Comedian Joe Lycett responds after old pictures of Qatar gig emerge

Joe Lycett has clapped back at critics after old photographs emerged revealing the comedian had performed at shows in Qatar in 2015.

The photographs, published by The Sun, appear to show Lycett at various gigs in the Middle East state, as well as a promotional poster for tour dates in Doha and cities in the UAE.

It comes just weeks after the Birmingham-born entertainer appeared to shred £10,000 of his own money in a video after issuing an ultimatum to David Beckham over the footballer's role as an ambassador for Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, for which he branded Beckham "a disgrace."

Lycett said his pledge to destroy the money (£1,000 for every £1m of Beckham’s alleged deal) was a protest against the Gulf state's stance on LGBT+ issues, which sees same-sex relationships criminalised.

Had Beckham pulled out of his deal, Lycett said he would have donated the money to charities supporting LGBT+ people in football, adding Beckham’s status as a "gay icon" would have remained intact.

Lycett, who himself identifies as queer, later revealed he did not actually shred the money, and that the money that came out the shredder was fake, after Beckham failed to respond to his threat.

"I would never destroy real money. I would never be so irresponsible," he said, before adding that the £10,000 had already been donated to LGBT+ charities before he sent his first ultimatum to the footballer.

Watch: Joe Lycett appears to shred £10,000 of his own money

Responding to The Sun's article in a tweet, Lycett said: "Oops! I've been caught out the by The Sun!

"I did two gigs in Doha in 2015 and kept it entirely secret by writing about it in my own book and mentioning it in multiple interviews."

He added he was paid "a few hundred quid" for the shows, which he said was not from Qatar but from UK comedy promoters.

"I reckon that if a popular comedian from those days (e.g. Shane Ritchie) had shredded a few hundred quid to persuade me not to go, it would have made a difference," Lycett said, adding, "But who can say? I don't have the perfect hindsight and spotless morality of, to pick a completely random example, The Sun newspaper."

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