Hoax

A hoax was something that was not real, (TV: The Bells of Saint John) similar to a prank at the expense of the listener. (TV: Snakedance) Students were commonly blamed for hoaxes. (TV: The Hand of Fear, The Christmas Invasion) Hoaxes were sometimes initiated as a cover-up for real events. (TV: The Caves of Androzani, The Christmas Invasion)

At first glance, General R. Asquith suggested that "the alien" was a hoax or a dummy. Toshiko Sato, however, determined that it was alive. (TV: Aliens of London) During the inital assessment of the incident on an operations board on the UNIT website, Staff Sergeant Annie Frederick suggested not going head on into the containment of the situation in case if it turned out to be a hoax; it did not, and UNIT did help the army investigate. (PROSE: Operation London) The Slitheen craft crashing into Big Ben was soon regarded as a hoax, much to the disbelief of Mickey Smith. As the Ninth Doctor explained: (TV: World War Three) "They're just not ready. You're happy to believe in something that's invisible, but if it's staring you in the face, nope, can't see it. There's a scientific explanation for that. You're thick."

- The Ninth Doctor.

A cover story claimed that the appearance of a Sycorax on television was a hoax. (TV: The Christmas Invasion)

Donna Noble believed that the replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day 2008 was a hoax. (TV: Partners in Crime) In Donna's World, a BBC News 24 newsreader insisted that the spaceship Titanic was not a hoax as it plummeted to Buckingham Palace. (TV: Turn Left)