April Fakes Day 2024 was a pan-museum initiative led by Professor Patricia Kingori and supported by TORCH which explored fakes and forgeries in museums, galleries and more. Taking place between 1 – 7 April 2024, it subverted the tradition of April Fools’ Day to promote engagement and discussion on the subject of what is fake and some of the complexities of identifying what is real.  The initiative was a huge success and received considerable regional and national media coverage, including the Oxford Mail. Prof.  Kingori was interviewed on 1 April on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, and on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Breakfast show. In 2024, 5.6 million tuned in for The Today programme. BBC Radio 5 Live reached 5.4m listeners. 

Some of the most pressing questions of our times relate to questions of authenticity and these questions permeate all areas of social life.  Professor Kingori’s research explores what can be learnt from different kinds of fakes, from seemingly harmless animals, relics and paintings in museums to more damaging deep fake videos, fake medicines and misinformation that have harmful consequences in the modern world.

The following organisations made exciting contributions: History of Science Museum, Pitt Rivers Museum, Bodleian Library, The Botanic Gardens & Arboretum, The OU Museum of Natural History, The National History Museum, London and the Ultimate Picture Palace.