Steve Carell pulls cruel prank on fans of the office

Steve Carrell decided to pull a cruel prank on fans of The Office yesterday - and he might live to regret it.

The star of the US version of the hit sitcom, which ran for nine seasons between 2005-2013, tweeted his nearly five million followers that the show was returning for a new season.

"Breaking News: The Office returning to NBC," he wrote in a message retweeted 100,000 times, with overjoyed fans celebrating the news.

"Look, dreams do come true," wrote one diehard. "What? How? When?" wrote another.

Carrell's "news" came as a surprise, especially when he left the show, and his role as office manager Michael Scott, after season six.

But Carrell quickly corrected himself, tweeting: "Wait, sorry. I meant Will and Grace."

Will & Grace was yesterday confirmed to be returning for a ninth season on NBC later this year.

But the trolling quickly angered fans, who quickly turned on Carrell for tricking them with "fake news".

"Why'd you do this to us," wrote one. "This is a cruel joke," wrote another. "The least funny joke ever," said a third.

Perhaps this tweet summed up everyone's feelings about Carrell's "joke" the best.