Many of the practical jokes involved someone's car or van secretly being swapped for an identical one, and then having a disaster befall it, such as exploding, falling into the sea, or being dropped from a great height, as the owner of the vehicle looked on in horror.
As the public were familiar with Beadle from the earlier show Game for a Laugh, they would then immediately realise they had been had, often with the words "I don't believe it!".
[1] One of the most notable pranks was where Dorset resident Janet Elford was convinced into believing that aliens had landed in her garden.
Members of the public were set up by a resident team of Beadle's About actors including: Pam Cole, Ricky Diamond, Tony McHale, Nicholas Young and Flavia Brilli.
[2] At its peak, the show attracted approximately 15 million viewers, making it one of ITV's most popular Saturday night programmes during that period.