Yes, it is true that a number of British people were once deceived into believing that spaghetti grows on trees. This happened in 1957, when the BBC aired a three-minute segment on its popular news program, "Panorama," which showed footage of Swiss farmers harvesting spaghetti from trees.

At the time, spaghetti was still a relatively unknown food in the UK, and many Britons were unfamiliar with how it was made. The segment, which was broadcast on April Fool's Day, was presented in a serious and authoritative tone, and featured a voiceover by respected broadcaster Richard Dimbleby.

The segment explained that the mild winter and absence of the "spaghetti weevil" had resulted in a bumper spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. It then showed footage of women in traditional Swiss dress plucking strands of spaghetti from trees and laying them out to dry in the sun.

Many viewers were taken in by the hoax, and some even called the BBC to ask how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. The segment is now regarded as a classic example of media manipulation and has been cited as one of the greatest April Fools' hoaxes of all time.
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