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

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.”

Joe Lycett to ‘shred £10,000 this morning'

Sunday 20 November 2022 08:50 , Isobel Lewis

Morning all! The day is here and, with David Beckham yet to even acknowledge Joe Lycett’s ultimatum, the comedian is preparing to destroy £10,000 with a shredder.

We’ll be keeping you updated on everything going on this morning.

ICYMI...

Sunday 20 November 2022 09:15 , Isobel Lewis

In case you’ve not been paying attention, Joe Lycett released a video last week in which he challenged David Beckham over his alleged £10m deal with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Pull out of the deal over to the country’s stance on LGBT+ issues, and Lycett will donate £10,000 to charities supporting gay people in football.

However, should Beckham not do it, he will shred the money and live stream it.

Find out all the details below...

Joe Lycett to shred £10,000 if David Beckham doesn’t pull out of Qatar World Cup deal

Sunday 20 November 2022 09:35 , Isobel Lewis

Over on Lycett’s website, the countdown is ticking away...

Joe Lycett says he’s ‘in a bit of a pickle’ over Beckham World Cup stunt

Sunday 20 November 2022 09:52 , Isobel Lewis

Earlier this week, with David Beckham yet to respond to his request, Lycett shared an email he had sent to the footballer’s publicist.

In it, the comic asks if he’s really to expect “radio silence” from Beckham, adding: “‘I really don’t want to shred 10 grand!!!”

You can read more below...

Joe Lycett says he’s in ‘a bit of a pickle’ over David Beckham World Cup ultimatum

Sunday 20 November 2022 10:02 , Isobel Lewis

T-minus two hours!

Joe Lycett posts photo of £10,000 cash he will ‘shred'

Sunday 20 November 2022 10:20 , Isobel Lewis

Lycett’s got the money ready... but will he actually shred it?

Will Joe Lycett actually shred £10,000?

Sunday 20 November 2022 10:30 , Isobel Lewis

It’s the question on everyone’s lips this morning: will Joe Lycett actually shred £10,000? He couldn’t... could he? Would he?

Check out the comment sections on his recent posts and you’ll find Lycett’s followers are totally divided on the matter

While some have argued that it’s immoral to burn the cash in the middle of a recession and cost-of-living crisis and called on him to donate it to charity, others have said that £10,000 is small fry compared to what Beckham has (allegedly) earnt and that Lycett can spend his own money on this protest if he wants.

I’ve covered a lot of Lycett’s stunts over the last few years (you can see some of my favourites here), but I’ve never been more intrigued to see how one will play out.

Given the backlash within some of his fanbase, I personally think it’s unlikely the comedian will actually destroy the cash. Still, he’s not one to give up and is a big fan of a double bluff or last minute rug-pull.

If that money’s not being shredded, you can guarantee something even more dramatic is going to take place.

Sunday 20 November 2022 10:45 , Isobel Lewis

Yesterday, Lycett posted a picture of not just the £10,000 cash, but the shredder he’d be using to do it.

Joe Lycett shares photo of shredder he’ll ‘destroy £10,000’ with in Beckham ultimatum

Is it illegal to destroy money in the UK?

Sunday 20 November 2022 10:54 , Isobel Lewis

In his original video, Joe Lycett said that David Beckham would be “forcing me to commit a crime” if he didn’t back out of his World Cup deal.

But interestingly, it’s not actually illegal to destroy money in the UK.

Under the Currency and Banknotes Act (1928), it’s an offence to deface a banknote, but not destroy one altogether.

However, it is illegal to destroy a coin minted after 1969 – although good luck doing that...

Sunday 20 November 2022 11:05 , Isobel Lewis

Less than an hour to go now!

Sunday 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...

Joe Lycett’s biggest political pranks

Has David Beckham responded to Joe Lycett’s demands?

Sunday 20 November 2022 11:21 , Isobel Lewis

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.

What is Joe Lycett protesting?

Sunday 20 November 2022 11:30 , Isobel Lewis

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.

Sunday 20 November 2022 11:38 , Isobel Lewis

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

Which celebrities are supporting Lycett?

Sunday 20 November 2022 11:47 , Isobel Lewis

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.”

Sunday 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...

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:00 , Isobel Lewis

Here we go...

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:01 , Isobel Lewis

Wait? Was that it??

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:04 , Isobel Lewis

The man really did it...

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

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:08 , Isobel Lewis

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...

Watch as Joe Lycett ‘shreds £10,000’ on livestream

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:11 , Isobel Lewis

For those of you who missed it, here’s the clip.

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:14 , Isobel Lewis

Well, that’s what Joe Lycett thinks of David Beckham’s “platform for progress” comment, then...

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:18 , Isobel Lewis

In case you missed it, Joe Lycett wore a rainbow jacket with black, light blue and pink sections at the top.

These are the colours seen in the Progress Pride flag, which was developed in 2018 by nonbinary American artist and designer Daniel Quasar as an inclusive update to represent the LGBT+ community.

Did Joe Lycett destroy the £10,000?

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:38 , Isobel Lewis

Just tuning in? Yep, it seems like Joe Lycett really did destroy that £10,000.

Joe Lycett ‘shreds £10,000’ after David Beckham ignores Qatar World Cup ultimatum

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:42 , Isobel Lewis

The Thick of It star and comedian Chris Addison has come out in praise of Lycett, calling him “a force for good”.

Sunday 20 November 2022 12:47 , Isobel Lewis

I have to admit though, this was definitely me...

What does Joe Lycett’s ‘a platform for progress’ caption mean?

Sunday 20 November 2022 13:36 , Isobel Lewis

When Lycett posted the clip of the shredding on social media, he simply captioned the post: “‘A platform for progress.’”

Not only did Beckham not respond to Lycett’s ultimatum, but he has not commented on Qatar’s stance on LGBT+ issues at all.

The extent of his commentary came on Thursday (17 November) when Beckham, who has previously been supportive of LGBT+ issues, spoke at an event in Qatar and said that the 2022 World Cup would be “a platform for progress”.

Sunday 20 November 2022 15:10 , Isobel Lewis

Lycett has divided fans with his stunt, with some saying it was a waste to destroy the cash, while others called it a provocative, yet effective way of raising awareness.

Joe Lycett divides fans as he ‘shreds £10,000’ after David Beckham World Cup protest