The 20th century was rich with hilarious pranksters, from Orson Welles to Henry Root. Why are there no jokers today? By Piers Pottinger
‘Who put salt in the sugar bowl? ‘Who put fireworks in the coal?’ These were the opening lines of Terry Scott’s naughty-schoolboy song, My Brother, back in 1962. The song was indicative of an era when pranks and practical jokes were more or less expected from youngsters. At Rishi Sunak’s school, Winchester College, many years ago, a group of boys learnt that a teacher was standing as a Labour councillor at the local elections. The teacher was the proud owner of a bright red Mini Cooper. On the eve of the election, a group of boys managed to paint the car a resplendent Conservative blue. It was a prank that is still recounted today. I doubt that anything so daring happened by the time Rishi arrived at the school some years later. After school, many pranksters continued their activities at university. In the seventies, a group of Oxford undergrads set...
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