Noel Edmonds, 77, breaks silence after facing backlash to viral lobster release video: 'Going to bed!'

Noel Edmonds has posted a deflated video on Instagram after facing a torrent of online criticism for purchasing live lobsters from a shop and dropping them into the sea off the Isle of Man.

The 77-year-old former Deal Or No Deal presenter appeared on the platform wearing a bright red boiler suit and white hard hat, sarcastically addressing his followers: "Oh there you are, right... guess what I am about to do... oh yeah! I'm going to bed."

The clip came in the wake of widespread anger over footage shared last week showing Mr Edmonds and his wife Liz releasing the crustaceans into Peel Harbour, a gesture intended as an act of kindness that critics said was likely to cause the animals more harm than good.

Mr Edmonds subsequently switched off comments beneath the post.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

In the original footage, posted on Tuesday, Mr Edmonds explained that he and Liz had spotted lobsters confined in a tank at a local farm shop and felt uneasy about the sight.

"We were at a place where there were some lobsters in a tank, and we're a little bit uncomfortable about the lobsters and tanks," he told viewers.

"So we bought the lobsters, and now Liz is going to release them."

His wife was then filmed lowering the animals into the harbour waters as Mr Edmonds enthused about the clarity of the sea, noting that a seal had recently been spotted swimming past.

When he asked Liz whether she was happy, she confirmed she was.

The presenter, who splits his time between New Zealand and the Isle of Man, captioned the video: "We love and respect all creatures great and small."

However, the pair soon came under fire, including from one Instagram user who hit out: "Lovely sentiment, but from a marine biologist perspective it's best not to release captive lobsters.

"Disease transfer and genetic mixing are real concerns to native populations - also restaurants will order more lobsters and sell them knowing people will release them - you're liable to big fines for doing this."

Others highlighted the danger of abrupt temperature changes, with one Reddit user pointing out that shallow coastal waters were currently around 20°C, a potentially fatal shock for lobsters kept in carefully chilled tanks.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

• Amy Dowden breaks down in tears as the Strictly star shares heartbreaking toll of cancer
• Tracy Shaw shares new heartbreaking cancer update after fourth round of chemotherapy: 'It's agony'
• Myleene Klass shares terrifying health update after discovering breast lumps: 'Then a second one'

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Noel Edmonds (@noeledmonds.world)

Stressed, captive lobsters are widely considered unlikely to survive reintroduction to the wild, and releasing them risks spreading disease or disrupting local marine ecosystems.

Another critic penned: "They've basically killed them."

Matt Harrison, the farm shop's owner, responded by relocating the lobster tank to a less visible spot within the premises and said he was weighing up whether to remove it altogether.

"I'm sensitive to people's feelings," he said.

"But the vast majority of people want us to keep it and for us to keep supporting local businesses, which is the whole point of the shop."

Mr Harrison explained that the lobsters were caught in waters near Peel by a young local shellfish fisherman whom he had been keen to support.

He pushed back against suggestions the animals were poorly treated, while acknowledging the controversy had forced him to reconsider the tank's future.

"I'm still mulling over whether to keep it," he said.

"There are still lobsters in there; they're really healthy."

Mr Harrison provided further details about the tank's upkeep, stating that it was charcoal-filtered, serviced weekly, and kept at salinity levels that matched the surrounding sea, with water temperatures maintained between 7.1°C and 7.4°C.

Fresh lobsters were delivered roughly every one to two weeks and rotated through the system, meaning none typically remained in the tank for longer than a fortnight.

He added that customers would still be able to purchase lobster from other outlets along the Peel seafront regardless of his decision.

The episode, which has been jokingly labelled "Lobstergate" on social media, has drawn hundreds of comments across multiple platforms.

Mr Edmonds's original post alone attracted 189 comments before he disabled the function.

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter