Mischa Moselle | PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 01 April, 2015, 5:52pm

The cast of Downton Abbey are in town to record a Wan Chai episode of the period drama. And when they pop in to 7-Eleven to buy some wine they’ll be consulting the convenience store’s new French sommeliers, who are all also fluent in Putonghua.

That’s what some of Hong Kong’s media would have had you believe this April Fool’s Day.

Around the world, media and other April Fool hoaxes offered equally cheeky humour.

HK Magazine asked its readers to “Head to the corner of Lockhart Road and Luard Road for a glimpse of the Dowager Countess, Barrow and co.”

Website and print magazine Wine Times HK, best known for its forthright opinions on the local wine scene, managed to cram three issues into one hoax.

In a humorous sideswipe at the large number of new French arrivals on the F&B scene, the number of mainland tourists in the city and the struggle for custom between Lan Kwai Fong bars and convenience stores, Wine Times claimed that 7-Eleven would be recruiting French sommeliers who speak Putonghua to advise mainland customers.

“The stores have had great success recently with their sales of alcohol and the group is looking to take advantage of the increased interest in wine. The vast majority of people who buy wines in 7-Eleven stores are French expatriates and mainland China tourists with both demographics buying cheap wines in areas such as Lan Kwai Fong, Sai Ying Pun and Kennedy Town,” a spokesperson for the convenience store is unlikely to have said.

It was not only the media who were in on the act. British bootwear brand Hunter unveiled its new footwear collection for dogs – mini waterproof boots to protect their feet in wet weather.

“But before you roll your eyes, according to the brand’s archives, Hunter has a history of designing boots for animals dating back to the late 1800s, when Hunter developed waterproof poultice boots for horses to protect their hooves when injured,” was the almost convincing background information in the accompanying PR bumpf.

Australian news consumers were first in line to sort the fake form the true stories this morning. In the Northern Territories, NT News told its readers that off-road vehicles were banned from driving on roads as, “For too long, roads have been clogged by four-wheel-drives in pristine condition.”

The country’s Daily Telegraph reported that radio host Jackie O was pranked by her pregnant PA, who used a balloon of water to convince her boss that her waters had broken.

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