A couple of years ago a Guardian colleague told me a piece I had co-written on the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre had been cited as evidence by conspiracy theorists that 9/11 was really a CIA plot. To be honest I was rather tickled that the makers of the infamous "documentary" Loose Change had - however ridiculously - come to this conclusion. So I'm rather disappointed to discover I'm only implicated in the UK's second most widely believed conspiracy theory.
Yes, it would seem that more people (48% of 1,000 British adults interviewed) actually believe Area 51 exists to investigate aliens than the claim that the Twin Towers were brought down by a controlled demolition (a mere 38%). Though that result may have something to do with the survey being carried out by 20th Century Fox as part of its marketing campaign for the new X-Files film, I Want To Believe. That more than half of those interviewed also believe in aliens and telepathy makes me wonder if the poll wasn't conducted at a sci-fi convention. It's a conspiracy, I tell you ...
It's no surprise to find the top 10 conspiracy theories also includes the belief that the moon landings were faked (a conspiracy that inspired the film Capricorn One) or that Diana and Dodi were murdered. And no list of conspiracy theories would be complete without the bizzare idea that the world is secretly governed by a cabal of shape-shifting dinosaurs - coming in at number 10, with 3%. Indeed, David Icke reckons this cartoon is evidence that our reptilian masters walk among us.
I'm a little disappointed that more people don't believe that Smurfs are a Hindu conspiracy to prepare kids for the coming of Krishna by introducing them to blue people - an urban legend popularised by the film Slacker. Or that the soft drink Fanta was invented by the Nazis. Then of course there's the ultimate conspiracy - that Charlie Brooker was invented by MI5 to round up every conspiracy nut on the internet.
