Glastonbury 2016: Brian Blessed to voice WaterAid's 'Talking Toilets'

The vocally-gifted thespian joins Kathy Burke and Cerys Matthews in a campaign to raise awareness of the global lack of access to safe, private toilets

Having a wee while Brian Blessed talks to you is just another day at Glastonbury, isn't it?

Which is why WaterAid's new Talking Toilets campaign is both wonderfully bizarre, and absolutely at home at the music festival. The charity has installed three very special facilities at the site, voiced by thespian Brian Blessed, comedian Kathy Burke, and DJ Cerys Matthews; who will provide a little entertainment for festival-goers as they do their business.

It's all part of the #ToiletsSaveLives campaign; aiming to raise awareness about the global need for proper sanitation, which 2.3 billion people globally are currently suffering from a total lack of. Indeed, users will also be entering somewhat of a loo lottery; either gaining access to the cushiest toilet on site, or a full view through the door to the outside world and the crowded Pyramid Stage.

Don't panic, though. It's thankfully a two-way kind of door: see-through for the person inside, but appearing only as a mirror to those outside. WaterAid hopes the stunt will help highlight the fact one in three people around the world still do not have access to a safe, private toilet.

WaterAid’s Marcus Missen stated, "Who hasn’t wanted to listen to Brian Blessed while sitting on the bog? These icons, Cerys, Brian and Kathy, are helping us use this brief but essential pause in everyone’s festival day to share the stark fact that around one in three people around the world do not have a safe private toilet to do their business. The Talking Toilets are a humorous way of delivering a deadly serious message and encouraging people to lend their support to our #ToiletsSaveLives petition."

There will also be nearly 500 WaterAid volunteers at Glastonbury this year, hoping to gather more than 50,000 signatures for the petition, which calls on the UK government to provide a clear, financially backed plan on how to deliver on the promises made last September; when the UN Global Goals on Sustainable Development were agreed by world leaders, with Goal 6 aiming to provide the global population with clean water and safe toilets by 2030.

The Talking Toilets are located next to the cider bus at the back of the Pyramid stage field.