Want the top news headlines sent to your inbox daily? Sign up to our FREE newsletter below Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

“YOU caused chaos. . . but it was hilarious!” That’s the forgiving declaration from Nightowls host Alan Robson, who fell foul of a snappy prank by comedian Ross Noble.

On Friday, the comic confessed on TV to encouraging 500 fans at a gig to call Alan’s late night show on Metro Radio many years ago and claim an alligator was on the loose in a Newcastle park.

The funnyman, born in Cramlington, Northumberland, revealed he was behind the tall tale when he appeared on BBC’s Graham Norton Show alongside Katy Perry and Cheryl Cole on Friday, telling viewers: “Do you know the Flashing Blade? There was a phone-in show and I got the audience, about 500 people, to say they had seen an alligator loose in Heaton Park.

“They all phoned in saying ‘Alan, me dog went into some bushes, there was some rustling and when it came back there was just a lead, me dog’s gone!’, and ‘Aye, wor cat got snapped!’.

“The trouble was it got out of control and it made all the papers and my mum rang me and said ‘you’ve gone too far this time’.

“Then it turned into this legend that there was this alligator loose in the park. I completely started it.”

At the time, local and national newspapers treated the alligator alert very seriously, telling how a team of specialist wildlife hunters had been placed on red alert after warnings that a six-foot alligator or “crocodile-type creature” was on the loose in the Tyneside park.

Police were also involved in the hunt, in which wildlife experts were put on 24-hour standby, and frightened pet owners refused to walk their animals.

However, the following week your Sunday Sun got to the bottom of the so-called sightings. . . when an anonymous call was made admitting the whole thing was a crock!

The Reptile Trust were fuming to find they’d been duped and laid down a threatening punishment – which is clearly now meant for naughty Ross – a bath with a real-life alligator called Bernardat their sanctuary!

Good-natured Alan, who has been on the air waves with Metro for 34 years, says he got a blast from the past when Ross talked about the jape on TV, and remembers getting the comedy calls well, even though it happened 12 years ago.

He also thoroughly enjoyed getting a mention on TV. He said: “I remember Ross Noble’s calls – he is a very talented comedian and his call, despite causing chaos, was hilarious.

“The only thing worse than being talked about it not being talked about. I am very honoured and proud of the Northern presence in the media at the minute.”