H from Steps 8ft statue in Welsh hometown revealed as hoax by comedian Joe Lycett
13 April 2024, 00:51 | Updated: 13 April 2024, 00:55
A claim that H from Steps would be given an 8ft statue in his Welsh hometown of Cowbridge has been revealed as a hoax by comedian Joe Lycett.
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Lycett, 35, revealed on his Channel 4 show on Friday night that the claim was one of several fake news stories he had planted over the past month.
Revealing the fabricated story on the new series of the show, Lycett joked: "I know what you're thinking, that'll only be torn down in a few years when people remember his historic links to the slave trade."
H himself, Ian Watkins, made an appearance on the show confirming the story was "fake news".
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Following the airing of the show, H told BBC Wales: "I'm great friends with Joe and he had this idea that he wanted to create fun fake news to deflect away from all of the bad fake news - and it worked!
"And a lot of these stories have gone unnoticed - this one did for a long time."
The Steps star said it had been difficult keeping the fake story secret - with his mum one of the few people in on the ruse.
"Believe me, I have been dodging texts and well wishes, and amazing messages from all of my pop pals," he said.
"It's ridiculous because what we have proposed is like an 8ft bronze statue of me. And I love that people thought it was justified and it was a lovely idea.
H said he loved that people thought it could be real but called the idea "ridiculous".
The comedian also revealed that his team planted three other stories that included a man with a bruise in the shape of Prince Harry, research saying Birmingham men have the longest penises in the country, and a Banksy mural also in Birmingham.
Lycett said the stories were covered in publications including the Mail, the Sun, BBC News, ITV News, Sky News and the Independent.
The comedian from Birmingham has become well known for his pranks and stunts.
He previously changed his name to Hugo Boss after the fashion brand sent several cease-and-desist letters to small businesses that used "boss" in their name.
Lycett also threatened to shred £10,000 over footballer David Beckham's ambassadorship for the Qatar men's World Cup in 2022.
The money turned out to be fake but was done in protest over the Middle Eastern nation's treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.
