Joe Lycett: Comedian curtsies after ‘shredding £10,000’ over David Beckham World Cup ultimatum

Comedian wore a rainbow-striped jacket as he appeared to destroy the money

Joe Lycett claims he'll shred £10,000 if David Beckham does not drop Qatar partnership

Joe Lycett has appeared to “shred £10,000” following “radio silence” from David Beckham over his World Cup ultimatum.

Last Sunday (13 November), the comedian released a video on social media in which he directly addressed Beckham about his deal promoting the World Cup in Qatar.

In the video, Lycett said that he would give £10,000 to charities that support gay people in football if Beckham pulls out of his reported £10 million deal over the country’s stance on LGBT+ issues.

If Beckham did not do so, Lycett said, he would shred the £10,000 (£1,000 for every £1m allegedly earned by the former England player) and live stream it this Sunday (20 November) at midday on the website BendersLikeBeckham.com.

While the Birmingham-born comic upped the ante over the last week, sharing an email he sent to Beckham’s publicist and a picture of the shredder he would be using, the footballer did not respond to or even acknowledge Lycett’s challenge.

While Lycett is known for his high profile stunts, from changing his name to Hugo Boss to pretending to be “very right wing”, this one proved to be particularly divisive.

Many people implored Lycett not to destroy the money as the country has just entered a recession and is in a cost-of-living crisis.

However, some argued back that Lycett’s ultimatum to Beckham was only an effective protest if he does actually shred the money.

But despite doubts being cast, Lycett did appear to shred the money as he appeared on the livestream on Sunday.

Lycett had previously warned Beckham, “not just the money, but also your status as gay icon will be shredded”.

“Also you’ll be forcing me to commit what might be a crime,” he said in his original video. “Although even then, I reckon I’ll get off more lightly than I would if I got caught whacking off a lad in Doha.”

[20 November 2022 11:14 · Isobel Lewis]

From claiming to be “very right wing” on a BBC politics programme to changing his name to Hugo Boss, Lycett is known for his high-profile stunts.

Something tells me today’s might be the biggest of the lot, but you can read more about some of his most effective tricks below...

[20 November 2022 11:21 · Isobel Lewis]

Has David Beckham responded to Joe Lycett’s demands?

We’ve less than an hour to go and David Beckham is still yet to comment on Joe Lycett’s ultimatum.

In fact, he’s generally avoided addressing Qatar’s stance on LGBT+ issues at all ahead of the World Cup.

During an event on Thursday (17 November), the footballer said that during the tournament, “the pitch would be a platform for progress”.

He also said that the tournament would combine a passion “for the game of football and for making the world a more tolerant and inclusive place”.

However, Beckham did not mention Lycett.

[20 November 2022 11:30 · Isobel Lewis]

What is Joe Lycett protesting?

Lycett’s protest is against David Beckham taking a reported £10 million deal to promote the 2022 Qatar World Cup, despite the country’s stance on LGBT+ issues.

“Qatar was voted as the one of the worst places in the world to be gay – homosexuality is illegal, punishable by imprisonment, and if you’re Muslim, possibly even death,” Lycett said in his original video.

Along with the £10,000, Beckham’s status as a “gay icon” would be “shredded”, Lycett said.

“You’ll be forcing me to commit what might be a crime. Although even then, I reckon I’ll get off more lightly than I would if I got caught whacking off a lad in Doha,” he added.

[20 November 2022 11:38 · Isobel Lewis]

You can watch the livestream at BendersLikeBeckham.com, where he’ll be streaming live using Twitch.

[20 November 2022 11:47 · Isobel Lewis]

Which celebrities are supporting Lycett?

Joe Lycett has been supported by a number of celebrities in his campaign to challenge David Beckham’s World Cup involvement.

On his original video, singer Jessie Ware called the comedian “iconic”, while Bake Off star Rahul Mandal commented: “Hats off to you Joe. You are the conscience of us, love you.”

“I love you so much Joe,” wrote Asim Chaudhry.

Fay Ripley commented: “This is excellent and I’m hoping will result in minimal shredding. Brilliant.”

Last week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tweeted: “I’m sure lots of you have seen this already, but what a brave, funny and thought provoking challenge to David Beckham from the brilliant @joelycett.”

[20 November 2022 11:52 · Isobel Lewis]

Nearly 5,000 people tuning in to watch a countdown! This is going to be quite the show...

[20 November 2022 12:00 · Isobel Lewis]

Here we go...

[20 November 2022 12:01 · Isobel Lewis]

Wait? Was that it??

[20 November 2022 12:04 · Isobel Lewis]

The man really did it...

(Joe Lycett)

[20 November 2022 12:08 · Isobel Lewis]

Joe Lycett wears rainbow tulle jacket as he ‘shreds £10,000'

I’m hearing that the website crashed, meaning a lot of people didn’t see what happened.

But I can confirm that, at least according to what we saw, Joe Lycett did shred the £10,000.

Although, knowing Lycett, something tells me this isn’t the end of the story...