Sam Amico
International espionage is nothing bout which to joke.
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So when some pranksters flew a fake “spy balloon” over the Chinese embassy, it was taken seriously, with those responsible being accused of inadvertently trying to “start World War III.”
The gag was performed by British comedy duo Josh & Archie, who shared their exploits on TikTok.
“We thought that considering the Chinese are such fans of these balloons that they would have liked it,” Josh Pieters, half of the duo, told Kennedy News of the prank, filmed Feb. 8 at the People’s Republic of China Embassy in Marylebone, London.
Pieters went on to call the joke a “tit-for-tat” stunt, after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon earlier this year.
Pranksters Fly ‘Spy Balloon’
Of course, all of this took place in England, but according to the comedians, that was the best option.
“We saw a balloon was shot down in the USA, so we thought if China can spy on the West, then why can’t the West spy on China?” he said.
“Flying to China would take a while, and it’s expensive, so we thought what’s an easier way, and that’s to fly a balloon over the embassy as that’s technically China.”
The clip revealed Pieters and teammate Archie Manners flying their makeshift balloon over the embassy (against their lawyer’s advice, by the way), with manners declaring it a “dangerous” mission.
“As it rose to the top, we saw a man conducting what looked like a very serious business call on top of the roof,” Pieters said. “We don’t know what he was talking about, but it was clearly pretty high-level stuff.”
The clip ended when a security guard told the pair of pranksters to deflate the balloon and take it away.
Pieters and Manners did just that, calling their not-so-covert operation a success.
“A lot of people say we could be the start of World War III, but we wouldn’t want to do that,” Pieters said. “It was just a gathering mission. The intelligence could be quite important.
“I think it was a success, and if any world leaders would like to consult us or get our expertise on any future spying missions, we’re available.”
