Really (Picture: Facebook)

Some people genuinely thought that Big Ben was going to be renamed ‘Massive Mohammed’ after a report on a satirical news site.

Yes, really.

The Rochdale Herald ran the story with the headline ‘Big Ben to be renamed Massive Mohammed from 2018’, and reported that ‘the famous landmark, which is due to undergo extensive refurbishment next week, is to be called “Massive Mohammed” from 2018 to reflect the city’s growing diversity’.

Britain at 'critical point' in pandemic, top scientists will warn

‘Due to health and safety fears, “Massive Mo” will be silenced during the four-year renovation period,’ it continued. ‘However, Tardy revealed that large speakers installed at the top of the tower will instead play the Muslim call to prayer every hour upon the hour.’




Other stories on the Rochdale Herald’s site include ‘David Davis hospitalised after failing to negotiate his way out of wet paper bag’, and ‘Thunderbird puppet with condom over his head to play Michael Gove in Brexit Movie’.

But all of these incredibly subtle clues were missed by a concerning number of people.

Er (Picture: Twitter/Cam)

Twitter user Cam shared a screenshot of a girl’s status sharing the fake article, saying: ‘This better not be true. It’s a British landmark, always will be and should remain as “Big Ben”.’

Another girl then shared that status, adding ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ with two angry-face emojis.

Anti-mask protest leader is suspended nurse who compared lockdown to the Holocaust

Cam’s tweet has been retweeted more than 14,000 times.

‘When I saw it I was just in utter disbelief,’ he told Metro.co.uk. ‘How could anyone actually believe such nonsense?’

Another Facebook user shared the Massive Mo story, saying: ‘I’m not even shocked tbh this country really is going down the shitter.’

Even when a friend pointed out that it was ‘Fake news lad’, he simply replied: ‘It’s true.’

And when the story was shared by Facebook group The Cockney Bible, these were the responses:

Grim.

The girl whose status originally went viral has now deleted her post, adding: ‘So myself and [redacted] have become a meme because we shared something on Facebook that wasn’t true.

‘Hence why I said “this better not be true” but let’s face it the way the world is at the moment and how bizarre everything is, anything could happen, the amount of fake things that get shared on social media is untrue but of course it would never of gone ahead it’s a BRITISH LANDMARK but I wouldn’t be surprised in this world if people didn’t attempt to change it.’

In case there was any doubt, Big Ben is not being renamed.

It is however going to be silenced for four years while the Palace of Westminster undergoes renovation, over health and safety fears for the construction workers who will be working so close to the bell.