Joe Lycett reveals he didn’t shred £10,000 in David Beckham World Cup protest
Joe Lycett has revealed that he didn’t shred £10,000 in a livestreamed stunt on Sunday, and has instead donated the money to LGBTQ+ charities.
The comedian, who is known for his high-profile stunts, had pledged to shred £10,000 of his own cash if David Beckham failed to end his controversial multimillion-pound World Cup promotion deal with Qatar ahead of Sunday’s first match.
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The moment comedian Joe Lycett dropped £10,000 into a shredder
When Beckham failed to respond, or acknowledge the ultimatum in any way, Lycett had appeared to carry out his promise, livestreaming himself dropping £10k into a wood-chipper on a website titled BenderLikeBeckham.com.
However, on Monday the 34-year-old posted an admission in a short video on social media, calling the stunt “an empty threat designed to get people talking”, adding that, like the football star’s controversial ambassadorship, it was “total b******* from the start”.
Calling this his “last message to David Beckham” he jokingly labelled himself, “that p**** who shredded loads of money in a cost of living crisis”.
He went on to explain: “I haven’t quite told you the whole truth… Because the truth is, the money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was fake.
“I would never destroy real money. I would never be so irresponsible. In fact, the £10,000 had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities before I even pressed send on the initial tweet last week.”
Directly addressing Beckham, he went on: “I never expected to hear from you. It was an empty threat, designed to get people talking.
“In many ways, it was like your deal with Qatar David, total b******* from the start.”
In his initial ultimatum, Lycett had warned that along with the money, the former England star’s “status as a gay icon” would also be shredded if he didn’t end his relationship with Qatar.
Proving the point, he went on to shred the famous David Beckham cover issue of Attitude – the first ever front cover of a gay magazine to feature a Premier League footballer.
Lycett said he had asked Attitude for permission to shred it, and that the publication had said “they were more than happy to oblige”.
Read more: Being gay is ‘damage in the mind’ – Qatar World Cup ambassador
Beckham in the Qatar World Cup stands before the first match
He then placed the June 2002 edition into a paper shredder propped up on bricks – not the industrial wood-chipper he had used for his initial stunt – and watched Beckham’s face disappear into the machine.
It has been reported that Beckham signed a multi-million-pound deal with the FIFA World Cup hosts, which Lycett said was worth £10m – but other reports have put as high as £150m.
Qatar has faced an onslaught of criticism since being chosen as the host nation, with the country’s poor human rights record and ban on same-sex relationships proving particularly problematic.
In Qatar, participating in same-sex sexual activity can be punished with up to seven years in prison, or even the death penalty.
Lycett ended his video, which was filmed in the same dingy room as his money shredding livestream the day before, by saying it had “all been quite a lot this” and that he was “off down the gay village to have a few pints”.
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Lycett said the money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was fake. Pic: Joe Lycett
As with his initial stunt, which divided opinion (some saying it was immoral to destroy money when so many were in financial crisis, and others highlighting that Lycett was raising awareness for important issues), the revelation that the money had not actually been shredded has again given cause for debate.
Some called the comedian’s actions “attention seeking”, saying his admission had proved them right in confirming it was all a publicity stunt and reflecting that a star as big as Beckham would be unlikely to be bothered by Lycett’s antics.
Others however labelled him “an icon” and “a legend”, with one fan saying: “In a world of David Beckhams, be a Joe Lycett.”
One social media user, responding to a post saying “knew it was a publicity stunt”, replied: “A publicity stunt that got people talking about an important issue and resulted in charities getting £10,000. Works for me.”
Another joked that Lycett should be nominated for Sports Personality Of The Year.
A workman saved a seven-year-old boy from a burning car in the aftermath of a deadly crash caused by a suicidal ex-pilot, an inquest has heard.
The schoolboy’s rescue came following the collision on the M6, which killed former RAF man Richard Woods and four others, in October last year.
Last week a coroner ruled that Woods, 40, took his own life by deliberately driving his Skoda the wrong way down the motorway while drunk and hitting a Toyota Yaris head-on.
The driver of the Toyota, Jaroslaw Rossa, 42, was also killed, along with his two sons, Filip, 15, and Dominic, seven, and his partner Jade McEnroe, 33.
Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard on Thursday that Ms McEnroe’s son was also in the car but survived after workman Gavin Walsh came to his rescue at the scene, which was near Tebay services in Cumbria.
In a statement to the inquest, Mr Walsh said he was a passenger in a transit van travelling to Scotland when he witnessed the crash.
He jumped out of the vehicle and used a jack to smash the rear windscreen of the Toyota and pulled the boy out of the burning vehicle.
Mr Walsh said: “We really did try, I can assure everyone we did our best. We only had minimal time.
“I saved a life that day and I hope never to witness anything like that again.”
He added that he has never stopped thinking about the boy, and said: “I hope we will meet again one day and I will give you a massive hug.”
At the time, the family were returning to Glasgow from a trip to Legoland in Windsor, Berkshire.
The inquest heard that Wood, who was travelling at a speed of at least 65mph, would have been charged with manslaughter had he survived.
Recording conclusions of unlawful killing, Cumbria assistant coroner Margaret Taylor said: “I found that Jaroslaw, Jade, Filip and Dominic died as a consequence of the unlawful acts of another driver.”
The inquest heard how Mr Woods, from Cambridgeshire, had served a distinguished 14-year career in the RAF and was a flight instructor for BAE Systems at the time of his death.
Jade McEnroe. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Dominic and Filip. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
In Ms Taylor’s record of inquest, Mr Woods was said to have been experiencing “a number of stressors in his life” and had a “history of harmful use of alcohol”.
Following the crash, he was found to be nearly four times over the legal drink-drive limit and a two-thirds empty bottle of gin was found in his car.
On the day of his death, concerns had been raised over his behaviour at a work conference near Preston in Lancashire.
Mr Woods failed to return to his seat after lunch and was later spotted driving erratically and swerving across three northbound carriageway lanes on the M6.
After pulling onto the hard shoulder, he then proceeded to U-turn and drove southward on lane three.
Filip, Dominic and Jaroslaw Rossa. Pic: Cumbria Constabulary
Detective Sergeant Deborah Story, from Cumbria Police, told the inquest that Mr Woods would have been prosecuted on four counts of manslaughter had he lived.
She said hypothetical charges of murder were considered by detectives but not thought appropriate because of a lack of information that Mr Woods knew the family or anything that provided a link between them.
Ms McEnroe’s parents, Marie McEnroe and George McNellis, told the coroner they thought it was “murder”.
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A statement from the mother of Filip and Dominic, and the ex-wife of Mr Rossa, Kamila, was read out at the inquest.
She said Mr Rossa, known as Jarek, was born in Poland where they became a couple and went on to have three boys.
He loved playing computer games and had “lots of friends”, she said, and worked at the Wagamama restaurant in Silverburn, Glasgow.
She said she was “devastated” over the deaths, adding: “Our lives will never be the same.
“I am heartbroken at the passing of my beloved angels Filip and Dominic.”
Marie McEnroe said her daughter, a spa therapist, had been in a relationship with Mr Rossa for about two-and-a-half years.
She said Jade had been a “brilliant mother” to her only child, was “really happy” with Mr Rossa and it was “lovely chaos” when all the boys were playing together.
Ms McEnroe added: “Life changed forever that day”.
Ms Taylor praised the “selfless acts of bravery” from those in the aftermath of the collision, including Mr Walsh, who she said went towards the burning car “without hesitation for his own safety”.
The coroner added: “Without his swift response, Jade’s child would also have perished.”
Addressing the bereaved family members, she said: “Your loss is unimaginable but you have conducted yourself with dignity and I thank you for that. I wish you strength for the future.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
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