There are many ways to spend a nice afternoon on the Isle of Man, but Noel Edmonds has, by his own admission, picked a typically “bizarre” one.
Together with his wife, the former host of game show Deal or No Deal took it upon himself to release store-bought lobsters into the water at Peel Harbour on the Isle of Man.
He had purchased the crustaceans earlier at a local farm shop after feeling “uncomfortable” at the sight of them confined in the tank.
“All right, this is one of those bizarre things that happens with us,” the 77-year-old confessed in a video he shared to Instagram last week.
“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, so we bought the lobsters and now Liz is going to release them. So here we go… nice clear water in Peel Harbour,” continued Edwards, watching on as his wife, Liz Davies, released the animals.
“Wonderful place,” he said of the spot, located on the west coast of the island. “And we know this is nice fresh water because a moment ago a seal went past.”
His good intentions, however, may well produce precisely the opposite effect, with some of Edmonds’ 146,000 followers chastising him for his actions.
“The seals are waiting to pounce,” said one person, while another joked: “Noel Edmonds releases lobster for it likely to be caught again.”
“Lovely sentiment, but from a marine biologist perspective it’s best not to release captive lobsters,” wrote someone else.
Dr Magnus Johnson, a lecturer in environmental marine science at the University of Hull, said the main issue occurs when people release non-UK lobsters into UK waters, which can occur due to demand for US lobsters.
“If they become established in UK waters and their parasites and diseases spread, it could be a disaster for our local industry,” said Dr Johnson, who also cited the high carbon cost of flying lobsters from the US to the UK.
The lobsters released by Edmonds and his wife were caught near Peel by a local shellfish fisherman, according to the farm shop owner Matt Harrison.
Edmonds’ actions did, however, prompt a moment of reflection from the owner of the farm shop where he bought the lobsters, who said he is considering moving the tank to a less visible position in the shop, or removing it completely.
“I’m sensitive to people’s feelings,” Matt Harrison told local news outlet Manx Radio. “But the vast majority of people want us to keep it and for us to keep supporting small businesses, which is the whole point of the shop.”
“I’m still mulling over whether to keep [the tank],” he continued. “There are still lobsters in there; they’re really healthy. We’re just going to see what happens. But customers will be able to buy it in plenty of other places along the Peel seafront.”
Dubbed “Lobstergate” by Edmonds’ followers, the debacle – which has also caused much debate on Facebook – is just the most recent example of Edmonds’ eccentric online persona.
The TV presenter regularly shares snippets of his life on the Isle of Man on social media, including such highlights as a clip of himself wiggling his toes accompanied by the caption: “Good morning. Take a minute to wiggle those magical little grounding antennas at the end of your feet.”
Edmonds’ radio and TV career began in the 1960s on Radio Luxembourg, before he presented hugely popular programmes such as BBC’s children’s show Swap Shop and Saturday night favourite Noel’s House Party in the 1990s. He later recorded more than 3,000 episodes of Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal, and has most recently been filming ITV’s Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure, which follows him and his wife as they attempt to establish a farm, shop and pub in rural New Zealand.
Edmonds has faced criticism for some of his beliefs around alternative medicine, especially in 2016 when he marketed an electromagnetic pulse machine which he claimed was “a simple box that slows ageing, reduces pain... and tackles cancer”.
