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Joe Lycett says 'Steph's Packed Lunch' walk-out was planned

Joe Lycett storms off Steph's Packed Lunch (Channel 4)
Joe Lycett stormed off 'Steph's Packed Lunch'. (Channel 4)

Joe Lycett has said his storming off Steph’s Packed Lunch was actually planned.

The comedian walked off the Channel 4 show this week after presenter Steph McGovern pointed out a plastic drink bottle in a picture of him in his garden – shortly after he’d claimed to have given up using them.

Muttering “I didn’t realise I was on Newsnight”, Lycett whipped off his mic and stalked off set, apparently angry at the situation.

Read more: Joe Lycett goes back to his own name after changing it to Hugo Boss

However, he has now posted a message on Instagram saying the whole thing was set up to make a point about the use of plastic.

Sharing the snap of him and his plastic bottle, he wrote: “Some of you might’ve seen or read that I had a ‘tantrum’ on Steph’s Packed Lunch yesterday and ‘stormed off’ the show. This is absolutely true.

"What you might not know is: I planned the whole thing.

“Clear PET plastic bottles are widely recycled and contribute to the circular economy. If you put a clear PET plastic bottle in the recycling there’s a good chance it will become another clear PET plastic bottle. Coloured and in particular white PET plastic bottles are much harder to recycle.

“I explained this on Thursday’s show, but later a picture with a bottle (made with white PET plastic) appeared on screen. Steph pointed out my apparent hypocrisy and I KICKED OFF (by ‘KICKED OFF’ I mean ‘took my mic off and left the studio’). All of it was planned, all of it rehearsed."

<p>Viewers were left scratching their heads when Joe Lycett appeared to walk off <em>Steph's Packed Lunch</em> after an awkward exchange.<br>Things seemed to get a little tense when presenter Steph McGovern challenged the comedian about his plastic bottle ban, despite being pictured with one in his own garden.</p>
Joe Lycett planned to walk off the show. (Channel 4)

Lycett went on: "Today I seeded pictures of me drinking from one of these bottles which Greg James agreed to retweet. The tabloids loved it - Mummy’s all over the press!

Read more: Joe Lycett shares funny take on Gal Gadot’s Imagine video

“The bottle in question? Yop. I risked my reputation as a jolly, affable and very-much-available chat show guest to say this as loud as I can: Yop, it’s time to stop using white PET plastic. What you sayin’ Yop?”

Watch: Joe Lycett appears to storm off Steph's Packed Lunch

Fans were tickled by the stunt, with several saying they had thought the comedian had something up his sleeve.

"Knew you had something planned!" said one fan, while another called it a "genius move".

"Well played," said another viewer.