Comedian Joe Lycett has been at the centre of a media storm over the past couple of days after he followed through on his promise to shred £10,000 if David Beckham didn’t pull out of Qatar 2022.
Well, sort of.
The Birmingham-born comic launched his ten thousand pound threat earlier this month under the banner of the ‘Benders Like Beckham‘ campaign, which aimed of raising awareness surrounding Qatar‘s suppression of LGBTQIA+ rights and holding official advocates accountable.
While many watching the clip below understandably believed the Brummy had lived up to his promise and went on to chastise the 34-year-old, it turns out the entire stunt was faked.
Lycett was met with a raft of criticism from figures across the media and the general public, especially during a cost of living crisis. TV presenter Jeremy Vine labelled the comic-turned-regular campaigner “reckless” and thousands begged him to donate the money to relevant charities instead.
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However, even before the stunt was found to have been staged, many recognised the campaign correctly called into question people’s priorities — i.e. being more outraged by the apparent shredding of someone’s personal money than the abuse of migrant workers and suppression of personal freedoms.
With that in mind, those that dished out some rather personal abuse in his direction will probably be deleting a tweet or two since he confirmed that “the money that went into the shredder was real, but the money that came out was fake”.
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I mean, it’s not like this is his first prank, folks.
Lycett insisted that he “would never be so irresponsible” and revealed instead that the money “had already been donated to LGBTQ+ charities”. Top bloke.
The former University of Manchester student went on to describe his intentions as “an empty threat designed to get people talking” (which it did) and, much like Beckham‘s deal with the Gulf state, “total bull***”. Well played, sir.
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The England, Manchester United and Real Madrid legend is one of many famous footballing figures who signed on to promote the competition despite backlash from within sport and the public in general.
The UNICEF ambassador caught significant flak for appearing in an advert for Qatar’s tourism board before the beginning of the tournament. Fellow United legend Eric Cantona described his decision to back Qatar 2022, like that of many other former pros, as “a big mistake“.
Among the many controversies surrounding this year’s World Cup hosts, including the abuse of migrant workers – many of whom died building the stadiums – the fact that the beautiful game is being hosted in a country where homosexuality and transgenderism are illegal is nothing short of despicable.
We can only applaud Joe Lycett for once again drawing attention to it; we only wish Becks and others saw sense. Shortly before England’s opener against Iran, it was confirmed that several nations would not be wearing the One Love armband over fears of instant bookings and further punishment. A real shame.
Louder for those at the back: football is a game for EVERYONE.
NHS says it’s battling with ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide
Emily Sergeant
Flu hospitalisations have surged by more than half in just one week, plunging the NHS into the ‘worst case scenario’.
Shocking new figures have revealed that an nn average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week, which is the highest-ever for this time of year and up 55% up on last week – which, when put into perspective, means there are enough flu patients each day to fill more than three whole hospital trusts.
NHS bosses have warned that the total has already increased sharply since the week covered by the data, and at this time, there is thought to be no ‘peak’ in sight.
These new figures come as demand for A&Es and ambulance services are already soaring.
The number of patients in hospital with flu has risen by over 50% in the last week, reaching a record number for this time of year – and numbers continue to grow.
New monthly figures showed that A&E attendances were a record for November at 2.35 million and more than 30,000 higher than November 2024, while there were 48,814 more ambulance incidents compared to last year.
The record-breaking demand also comes just ahead of thousands of resident doctors going on strike this week from 17-22 December – with ‘major disruption’ expected for patients ahead of Christmas.
The public are advised to attend any planned appointments scheduled during the strikes, unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them, during the industrial action.
NHS says it’s battling with the ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide / Credit: Pxhere
The public should use 111 online as their first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E as normal.
“With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is the NHS National Medical Director.
“Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.
“We have prepared earlier for winter than ever before, and stress-tested services to ensure people have a range of ways to get the help they need and avoid needing to go to A&E.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the flu surge as a ‘tidal wave’.
“We are working with the NHS to make sure it is able to cope with this as best as possible,” he concluded.
Featured Image – Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
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Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
Danny Jones -
22nd November 2022 
