Advertisement

Joe Lycett praised for shocking spoof ad as he pretends to be Shell CEO 's****ing out of his mouth'

Watch: Comedian Joe Lycett stages stunt outside Shell HQ in London

Joe Lycett has been praised for a documentary tackling oil giant Shell that featured a shocking spoof ad that showed him defecating out of his mouth.

In Joe Lycett Vs The Oil Giant – aired by Channel 4 on Sunday evening – the comedian investigated claims of "greenwashing" at Shell, looking at whether the company's environmentally friendly image really rings true.

Read more: Joe Lycett brands Twitter a 'nasty place' full of trolls

In the run-up to the COP26 climate change conference, Lycett questioned Shell's green adverts, saying they seemed suspicious considering how much oil and gas the company still drilled, and then tried to get his own spoof ad on TV.

The parody saw Lycett don a blond wig as he pretended to be Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden.

Joe Lycett Climate Investigation
Joe Lycett has been praised for a documentary that sees him take on Shell.

But as he made a number of eco-friendly claims about their work, he began to poo out of his mouth to show the statements that Lycett believed to be lies.

The stomach-churning ad might have made many viewers laugh, but they were also in shock at the graphic close-ups of what was coming out of Lycett's mouth.

One viewer tweeted: "Joe Lycett was on fire tonight. Although I was eating when the ad aired."

Someone else wrote: "Joe this is a very gross ad but gets the point across so I suppose it works."

Joe Lycett dressed up as Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden. (Channel 4)
Joe Lycett as Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden. (Channel 4)

Another viewer commented: "Fantastic spoof ad. I'm so happy someone calls out the falseness of their glossy ads pretending to be green AS A FOSSIL FUEL COMPANY!! It makes me shout at the TV. They're obviously trying to rebrand. But it's an amazing example of greenwashing."

Someone else tweeted: "Great job Joe! Two memorable ads and some great inspiration for creative campaigning."

However, not everyone was a fan of the ad and documentary as one viewer tweeted: "Disgusting vile program there are better ways to prove a point I will be reporting it to OFCOM."

Read more: Joe Lycett stages stunt outside Shell

Some impressed viewers suggested Lycett should also take on other companies who were polluting the environment.

The comedian features in the current BBC One series of Who Do You Think You Are?, in which he will make the shock discovery that one of his ancestors from the 19th century suffered from alcoholism as a reaction to razing villages in China after the Opium Wars.

Watch: What is COP26 and how will it affect the future of climate change?