It all started when @SkyNewsBreak mysteriously tweeted this to their 902,000 followers.
They deleted it after about half an hour. But by then it was too late. The silliness had already been unleashed.
We need to talk about Colin.
Mikey Smith
@mikeysmith
We need to talk about Colin.
Guys, we've got this wrong, it's actually pronounced Co-Lin as in Colin Powell. #colin
Shiv Malik
@shivmalik1
Guys, we've got this wrong, it's actually pronounced Co-Lin as in Colin Powell. #colin
#Colin was here too
Comment is free
@commentisfree
#Colin was here too
Ed Balls? RT @SkyNewsBreak: Colin was here
Harry Cole
@MrHarryCole
Ed Balls? RT @SkyNewsBreak: Colin was here
RT @SkyNewsColin: Ed Balls
Ed Balls
@edballsmp
RT @SkyNewsColin: Ed Balls
#Colin update: David Cameron has paid tribute to Colin: "We're all Colinites now," said the PM.
Ashley Pemberton
@pemberton18
#Colin update: David Cameron has paid tribute to Colin: "We're all Colinites now," said the PM.
The twitter world is gripped with today's big question, What will Colin do next? #colin #skynews
Custom Bats Forum
@CustomBatsForum
The twitter world is gripped with today's big question, What will Colin do next? #colin #skynews
Then came the inevitable spoof account - which has already been suspended.
And the topical gags.
Nigel Farage claims that #Colin wants the UK to leave Europe.
Alex Andreou
@sturdyAlex
Nigel Farage claims that #Colin wants the UK to leave Europe.
No way! Aha #colin
Jack Wyllie
@jackwyllie1
No way! Aha #colin
NOOOOOOO!!!! RT @sturdyAlex: Doctor Who producers reported to be furious at leak, revealing The Doctor's real name is #Colin.
Kelly Smith
@kelly_lou_smith
NOOOOOOO!!!! RT @sturdyAlex: Doctor Who producers reported to be furious at leak, revealing The Doctor's real name is #Colin.
And then, as quickly as it had begun, it was all over.
.@SkyNewsBreak appears to have deleted the Colin tweet. Back to work everyone
Patrick Smith
@psmith
.@SkyNewsBreak appears to have deleted the Colin tweet. Back to work everyone
Sky News released a statement.
Earlier today the @skynewsbreak twitter feed was hacked and a single message sent.
Action was swiftly taken and we are working with Twitter and our in house security to ensure this cannot happen again.
Panic over. We've found #Colin. All is well. Normal service has resumed over on @SkyNewsBreak
Sky News
@SkyNews
Panic over. We've found #Colin. All is well. Normal service has resumed over on @SkyNewsBreak
Then they revealed that they hadn't been hacked after all.
Further investigation uncovered, to our relief, that Colin was in fact a 'disaster recovery' test message which accidentally went live. Apologies.
......no Colin was harmed in the making of this message.
But we will never forget.
Colin was more than just a man, he was someone we could all aspire to being. Colin is gone, but he'll never be forgotten. #prayforcolin
tom jamieson
@jamiesont
Colin was more than just a man, he was someone we could all aspire to being. Colin is gone, but he'll never be forgotten. #prayforcolin
I suppose, throughout all our lives, we've been somehow touched by #colin. It's been an honour to share the internet with him.
Matthew de Vere
@mattd_t
I suppose, throughout all our lives, we've been somehow touched by #colin. It's been an honour to share the internet with him.
Pretty sure coming back from lunch I walked through a portal into a parallel universe where you've all gone mental & can't stop saying Colin
Barry
@QuantumPirate
Pretty sure coming back from lunch I walked through a portal into a parallel universe where you've all gone mental & can't stop saying Colin