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.
Northern’s ‘Flash Sale’ is back for 2026 with millions of train tickets on sale for £2
Emily Sergeant
Millions of train tickets are currently on sale for just £2 each, as Northern has brought its popular ‘Flash Sale’ back for 2026.
A whopping FOUR MILLION of them, to be exact.
For the last couple of years, the rail operator has made life a little easier for train travellers by giving them the chance to grab one of several million tickets for much cheaper than normal – and now, with the cost of living crisis sadly continuing to make its impact felt, Northern has decided to kick off the autumn season by slashing prices once again.
It means that millions of people will have the opportunity to make a cut-price journey across the north of England before the end of October is out.
With the company’s regular ‘Flash Sales’ having gone onto become a, somewhat, legendary event at this point, it probably comes as no shock that you’ll need to act fast if you want to be in with a chance of get your hands tickets.
Tickets went live today and the sale runs for three days, closing on Friday 4 September – with tickets valid for travel between 9 September and 23 October 2026.
The top local destinations with the most tickets available in the sale are Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport, Manchester Victoria, and Manchester Oxford Road, as well as Wigan and several other neighbouring towns.
A list of routes where tickets will be available can also be found using the ‘cheap fare finder’ tool on the Northern website here.
Northern’s ‘Flash Sale’ is back for 2026 with millions of train tickets on sale from £2 / Credit: Northern | Wikimedia Commons
“With four million tickets up for grabs, this is one of our biggest Flash Sales yet, and there’s something for everyone,” commented Alex Hornby, who is the Commercial and Customer Director at Northern.
“With millions of tickets available for just £2 each, our Flash Sale will make the railway even more appealing, and we believe it will inspire everyone to explore everything our fantastic region has to offer, from bustling cities to countryside and stunning coastlines.
“Customers will need to book early to avoid disappointment, as once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Tickets are available to buy on Northern’s app, online, at ticket offices, and on ticket machines at stations managed by Northern.
Featured Image – Northern
News
Four people named and charged in relation to wildfires near Dovestone Reservoir
Emily Sergeant
Four people have been charged in relation to the devastating wildfires near Dovestone Reservoir over the summer.
They have also been publicly named by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as Tyler Warburton, Toby Wilde, Jake Eyre, and Lyreec Bryan-Gavin, all aged between 18 and 22-years-old.
The four men have each been charged with arson with recklessness as to whether life was endangered, while Wilde and Eyre have also been charged possession of class B (cannabis) on top of that.
They have all been bailed ahead of a scheduled court appearance on 25 February 2027 at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court.
These follow the arrest and subsequent charging of 20-year-old Shania Care-Slede, from Hyde.
Care-Slede had been charged with aggravated arson, being reckless as to whether life was endangered, and dangerous driving, and was remanded in custody before appearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 14 July.
The charges relate to the blaze that broke out on the evening of Saturday 11 July at the popular beauty spot in Oldham – prompting a major multi-agency response, with fire crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) working around the clock in challenging conditions to contain the fire and prevent further spread across the moorland.
Specialist wildfire resources, command support units, drone technology, and partner agencies were also been deployed as operations continued across multiple sectors of the incident.
To make matters worse, ‘strong’ winds carried smoke across parts of Greater Manchester – with reports of haze and the smell of burning being received from areas well beyond the immediate vicinity of the fire.
Officers are continuing to pursue a number of lines of enquiry, and are seeking to identify any other individuals who may have been involved by appealing to the public.
Can you help? Anyone with footage or information that may assist the investigation can submit it via the Dovestone Fire Evidence Submission Portal here.
Danny Jones -
22nd November 2022 
