fabricated Radiohead article first went viral back in 2017, according to NME. It appears to have originated from the Twitter account of the London-based flower delivery company Arena Flowers, which tweeted the fake article June 23, 2017.

The Twitter account @ArenaFlowers has previously published seemingly satirical fake BBC News articles, including one about singer Ed Sheeran playing on every Glastonbury stage at the same time using mirrors.

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