A hoax was something that was not real, (TV: The Bells of Saint John [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).) similar to a prank at the expense of the listener. (TV: Snakedance [+]Christopher Bailey, Doctor Who season 20 (BBC1, 1983).) Students were commonly blamed for hoaxes. (TV: The Hand of Fear [+]Bob Baker and Dave Martin, Doctor Who season 14 (BBC1, 1976)., The Christmas Invasion [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas special (BBC One, 2005).) Hoaxes were sometimes initiated as a cover-up for real events. (TV: The Caves of Androzani [+]Robert Holmes, Doctor Who season 21 (BBC1, 1984)., The Christmas Invasion [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas special (BBC One, 2005).)
At first glance, General R. Asquith suggested that "the alien" was a hoax or a dummy. Doctor Sato, however, determined that it was alive. (TV: Aliens of London [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).) During the initial 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 [+]BBC webteam, U.N.I.T. (BBC, 2005).) The Slitheen craft crashing into Big Ben was soon regarded as a hoax, much to the disbelief of Mickey Smith, (TV: World War Three [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005)., PROSE: Henry Van Statten [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005)., Mars [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).) who knew that this was anything but a hoax when he wrote about the crash on his website. (PROSE: Alien landing confirmed [+]BBC webteam, Who is Doctor Who? (BBC, 2005).) As the Ninth Doctor explained: (TV: World War Three [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 1 (BBC One, 2005).)
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.
A cover story claimed that the appearance of a Sycorax on television was a hoax. (TV: The Christmas Invasion [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who Christmas special (BBC One, 2005).)
Donna Noble believed that the replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day 2008 was a hoax. (TV: Partners in Crime [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).) 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 [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who series 4 (BBC One, 2008).)