You may think Basingstoke is only famous for its roundabouts. However, the town has hit the national headlines over the years for numerous other reasons. From the Christmas lights switch on to a buffalo being beamed up by a UFO (yes, really), here are 10 times Basingstoke has appeared in the national media.
Who can forget the snow chaos of December 2009? Described by The Guardian as 'like a disaster film', the day saw thousands of motorists stranded on the A339 as a snowstorm hit the town during rush-hour.
The chaos was even reported to the transport minister, who said he would ask questions about events that led up to 2,000 motorists being trapped in icy conditions.
Cars were abandoned on roads as people sought shelter in emergency rest centres overnight, including The Apollo Hotel which opened its doors to stranded drivers.
John Darwin
Many people will be familiar with the story of back-from-the-dead canoeist John Darwin - the man who faked his own death to claim hundreds of thousands of pounds in insurance - especially after it was turned into an ITV drama.
In March 2002, the former prison officer paddled out to sea in a canoe near Hartlepool, before leaving it there to give the impression he had drowned.
He was declared dead the following year, but was actually staying in a flat next door to his wife.
The pair moved to Panama in 2007.
But what does all this have to do with Basingstoke?
Well, when John returned to Britain and handed himself in claiming to be suffering from amnesia, it was Basingstoke where he was eventually arrested, at his son's home in Chineham. In 2008 the couple were each sentenced to more than six years in prison.
Basingstoke Town bid to sign Ronaldinho
It was a crazy idea. But the audacious bid made by Basingstoke Town Football Club to sign Brazil's World Cup winner Ronaldinho made national news in 2014.
The Conference South side said they were in contact with Ronaldinho's brother and agent, Roberto De Assis.
The former Barcelona and AC Milan forward was a free agent at the time after leaving Atletico Mineiro in Brazil.
Simon Hood, Basingstoke Town's marketing director at the time, said: "Discussions have been had, and there is an offer on the table. Now it is up to Ronaldinho to decide whether he wants to take us up on it.
"He is on a free transfer, and if he wants to get into English football, I cannot think of a better way to do that than by signing for Basingstoke Town."
Needless to say, Ronaldinho didn't end up playing at The Camrose ground!
Light switch on chaos
When it comes to turning on the Christmas lights in Basingstoke, the town is on the verge of becoming infamous for getting it very wrong.
Back in 1999, there was carnage in the town when TV's Ross Kemp visited to switch on the lights. The EastEnders star attracted dangerously large crowds as thousands flocked to Porchester Square to catch a glimpse of the actor.
And in the excitement, the number of fans led to a dangerous crush. Four people were taken to hospital while others fainted in the ensuing mayhem. Children and disabled people were left trapped in the crowds, in what attendees described as "utter chaos" and an "absolute disgrace".
Fast forward to 2018 and Basingstoke was in the national spotlight again for its festive light switch-on, but for all the wrong reasons.
Children were in tears after being invited to perform in a parade that was called off without warning because of the large crowds that had attended. Parents were left fuming after their children, who had been practising a routine, were panicking and crying after being abandoned in a disused shop, missing out on the festivities entirely.
To make matters worse, those who did watch the switch-on slammed organisers for lighting up an owl and saying there was "nothing Christmassy about it", with no tree or Santa in sight.
There was even more disappointment when electronic coloured wristbands given to the crowd for the chance to win £100 suffered a technical fault.
It resulted in several people, including children, attempting to claim the prize only to be told that they had malfunctioned, and they were scrapping the competition.
Festival Place ended up apologising for the fiasco, donating the prize money to St Michael's Hospice and taking the children out on a special trip to the cinema.
Basingstoke removed from Google
According to the Metro newspaper, Basingstoke residents were "up in arms" after Google Maps managed to 'lose' the town in 2014.
In what was an embarrassing technical issue, Basingstoke was replaced instead with 'Town Centre'.
While some saw the funny side, others reacted with fury, with a member of Hampshire's Chamber of Commerce labelling it "absolutely dreadful".
Google responded: "Whoops sorry for the mix-up. An engineer is quite literally putting Basingstoke on the map."
A buffalo beamed up by a UFO
Yes, really. In 2009, north Hampshire pensioner Derek Bridges found himself in the local and national spotlight after claiming to have footage of a buffalo being beamed up into a UFO.
As word spread of his weird out-of-this-world experience, the retired airport worker from Overton spoke about his strange sighting to the media.
His video showed two bright lights hovering over Laverstoke Park Farm, where buffalo are kept.
The footage was passed to UFO organisations across the world and was described as "the Holy Grail" for UFO enthusiasts.
The British Earth and Aerial Mysteries Society (BEAMS) reviewed the footage and agreed with Mr Bridges' conclusion.
Speaking to the Gazette at the time, Mr Bridges said: "It's the only one that has ever been filmed in the world and I filmed it. I can't say that I'm disappointed."
However, Laverstoke Park Farm threw suspicion over the footage after confirming none of their buffalo had gone missing.
The Ministry of Defence said it would not be investigating the incident.
Queues for restaurant opening
You could be forgiven for thinking The Queen had come to visit. But the half-a-mile long queue of traffic that appeared in 2020 was waiting for none other than some fried chicken. Hundreds of Basingstoke residents sat in the huge queue for a KFC, after the fast-food giant re-opened the drive-thru having been forced to shut during lockdown.
In June 2016, the EU referendum divided the nation when 51.9 per cent voted in favour of Brexit. Basingstoke found itself the focus of national follow-up reports, because it reflected the national picture almost identically, with 52 per cent voting to leave.
TV crews headed to the town to speak to the people here and find out their views.
Tour de France
If you can cast your memory back to 1994, the day the Tour de France passed through Basingstoke was momentous.
Shops shut, schools closed for the day, and businesses gave employees time off so as not to miss the historic moment on July 7. Around one million people lined the 116-mile circular route, which started and finished in Portsmouth, as half a billion more were glued to their televisions, watching Hampshire in anticipation.
The suspense was immense as the crowds waited patiently, but if you blinked, you would have missed it as the riders whooshed through the town at top speed. Some were lucky enough to find a discarded water bottle dropped by one of the riders.
Olympic torch relay
Similar scenes happened in Basingstoke when it was chosen as one of the locations for the Olympic Torch to pass through ahead of the Olympic Games taking place in London.
Once again, crowds lined the streets to watch the chosen torch bearers from the town pass the flame along its historic journey on July 11, 2012, travelling from the bottom of New Road, by the Eastrop Roundabout, along London Street and Winchester Street before heading down Winchester Road to the Brighton Hill Roundabout.