Moment Joe Lycett releases fake sewage into the Mersey from inflatable loo dubbed 'The Turdis' as comedian continues his unlikely quest to highlight water pollution
- The comedian's shocking stunt saw the dock fill with liquid brown 'fake faeces'
- READ MORE: How much SEWAGE is pumped into rivers and seas near you?
This is the moment comedian Joe Lycett's giant inflatable loo invention dubbed 'The Turdis' spurted fake poo into a nearby river - as people looked on in total disbelief.
The funnyman, 35, unveiled the bizarre work of art as part of his personal quest to raise awareness over the UK sewage crisis in new Channel 4 documentary: Joe Lycett vs Sewage.
The hour-long programme follows the presenter as he investigates the monstrous amounts of untreated sewage discharged into our waterways, which is estimated to be a whopping 1,200 years worth of raw waste in the last eight years alone.
In the show, which airs tonight, the Birmingham personality called upon TV presenter Jenny Powell to cut the ribbon at Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool, meanwhile fans and press were also invited - but they had no idea they were part of an elaborate ruse.
While Joe mingled with an excited crowd, a long thin pipe could be seen sprouting a liquid brown substance into the waterfront - which onlookers believed to be faeces - as the presenter feigned surprise and shouted 'Oh it stinks!'
![This is the shocking moment comedian Joe Lycett 's giant inflatable loo invention dubbed 'The Turdis' spurted fake poo into Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480433-13099919-image-a-14_1708425656337.jpg)
This is the shocking moment comedian Joe Lycett 's giant inflatable loo invention dubbed 'The Turdis' spurted fake poo into Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool
![A long black pipe could be seen sprouting a liquid brown substance into the waterfront - which onlookers believed to be faeces](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480441-13099919-image-a-16_1708425663499.jpg)
A long black pipe could be seen sprouting a liquid brown substance into the waterfront - which onlookers believed to be faeces
![Joe (pictured left), 35, concocted the stunt as part of a quest to raise awareness over the UK sewage crisis in new Channel 4 documentary: Joe Lycett vs Sewage](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480435-13099919-image-a-18_1708425665524.jpg)
Joe (pictured left), 35, concocted the stunt as part of a quest to raise awareness over the UK sewage crisis in new Channel 4 documentary: Joe Lycett vs Sewage
Pausing his chat with a fan about her husband's 'bowel issues', he exclaimed: 'Oh woah, woah, hang on!'
He then shuttled himself and the unknown woman out of harm's ways and further backwards onto the dock.
Staff from The Turdis dressed in high-vis gear immediately ran to the commotion, to which Joe warned: 'Oh it stinks. Is anyone trying to stop it?' The worker replied with urgency: 'Can we get the toilet team in?'
As the water turned a muddy brown, Joe explained privately to viewers that the dock was now filling up with his 'fake faeces'.
'But will it be enough to convince the press?' he added.
Staff could be seen working tirelessly - or so it seemed - to get to the root of the problem, with some even taking to the ground to try and uninstall it.
Keeping up with the clever subterfuge, Joe said: 'We'll have to shut it down. It's still leaking'.
Turning to address the crowd, he continued: 'Okay em we've had a slight accident.
![The planned subterfuge went as far as including an inflatable loo (pictured centre) and fake staff pretending to fix the toilet](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480437-13099919-image-a-20_1708425668528.jpg)
The planned subterfuge went as far as including an inflatable loo (pictured centre) and fake staff pretending to fix the toilet
![The comedian first unveiled 'The Turdis' and its accompanying stunt in November last year](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480399-13099919-image-a-22_1708425670993.jpg)
The comedian first unveiled 'The Turdis' and its accompanying stunt in November last year
![Before the grand spectacle, Joe mingled with a growing crowd and chatted with a fan about her husband's 'bowel issues'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480447-13099919-image-a-24_1708425673438.jpg)
Before the grand spectacle, Joe mingled with a growing crowd and chatted with a fan about her husband's 'bowel issues'
'Em sorry uh we're going to have to shut this down basically we've had a bit of a em technical issue.
'So yeah we're going to have to ask for you to leave if that's okay. I'm sorry that it's ended so quickly but em yeah thank you for coming along.
'You have a good rest of your day'.
At this point a large crowd had gathered around the spectacle, with many taking out their phones to record the mind-boggling event.
More staff could be seen tending to the inflatable loo while shouting out dramatic chants of 'yuck' and 'ugh'.
Later on Joe commended himself for pulling off the stunt: 'I feel like it was at this stage a success. It looks exactly as you'd want it to look, which is "oh dear something horrible has happened here".
![As the dock filled with the muddy brown substance, Joe warned: 'Oh it stinks. Is anyone trying to stop it?'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480455-13099919-image-a-26_1708425676729.jpg)
As the dock filled with the muddy brown substance, Joe warned: 'Oh it stinks. Is anyone trying to stop it?'
![Here, the fake poop had only just began flowing from the pipe and into the dock](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480459-13099919-image-a-28_1708425679131.jpg)
Here, the fake poop had only just began flowing from the pipe and into the dock
'I think we're in with a good chance that someone is going to post it and someone will report on it'.
He added with a smile: 'I can not wait to see what they write'.
However he explained that he wasn't expecting much as 'hundreds' of untreated sewage is discharged into British waterways every day and 'no one pays any attention', before asking 'will anyone care?'
Fans of the comedian surely know the answer to this question as the stunt was of course a raging success when it was pulled off in November last year.
At the time, Joe pulled the PR move to promote yet another fake invention - 'The Turdcast', a mock podcast discussing people's toilet habits.
Controversially, his first - and so far his only - guest to the Turdcast Studio was footballing legend Gary Lineker who recounted how he pooped himself at England's opener at the World Cup in 1990.
![Press were invited to the opening of The Turdis - but they had no idea they were part of an elaborate ruse](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480391-13099919-image-a-30_1708425681533.jpg)
Press were invited to the opening of The Turdis - but they had no idea they were part of an elaborate ruse
![A large crowd had gathered round, with many taking out their phones to record the mind-boggling event](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480389-13099919-image-a-32_1708425684182.jpg)
A large crowd had gathered round, with many taking out their phones to record the mind-boggling event
Following the explosive inflatable loo stunt, Joe posted a press release on Instagram announcing the shocking end to his podcast with immediate effect.
He wrote: 'Following the incident yesterday at Liverpool Albert Docks and an ongoing investigation into the sewage spilled into the waters, it has been concluded that it would be inappropriate to launch the podcast today.
'We've therefore made the decision to cancel the podcast indefinitely. I'm very sorry to disappoint and hope that we can launch soon.
'I'd like to reiterate that it was entirely safe and managed by the team very swiftly. I'II be releasing more information in due course.'
Although his followers appeared none the wiser, Joe's scheme successfully riled up fans who fumed over the damage caused by sewage spills.
Back on the show, Joe reflected on the wild moment: 'So yesterday was interesting because we wanted it to be a disaster but it actually through the weather essentially ended up being more of a disaster than we'd planned.
'I think you know before we started this, I didn't know the extent of the problem, now I understand just how big of an issue this is.
![Joe put on his best acting skills and appeared just as puzzled as passers-by](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480477-13099919-image-a-34_1708425687384.jpg)
Joe put on his best acting skills and appeared just as puzzled as passers-by
![After the fake leakage, Joe shut down The Turdis and thanked the crowd for coming, before asking them to disperse the area](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/20/10/81480501-13099919-image-a-36_1708425689938.jpg)
After the fake leakage, Joe shut down The Turdis and thanked the crowd for coming, before asking them to disperse the area
'Hopefully people watching this and hearing about the stunt will maybe do a bit of research on it and go "wow this is a much bigger problem than I realised"'.
Earlier in the show, Joe revealed his quest to expose 'one the of worst environmental scandals in decades' and to figure out how he could make a change.
His journey took him to Aldwick beach in Bognor Regis where he met Bianca Carr of Clean Harbours Partnership, who estimated that the nearby sea endured a whopping 16,688 untreated sewage spills in 2023.
She added that a local water treatment centre once pumped sewage waste into the water for a staggering 187 consecutive hours.
To investigate the matter further, he interviewed a whistleblower who claimed to have worked in 'water waste' for 15 years.
His revelations about the state of national sewage corporations were truly shocking.
He said: 'Some of them [water waste companies] haven't had any investments since the 1950s. They are absolutely dilapidated and falling apart... held together with sticky ape and plasticine'.
Speaking on what lead to the dire state of the industry, he said: 'Usually a mechanical breakdown which is brought on by a lack of investment across the board.
'If a pump breaks down then quite easily we could be spilling poo into the environment. A lot of them can't process what they should be treating'.
But the most telling was his insight into the 'toxic' industry culture that promoted financial incentives if spillages went unreported.
He revealed: 'I've seen managers who go quicker up the greasy pole if they nod and agree and don't report what they should report and those who don't make any trouble will soon be at the top of the ladder.
'Bonuses can be linked to spills, the more spills reported, the less bonus you're likely to get'.
Joe Lycett vs Sewage airs tonight at 9pm on Channel 4.