When Paul McCartney surprised gobsmacked tourists with a lift prank on US TV show

19 April 2023, 10:05 | Updated: 26 September 2023, 13:52

Paul McCartney gave fans the shock of their lives when he appeared on a segment for the The Jimmy Fallon Show.

Beatles singer Sir Paul McCartney has one of the most famous faces in the world, so it's no surprise he was the perfect person to prank unsuspecting tourists in New York City.

Appearing on The Jimmy Fallon Show in September 2018, McCartney, 80, joined show host Jimmy Fallon for a brilliant sketch where the pair pranked people taking the lifts at 30 Rockefeller Center.

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In the segment entitled 'Elevator Surprise', Fallon and McCartney join forces to jump out at tourists who think they are on a tour of the NBC Studios – and their reactions are priceless.

The video starts with the pair sitting in armchairs and reading newspapers, when the lift doors open 'at the wrong floor' in front of them.

Each group can then be seen reacting in shock and awe as first Jimmy Fallon and then Paul McCartney lower their newspapers to show their faces.

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Later in the video, Jimmy and Paul step it up a notch with magic tricks where the Beatle is revealed from behind a curtain and also a scene where the duo play table tennis.

The footage ends with Paul McCartney and Jimmy Fallon singing an acoustic duet of the Beatles classic 'Baby You Can Drive My Car' before the pair disappear into the elevator.

The fans are overjoyed to meet with the pair and react accordingly.

Highlights include one fan trying to leave the lift to meet the star, and another claiming she wanted to marry the Beatle when she was younger.

Reactions on social media were just as good, with one commenting: "That was the best surprise prank ever. I can just imagine being in the elevator and seeing those two."

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Another said: "This was perhaps the best surprise anyone could ever get!!! Amazing."

And a third shared their own celebrity elevator moment: "We did this for real back in 1994," they wrote.

"The elevator opened in the Howard Johnson in New York and BB King was standing there. The elevator was busy so he said, I’ll wait! Then the doors closed!"

Watch the video of Paul McCartney and Jimmy Fallon pranking tourists below:

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Paul McCartney was appearing on the US TV show to promote his 17th solo studio album, Egypt Station.

Rolling Stone said of the album: "Make a list of all the songwriters who were composing great tunes in 1958. Now make an overlapping list of the ones who are still writing brilliant songs in 2018. Your list reads: Paul McCartney."

Egypt Station was nominated for the Polish Fryderyk Music Award for the best foreign album of 2018.