4 8 15 16 23… Rick Astley
Millions of fans were left angry, embarrassed and disappointed when last week’s finale of the hit TV series Lost was revealed to be a Rickroll prank.
Viewed by 13.5 million fans in the US alone, the finale was expected to answer the many questions fans had been asking since the show began in 2004.
Viewers were instead subject to a two hour-long montage of the music video for Rick Astley’s 1987 hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, which began playing following a genuine opening sequence of the show.
The song was made famous through its use in the internet phenomenon of Rickrolling, where internet users are tricked into viewing the music video by clicking on a seemingly legitimate link.
Many fans did not understand the significance of the video, believing it to be a programming error.
ABC television, who screens the series, reported receiving over six million complaints within the first hour of the episode.
Other fans, familiar with the internet prank, have complained to the show’s producers and expressed outrage on internet message boards.
“I heard those opening bars on the synth and vomited. Like actually vomited. I HATE LOST!!!”
Since its first series aired in 2004, Lost has left fans with many questions, including “What do the numbers mean?”, “Are they actually dead?” and “What the fuck is a polar bear doing on a tropical island?”
Many of these questions remained unanswered by the lyrics “Never gonna give you up/Never gonna let you down/Never gonna run around and desert you.”
Since its screening early last week the finale has been described as the most successful Rickroll of all time for its large viewership and six-year build-up.