Charlie Steen: Man Shits in Lift and Goes Viral
Shame’s Charlie Steen Recounts Viral Lift Incident
Shame’s Charlie Steen shared a now-viral story about a drunken mishap: defecating in a lift. The story came during an appearance on the online video series A View From A Bridge, which features individuals sharing personal stories after answering a red phone on a bridge.
Steen began by framing the story as one about friendship,specifically his relationship with the band’s manager,Paul,with whom he once lived in London.
“We were living in central London and it was four floors up in this old building,” Steen explained. “It was January and it was cold and it was bleak and it was wet, but I got the call from him and he was in the pub and basically needed some sorrows drowning.”
Steen continued, detailing a night of heavy drinking that led to the unfortunate incident.”We were in there and we hit another pub and we end up at the Polish Club. So we got all this Guinness in our [bellies] and then the best thing to do at that time, it seemed, was to add all this vodka. But then last call came and we thought we’d carry it on into the night. Paul’s like, ‘Alright, I’ll go grab the beers then, I’ll meet you back up at the flat.’ so I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll see you back up in there.'”
“So I get in the lift, close the doors behind me and this is the slowest lift in the fucking world. And that’s when my stomach just flipped and I knew there was nothing I could do. You know, I just needed the toilet and the lift was going and i couldn’t open the doors. And it was just climbing slowly and I just had to face the reality that I was gonna shit the lift. And in that moment, you can’t really get much lower apart from the squatting.”
Steen described attempting to conceal the situation while riding the lift, and the subsequent frantic cleanup effort upon reaching his floor. He recounted Paul’s horrified reaction upon discovering the scene.
“I hear Paul coming up and the clinking of beer bottles coming up the stairs. And he turns the corner and I just hear the bag drop and the beer bottles break. He goes, ‘What have you done?’ The smell, the smell… what have you done?’ and I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry Paul!'”
Despite the disastrous situation, Steen emphasized Paul’s unwavering friendship. “Most people you know would choose never to look at you again, they would just kick you out. But how many people can truly say they have a friend who in that moment got on thier knees and helped me clean it up? I love that man a lot and there’s no reason to after that story.” He shared Paul’s understated reaction the next morning: “That was a big night wasn’t it?” followed by, “You shat the lift.”
As of January 16, 2026, the video has garnered 14,600 likes on Instagram. Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell commented on the post, calling the story “beautifully told.”
Shame released their fourth album, ‘Cutthroat’,in September. NME gave the album a four-star review, praising its experimental nature and continued individuality. Read the full review here.