Has colour-blind casting made us see TV in black and white?

Adjoa Andoh’s comment proves the power of TV to distort perceptions.

Does spaghetti grow on trees? On April Fool’s Day in 1957, the BBC programme Panorama presented hoax footage that made this claim. Afterwards some viewers called the BBC for advice on how they could grow their own spaghetti.

It sounds outlandish, but the TV can make you believe all kinds of things. It is a more powerful medium than we generally give it credit for. It’s tempting to think that after we watch soap operas, the news and documentaries, we are a little more entertained and informed, but otherwise just the same. We know our own minds, and we are independent thinkers, right? Not necessarily.