Joe Lycett defends Qatar shows after his David Beckham criticism
Comedian Joe Lycett has responded to reports that he previously performed in Qatar following his criticism of David Beckham’s work in the Gulf state.
The stand-up had threatened to destroy £10,000 of his own money last month unless former England footballer pulled out of his reported £10m deal with the World Cup host, where homosexuality is illegal.
On Wednesday, Lycett sarcastically tweeted that he has been “caught out” by The Sun newspaper after it published a story saying he performed in Doha a few years ago.
David Beckham appeared throughout the World Cup in Qatar
The comic had previously mentioned his gigs around Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar in his autobiography, published in 2016.
Lycett wrote: “Oops! I’ve been caught out by The Sun!
“I did two gigs in Doha in 2015 and kept it entirely secret by writing about it in my own book and mentioning it in multiple interviews including with the NY Times!
“If you’re interested, I was paid a few hundred quid (not by Qatar but by UK comedy promoters) but it was 2015 and that went a lot further back then.
“I reckon that if a popular comedian from those days (eg Shane Ritchie) had shredded a few hundred quid to persuade me not to go, it would have made a difference. But who can say?
“I don’t have the perfect hindsight and spotless morality of, to pick a completely random example, The Sun newspaper.”
In a tweet to Lycett, broadcaster Piers Morgan wrote: “(The) problem is you decided to appoint yourself the great outraged halo-clad moralist over Qatar re Beckham & LGBT rights but you were paid to appear there too.
“Blaming the media for exposing your hypocrisy is a bit pathetic.”
Beckham did not respond to Lycett’s threat to destroy £10,000, prompting the comedian to appear to shred the money on a live stream.
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Lycett ‘would never destroy real money’
He later revealed that the money was fake and claimed he donated the amount to LGBT+ charities.
The stunt highlighted concerns about the World Cup being hosted in a country where same-sex relationships can be punishable by seven years in prison.
Qatar has been criticised for its laws and attitudes towards migrant workers and the LGBT+ communities.
Entertainment
Gregg Wallace: Over half of allegations against MasterChef presenter substantiated, including one of unwanted physical contact
An investigation into Gregg Wallace’s “inappropriate behaviour” on MasterChef has found that more than half of the allegations against him have been substantiated, including one of “unwanted physical contact”.
MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK shared a summary of its report into historical allegations of misconduct against the 60-year-old presenter, carried out by independent law firm Lewis Silkin over seven months.
The report also said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace’s return to MasterChef “untenable”.
The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants.
There were 83 allegations against Wallace, and 45 of them were substantiated. All were related to MasterChef.
While the majority of the substantiated allegations related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated.
One allegation of unwanted physical contact was substantiated.
Nearly all the allegations against Wallace were related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018, with just one substantiated allegation taking place post-2018.
Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014
Ahead of the publication of the summary, Wallace had said he had been “cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations” made against him.
Additionally, the report summary found that there were also 10 standalone allegations about other people between 2012 and 2018/2019, two of which were substantiated. Those people were not named in the summary.
The investigation found that complaints had previously been raised with the production company between 2005 and 2024.
Gregg Wallace on MasterChef. Pic: BBC/ Shine TV 2024
While the report flagged inadequate reporting procedures prior to 2016, when Endemol merged with Shine ahead of Banijay acquiring Endemol Shine in 2020, it said there were significant improvements to HR processes and training after 2016.
While the investigation said some formal action was taken by the BBC in 2017, it also noted the corporation held no information regarding concerns raised over Wallace centrally, resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence.
Sky News has tried to contact Gregg Wallace for contact today.
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