Joe Lycett highlights UK’s sewage spill problem with his own prank podcast

25 November, 2023

Joe Lycett (Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts/Getty Images)

Joe Lycett has unveiled a new documentary highlighting the UK’s sewage spill problem following a number of pranks the comedian pulled.

Lycett is known for his public stunts, often done with a political or activist angle. He pushed David Beckham to cease working with Qatar amidst its homophobic policies, threatening to shred £10k if the footballer didn’t end his sponsorship before the World Cup began. It was revealed Lycett donated the money to charity and faked the shredding upon the news Beckham did not stop working with Qatar.

In his latest prank, Lycett travelled to the Liverpool Docks to promote the first episode of his podcast, ‘Turdcast’. It was set to feature Gary Lineker and his infamous World Cup fecal failure, along with a giant inflatable toilet Lycett branded ‘The Turdis’. However, the comedian cancelled the podcast upon footage showing he had leaked sewerage into the dock. Lineker himself added: “This is all extremely disappointing. I agreed to it in good faith, but can’t help but feel somewhat let down. Shit happens, I guess.”

However, it’s been revealed the podcast and leak were all pranks, part of Lycett’s upcoming Channel 4 documentary, Joe Lycett vs Poo.

Lycett took to social media to explain the series of mishaps in a video: “I spilled fake sewage because I wanted to get people talking about the billions of litres of real sewage that are released every year by our water companies,” he began.

“Last year, according to one analysis the water companies paid shareholders £1.4billion in dividends. That’s a lot of money that could have been used to improve the sewer network and reduce spills.

“We’re asking the water companies to stop paying dividends and instead invest the money in solving this problem.”

He then urged people to “write to your water company” to sign up to Joe’s Poo Promise.

The programme is set to air in 2024.

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