Pansexual icon Joe Lycett sparks outrage with sewage exposé: ‘Hilarious and absolutely enraging’
Joe Lycett vs Sewage has sparked outrage (Channel 4)
The popular comedian’s latest Channel 4 documentary – Joe Lycett vs Sewage – has left viewers outraged over the state of the United Kingdom’s sewage networks.
By this point in his career, LGBTQ+ comic Joe Lycett should have already added “professional troll” to his CV.
The list of people who have found themselves in his firing line in recent years is endless; Liz Truss during her infamous (and very short) stint as Prime Minister, David Beckham over his endorsement of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Suella Braverman for her immigration policies, not to mention mega oil companies – but in his latest venture, Lycett’s gone to s**t. Literally.
That’s not an insult; in Joe Lycett vs Sewage, which premiered last night (20 February) on Channel 4, Lycett “investigates the mind-boggling quantities of untreated sewage discharged into our waterways every day, and takes the fight to the water companies in the most Joe Lycett way possible,” according to the doc’s official synopsis.
As expected, Joe Lycett vs Sewage has included his trademark acerbic wit, several interviews with swimmers and coastal residents alike, and even guest appearances from the likes of Gary Lineker.
According to a whistle-blower interviewed in the documentary, the infrastructure of various sewage disposal systems in Great Britain is “absolutely dilapidated and falling apart, held together with sticky tape and plasticine”, and their specific water company had not had any investment since the 1950s.
It hasn’t been lost on viewers that Lycett has been doing more to combat the failing infrastructure of water companies than the incumbent government.
“Thank goodness for the likes of Lycett,” one X user wrote.
That sentiment is echoed in The Guardian‘s review, with the recap ending with: “As long as we don’t think too hard about why a Channel 4 comedian is our only defender against a world of s**t, I think everything’s really fine.”
Joe Lycett vs Sewage has also, as expected, generated even more outrage at the state of United Kingdom’s water systems.
Another X user wrote that the documentary was, “hilarious and absolutely enraging”, and yet another added, “it’s shocking what water companies have been getting away with.”
“Thanks for highlighting the musical chairs between OFWAT [water regulation company] and the water companies,” another user added.
As a response to the doc, Water UK has released a statement, saying:
“Companies have set out proposals for a record £96 billion of investment, to ensure the security of our water supply in the future and reduce spills into rivers and seas as fast as possible.”
Joe Lycett vs Sewage is available to stream now on Channel 4.
