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 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 the crustaceans 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, which is 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.

“Lovely sentiment, but from a marine biologist perspective it's best not to release captive lobsters,” one person said, with another writing that the TV presenter has “basically killed” the captive animals by releasing them into the wild.

“The seals are waiting to pounce,” said a third person, while another joked: “Noel Edmonds releases lobster for it likely to be caught again.”

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.”

The lobsters released by Edmonds and his wife were caught near Peel by a local shellfish fisherman, according to Harrison.

“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 naturelife debacle – which has 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 with his followers on social media, including highlights such as a clip of himself wiggling his toes last year accompanied by the caption: “Good morning. Take a minute to wiggle those magical little grounding antennas at the end of your feet.”

The quirky star made his name on Deal or No Deal, of which he presented 3,000 episodes before the show came to an end in 2016, but has also had a go at various other TV formats.

Last year, he launched ITV’s Noel Edmonds’ Kiwi Adventure, which followed he and his wife as they attempted to establish a bar-restaurant in New Zealand.