Vault: Christian TV Show hosts gets pranked

Summary

The Bert Show
Episode: Vault: Christian TV Show Hosts Get Pranked
Date: June 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this lighthearted episode, The Bert Show crew explores a hilarious trend involving UK religious television presenters being pranked by viewers who email cleverly disguised pop culture references—unwittingly prompting the hosts to read absurd, non-religious stories live on air. The Bert Show team shares and reacts to notable examples of these pranks, highlighting the joy and mischief that ensue when unsuspecting hosts fall for the jokes. The segment is packed with laughter, quick-witted commentary, and playful speculation about pulling similar pranks themselves.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Prank Genre

• [01:30] Josh: Sets the stage by introducing audio from a UK religious TV show that openly reads unscreened viewer emails live on air.
• The idea: Listeners started slipping in emails filled with disguised pop culture plots to see if they could fool the hosts.

2. Star Wars Prank Reading

• [02:39] Email Reader: Reads an emotional story about "a man I met in Nigeria called Ben Kenobi" who taught about "the force" and "midichlorians."
  • The tale blends spiritual language with clear nods to Star Wars lore.
  • [03:38] Josh: Points out the moment the host realizes the email is referencing Star Wars and cuts off.
    • “He obviously... he catches on at the end and he stops reading because he's, of course, referring to Star Wars.”
  • [03:44] Melissa: “Yeah, it's a whole… He just did the whole Ben Kenobi, Star Wars whole thing.”
  • [03:48] Josh: Adds clarification for listeners, “Ben Kenobi is Obi Wan Kenobi. So I got it. I kind of laughed at that one.”

3. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Prank

• [04:08] Email Reader: Delivers a personal testimony that is actually the plot of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
  • “I was born in West Philadelphia and also raised there. I spent most of my days playing basketball on a playground…”
• As the host continues, the realization sets in:
  • [04:50] Josh: “Somebody in the background figures it out.”
  • [04:56] Josh: Explains, “They figure out that it's the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Born and raised.”

4. Rick Astley "Never Gonna Give You Up" Prank

• [05:06] Louise: Reads a letter full of platitudes that mirrors lyrics from Rick Astley’s famous song—an elaborate live “Rickroll.”
  • “When will people, people learn that God will never give them up, never let them down, never run around or hurt them?”
• [05:44] Josh: Notes, “No, they don’t figure out. They never figure it out. They're analyzing it. First line of his letter was the Rick Astley song.”
  • [05:50] Will: “Oh, my God.”
  • [05:56] Melissa: “I was gonna say if Jeff, if this was in Atlanta, you would be the very one to do everything we just heard.”

5. The Concept of "Prank Writing"

• [05:50] Josh: Suggests that this evolving tactic is a “whole new genre of prank phone calling. Prank writing.”
• [06:01] Josh: Jokingly considers trying it on The Bert Show itself: “Yeah, that was brilliant. I just need to find a TV show that reads their emails unsolicited. The Bert Show.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Josh [03:38]: “He obviously... he catches on at the end and he stops reading because he's, of course, referring to Star Wars.”
• Melissa [03:44]: “Yeah, it's a whole… He just did the whole Ben Kenobi, Star Wars whole thing.”
• Josh [04:56]: “They figure out that it's the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Born and raised.”
• Louise [05:06]: “When will people, people learn that God will never give them up, never let them down, never run around or hurt them?”
• Josh [05:44]: “No, they don’t figure out. They never figure it out. They're analyzing it. First line of his letter was the Rick Astley song.”
• Will [05:50]: “Oh, my God.”
• Josh [05:50]: “I think that's a whole new genre of prank phone calling. Prank writing.”
• Melissa [05:56]: “I was gonna say if Jeff, if this was in Atlanta, you would be the very one to do everything we just heard.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:30] – Setup: Explaining the UK's unscreened religious TV show
• [02:39] – The Star Wars/Ben Kenobi prank email is read
• [03:38-03:44] – Realization and reactions to Star Wars reference
• [04:08] – The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air prank is read
• [04:56] – Recognition of the Fresh Prince prank
• [05:06] – The Rick Astley “Never Gonna Give You Up” prank email
• [05:44-05:56] – Discussion about prank writing and the hosts’ reactions

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Tone & Style

• Playful, mischievous, and full of laughter; the cast riff off one another and revel in the silliness of these “prank writings.”
• The episode strikes a tone between admiration for the pranksters’ craft and the fun of imagining doing the same themselves.

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This summary covers the core content and reactions while skipping all advertisements and sponsor-related segments.

Transcript

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[Josh]

The Birch Show Josh found some audio that I want to share with you. I know one piece of this will make Melissa laugh in particular. Okay, there is a television show in the UK somewhere where they read emails and it's a religious based, religion based TV show. So they're talking about God and Jesus and worship and all that fun stuff and people email in their thoughts while the show's going on and the hosts of the show will actually read the feedback that they're getting while they're live on the air. It's very apparent that they don't have anyone screening what they're reading. Like the inbox pops up, you've got mail and they just start reading. And so somebody over in the viewing area got an idea to see what sort of emails they could slip through the system. So the first one is definitely for Melissa. If you listen carefully at the beginning, you should be able to figure it out.

[Podcast Host]

Okay.

[Josh]

And this is a letter written to this talk show, religion based talk show in the uk.

[Email Reader]

My inspiration in life is a man I met in Nigeria called Ben Kenobi. He taught me so much about the force that spirituality has. It can be used for good and it can be used for bad. There is a light and a dark to everything. It's up to us to make sure that the light side of things outweighs the dark side. But in the kingdom of God, it's all about light. No darkness at all. But people go over and get powers from the enemy and that's darkness really. I helped him spread his message as best as I could for summer. For the summer I was there. But one man with a particularly sharp tongue attacked his beliefs one day and he disappeared shortly after. He believed the midichlorians controlled all of us and created all of us. He didn't think that the force of spirituality and midichlorians went hand in hand. Ben taught me that we must always try to live in harmony with all other forces of the universe.

[Josh]

And he obviously. Yeah, he catches on at the end and he stops reading because he's of course referring to the Star Wars.

[Melissa]

Yeah, it's a whole. He just did the whole Ben Kenobi, Star wars whole thing.

[Josh]

Ben Kenobi is Obi Wan Kenobi. So I got it. I kind of laughed at that one.

[Will]

I didn't think it was Ben Kenobi. I thought it was Obi Wan Kenobi. Okay, got it.

[Josh]

So I laughed at that one. That was funny. And then Josh played this one for me, which is a little more mainstream, I think.

[Melissa]

Okay.

[Email Reader]

Someone who has written a story here is a long one. He says, I'm a newly born again Christian and would like to share my story of salvation with you. I was born in West Philadelphia and also raised there. I spent most of my days playing basketball on a playground, but also chilling out and relaxing. But then one day, a couple of guys who were up to no good started making trouble in my living area. I ended up getting into a fight which terrified my mother. As a result, she sent me away from West Philadelphia to the most peaceful area of Bel Air. That's from Fresh Prince.

[Josh]

Somebody in the background figures it out.

[Email Reader]

Yeah, I think there's some Mongolians on the system.

[Josh]

So they figure out that it's the Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Born and raised.

[Melissa]

Yeah.

[Josh]

So I think that, you know, this guy's catching on. So then the next day they have to move on to a different host.

[Louise]

Louise says, I think it's a real shame that there is cynicism directed towards this channel which only wants to help our fellow members of the flock. When will people, people learn that God will never give them up, never let them down, never run around or hurt them? I mean, she's right, isn't there? Isn't it?

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[Josh]

I mean, I'm afraid I smile. So it could be that someone's out just trying to have a laugh. But actually that's them still talking about the Rick Astley song.

[Will]

They continue, once they figure out it's a song.

[Josh]

No, they don't figure out. They never figure it out. They're analyzing it. First line of his letter was the Rick Astley song.

[Will]

Oh, my God.

[Josh]

Love it. So I think that's a whole new genre of prank phone calling. Prank writing.

[Melissa]

I was gonna say if Jeff, if this was in Atlanta, you would be the very one to do everything we just heard.

[Josh]

Yeah, that was brilliant. I just need to find a TV show that reads their emails unsolicited. The Birch Show.

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