Michael McIntyre stuns Chesney Hawkes with incredible ‘bank vault’ prank that left him gasping in disbelief

TELLY trickster Michael McIntyre stunned pop legend Chesney Hawkes with an incredible stunt which left him gasping in disbelief.

Big Show host Michael’s prank team hoodwinked One and Only icon Chesney into believing he was entering a bank vault to secure memorabilia from his 90’s heyday.

But the “vault” was an entirely fake room on a theatre stage.

And moments after the star stepped inside, the walls fell away to leave him on stage in front of an audience roaring with laughter.

Chesney’s band then appeared alongside him as he was handed a microphone and guitar to play his 1991 chart topper in the recorded jape.

The amazing subterfuge - and Chesney’s astonished reaction - will be aired in full tonight on Michael’s McIntyre’s Big Show on BBC1.

Chesney, 52, admitted he was fooled “hook, line and sinker” by the prank which ended when he joined bandmates including his 18-year-old son Indiana.

He told The Sun: “I’m still in shock - I had absolutely no idea what was going on.

“The joke’s on me but I just hope everyone watching Michael’s show enjoys it as much as I did.

“I was so stunned I have no idea how I sounded when I sang.

“My wife and close friends were in on the joke and in the audience so it ended up being quite an emotional moment.”

It comes as McIntyre woke up The Chase presenter Bradley Walsh up in the middle of the night for part of his The Midnight Gameshow.

The Big Show sees the 47-year-old host get up to various tricks, including inviting several celebrity guests, musical performances, and comedy sketches from Michael and other comedians.

The show aired as a one-off Christmas special in 2015, but following its success, the BBC commissioned an entire series the following year.

It also aired for six episodes in January 2023, but it was unclear if this marked a permanent return.

However, fans of the family show were recently shocked to learn that the episodes are not filmed as standalone but instead, they are pre-recorded. 

What's more, pre-recorded segments aren’t filmed with any particular episode in mind.

Michael has been making folks chuckle all over the globe for 15 years.

He even snagged the title of the world's top-earning stand-up comic in 2012.

After cracking jokes on the local comedy scene in his late twenties, Michael shot to fame big time when he showed up on Live at the Apollo on BBC One in 2007, 2008, and 2009. H

Michael also hosts the BBC game show The Wheel.

The hit show sees a bunch of celebrities tested on their general knowledge in a bid to help three lucky contestants win huge cash prizes.