A major star of The Inbetweeners has launched into a scathing rant against Sir David Beckham, accusing the ex-footballer of ‘virtue signalling’.
Joe Thomas, 42, is best known for playing Simon Cooper on the legendary 2000s sitcom, alongside Simon Bird, Blake Harrison, and his podcast co-host James Buckley.
The actor is the special guest on the Where There’s a Will There’s a Wake podcast this week – he sat down with host Mel Giedroyc when the rant began.
Their conversation moved to the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, aged 96 – she lay in state at Westminster Hall for a week to allow mourners to visit.
Among the general public were famous faces who’d come to pay their respects, with Sir David receiving praise for queueing alongside others instead of accepting preferential treatment and skipping the line.
However, Sir David’s queueing didn’t impress Joe at the time, and the TV star has now accused the former Real Madrid and England men’s star of ‘virtue signalling’ with his actions.
Joe began by laughing as he said, ‘I liked the Queen, but that queue was f***ing unbearable,’ after which point Mel asked him whether he’d queued himself.
‘[No], and then Beckham queued like everyone else, and you’re like, “Yes, because he knows that it looks good! You idiots!” He knows he’s gonna get recognised.
‘And then people will be like, “Oh, look at him queuing!”‘
Mel offered a defence of Sir David, saying that Victoria Beckham’s husband looked ‘cute’ in the outfit he’d chosen for himself while standing in line in central London.
‘He had a sort of baker boy hat on. I’m gonna disagree with you, Joe. I think that was quite a good move. But no, maybe you’re right. Maybe it was a move.’
Joe – who could be reprising his Inbetweeners role in an upcoming reboot – kept his response simple: ‘It was virtue signalling. The whole thing was virtue signalling.’
Mel then shot back again, asking Joe if he’d have preferred Sir David to have been given special access to the viewing area, for which TV hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were heavily criticised.
At the time, the daytime duo issued an apology statement, insisting they would ‘never jump a queue’, but instead their visit – since dubbed Queue Gate – was ‘strictly for reporting’.
‘No – but, in a way, yeah. At least [Holly and Phil] were honest. It was just one big f***ing j**k-off, that thing. That’s all it was. It was!’
In the comments, Joe was defended by some listeners but challenged by others, with many asking the White Gold star what he expected Sir David to do instead.
Casey John Robert commented: ‘Sorry, but says who? He paid his respect and queued up like everyone else. He engaged with those in the queue with him and paid his respects.’
Speaking to ITV while queuing in 2022, he explained his reasons for attending: ‘A special moment I’ll always remember is receiving my OBE. I took my grandparents with me.
‘[They] were the ones who brought me up to be a huge Royalist and a fan of the royal family. To be around Her Majesty – we can all see the love that is being shown, how special she was and the legacy that she leaves behind.’
He added: ‘It’s a sad day, but it’s a day for us to remember the incredible legacy that she’s left.’
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