An email prankster tricked the host of a Christian TV show into reading out the plots of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Star Wars in the belief they were stories of personal salvation.

The unsuspecting host read out most of the opening rap to The Fresh Prince, a 1990s US sitcom starring Will Smith, apparently unaware that it was not a genuine testimony of faith.

The prankster had slightly adapted the lyrics but the references to a misspent youth playing basketball in West Philadelphia would have been instantly familiar to most viewers.

The lines read out included: "One day a couple of guys who were up to no good starting making trouble in my living area. I ended up getting into a fight, which terrified my mother."

The presenter on Genesis TV, a British Christian channel, eventually realised that he was being pranked and cut the story short – only to move on to another spoof email based on the plot of the Star Wars films.

It began: "My inspiration in life is a man I met in Nigeria called Ben Kenobi. He taught be so much about the Force that spirituality has; it can be used for good and it can be used for bad."

After stumbling over references to Midi-chlorians, microscopic life forms found in the Star Wars universe, the presenter takes objection to Mr Kenobi's advice that we must try to live in harmony with the dark forces of the universe.

"I don't think that is biblical," he says. "It doesn't sound right."

A clip showing the presenter reading the two emails has been viewed more than 440,000 time since being uploaded onto YouTube last month.

The prankster has posted dozens of other videos of prank calls and emails he has made to Christian television stations.

Genesis TV, which is available over Sky and Freesat, launched in 2003.