Comedian Josh Widdicombe has recounted how he upset a fellow passenger on a flight back to the UK from Greece, only for him to be recognised by someone else.
The 43-year-old, announced earlier this year as the new Strictly Come Dancing host, revealed the mid-flight drama on his and Rob Beckett's Parenting Hell podcast. He explained that while waiting for the toilet, he perched on the arm of an empty seat and put his foot on the corner of the seat, which belonged to a man who was in the lavatory.
"It was on the plane back from Greece I went up to the toilet at the front of the queue and you know the front seats, there was someone at the window seat and then there were two empty seats so I perched on the arm of the end empty seat and I looked down and my shoe was undone so I put it up on the corner of the seat, fine, I made a mistake," Widdicombe said.
Confrontation Continues
He added: "The woman at the end said, 'Excuse me, that’s my husband’s seat.' So I was like, fine, sorry I’ve made my mistake, put my foot down. She doesn’t expect the apology, she tries to continue telling me off. So I kind of turned back and queued up."
Widdicombe claimed that when the man returned from the toilet, he "whacks me in the back as he goes past me" and asked, "Did you put your foot on my seat?" The man then used "napkins to wipe down his seat." Widdicombe said he apologised but the tension continued.
Recognition and Ongoing Tension
The air steward confided in Widdicombe, and the pair chatted. Later, a woman recognised him. "Then later on the flight, I go to the toilet again, and the woman is still staring at me, even as I walk down the aisle, she cranes her neck to evil me, I’ve said sorry by this point," he said.
"An hour later, I hear the stewards saying, 'He’s still cleaning the seat with his napkin,' it’s been an hour! He might be germaphobic, I suppose." He concluded: "Honestly, at the end I was worried he was going to confront me, it was weird."
Widdicombe will join Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe as the presenting trio for Strictly Come Dancing, replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. He said in a statement: "Dancing the Charleston dressed as a penguin for the 2024 Christmas Special of Strictly remains my career high point. I am giddy with excitement, honoured and a little overawed to be given the chance to step into the biggest shoes in television. I adore Emma and Jojo and can’t wait to spend my weekends with them. I’ll dust off the penguin costume."
