Joe Lycett
Lycett performing in 2018
Birth nameJoe Harry Lycett
Born (1988-07-05) 5 July 1988
Birmingham, West Midlands, England
MediumStand-up, television
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Manchester
Years active2009–present
Websitejoelycett.com (2020)[1]

Joe Harry Lycett (born 5 July 1988),[2] also known by the self-given moniker Mummy,[3][4] and briefly legally known as Hugo Boss,[5] is an English comedian, painter and television presenter. Known for his sardonically camp style, whimsical public stunts and elaborate set designs, Lycett has been described as one of Britain's most popular comedians.[6][7][8]

Lycett began performing stand-up in 2009 and won the Chortle Student Comedian of the Year the same year.[9] He has appeared on TV shows including Live at the Apollo, Taskmaster, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI, as the announcer on Saturday BBC One show Epic Win, the narrator for Ibiza Weekender and as the presenter on BBC Two's The Great British Sewing Bee and Channel 4's Joe Lycett's Got Your Back and Late Night Lycett.[10]

In February 2020, Lycett briefly changed his name by deed poll to Hugo Boss as part of a protest against the fashion brand of the same name.[5][11] He is also recognised as one of Britain's most high-profile queer or pansexual men, and has partaken in advocacy for the LGBTQ community on many occasions.[12][13]

Early life

Lycett was born to parents David and Helen Lycett in Hall Green, Birmingham. He grew up in Solihull.[14]

He attended King Edward VI Five Ways grammar school, and then studied drama and English at the University of Manchester.

Career

In his early career as a 22-year-old comedian, Lycett appeared on stage alongside Jim Davidson. Davidson is known for his offensive jokes, which have been described as both racist and homophobic, and Lycett complained about Davidson's use of the racial slur "chink" in one of his jokes (which Davidson later removed). The two became friends while touring together (with Davidson's only complaint to Lycett being that he swore too much). "[Jim Davidson's] views on race are incredibly misguided but he is very educated about it. He has read the Quran, and at one point told me in detail about the origins of Rastafarianism", Lycett told the Birmingham Mail in 2011.[15]

Lycett has appeared on television on Live At The Apollo, 8 Out of 10 Cats, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Celebrity Juice, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Spicks and Specks, Would I Lie to You?, Insert Name Here Virtually Famous, and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, and was a regular panellist on the E4 show Dirty Digest. He has co-written narration on ITV2 shows The Magaluf Weekender and Ibiza Weekender. Lycett featured on Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled Christmas Special with Jason Manford, Rev Richard Coles, and Jo Joyner. Lycett starred as one of the contestants in the fourth series of Taskmaster, and has made several guest appearances on Sunday Brunch in the absence of one of the regular hosts.

On the radio he has been a guest on Scott Mills, Greg James and Nick Grimshaw's programmes on BBC Radio 1 and on Richard Bacon's programme on BBC Radio 5 Live. In August 2011, he wrote and performed the short story "Spooky and the Van" which was broadcast in the Afternoon Reading slot on BBC Radio 4.[16] In August 2013, he made his debut on Just a Minute on BBC Radio 4. In September 2016, he took over from Miles Jupp as the host of It's Not What You Know, also on BBC Radio 4.[17] Lycett was known as "the resident news hound" on Josh Widdicombe's XFM radio show, which was broadcast on Saturday (and later Sunday) mornings.[18]

In addition to his appearances on various radio stations, Lycett has featured as a guest on numerous podcasts, including My Dad Wrote a Porno,[19] SoundCheck Podcast,[20] The Comedian's Comedian with Stuart Goldsmith,[21] and the Richard Herring Leicester Square Theatre Podcast.

Lycett is also a self-trained painter and has had exhibitions of his work.[22][23] In 2018, a sculpture of his, CHRIS, was accepted by Royal Academy and listed for sale as being worth £12,500,000. CHRIS is still for sale on Lycett's website for the same amount.[24][25]

On 12 February 2019, Joe Lycett took over as the new presenter[26] on the fifth series of BBC Two's The Great British Sewing Bee.

Lycett started presenting his consumer show Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, which was branded a "sexy Watchdog"[27] in 2019 with help from various guests and Mark Silcox.[28] The show takes on big corporations, such as airlines and banks, to provide justice for consumers, with a comedic spin.[29] The series was renewed for a second series.[30] Lycett describes the show as "a cross between Rogue Traders and RuPaul's Drag Race".[31]

On 17 August 2019 and 26 October 2019, Lycett stood in for Rylan Clark-Neal on Rylan on Saturday on BBC Radio 2. In December 2019 he returned to Radio 2 covering Sara Cox's drive-time show during the Christmas and New Year period.

In February 2020, in response to a legal dispute between fashion company Hugo Boss and the Swansea-based Boss Brewing, Lycett changed his name by deed poll from Joe Lycett to Hugo Boss.[5] He said that he was drawing attention to the company's use of legal action and cease and desist letters relating to alleged copyright violations against numerous small businesses, including Boss Brewing, for use of the word 'Boss'.[5][32] In the second series of Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, the comedian launched a fake fashion show celebrating the release of a wrist brace under the name 'Hugo Boss' outside the flagship store of the fashion company with the same name in Regent Street, London.[33] Lycett claims that Hugo Boss, the company, called the police following this incident.[34] In April 2020, he changed his name back to Joe Lycett.[11]

In 2021, Lycett presented the television documentary Joe Lycett vs the Oil Giant.

In June 2022, a member of the audience at a Belfast show called the Police Service of Northern Ireland to complain about a joke that referenced a donkey.[35] Lycett bemoaned being investigated by the police over a joke, but was happy to recount his enjoyment from repeating the joke, which he regarded as one of his best, in his messages to the police. The investigation was subsequently closed.[36]

On 4 September 2022, Lycett appeared as a panellist on the debut issue of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. The show featured an interview with Liz Truss, who at the time was considered highly likely to win, and eventually did win, the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and therefore become Prime Minister. The cost-of-living crisis, caused in part by high energy bills, was a current significant issue. Truss had given few interviews since the start of the election selecting the leader of the Conservative Party. On the show, Truss gave assurances. When asked for comment by Kuenssberg, Lycett said with deadpan[37] delivery that he was "very right-wing" and that he loved the clarity and was reassured by Truss's statements about the proposed measures to address the crisis. He used apophasis and suggested that he would not say that from dregs, Truss was the "backwash of available MPs". This was met with incredulity from Kuenssberg and titters from other guests. In a similar vein, Lycett went on to state Truss was right to ignore economists' stark predictions.[38][39] Several days later, MP Steve Brine asked BBC Director-General Tim Davie about "the Joe Lycett debacle" when Davie appeared before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.[40][41]

On 13 November 2022, Lycett released a video criticising David Beckham for his multimillion-pound sponsorship deal promoting the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to the country's stance on LGBT rights. In the video, he said he would give £10,000 to charities that support queer people in football if Beckham pulled out of the deal. If Beckham did not pull out of the deal, he promised to shred the money during a livestream on 20 November, just before the World Cup opening ceremony.[42] On 20 November, Beckham had not pulled out of the deal, so Lycett livestreamed himself appearing to shred the money on the website benderslikebeckham.com.[43][44] The next day, he revealed that he had faked the shredding and had already donated £10,000 to LGBTQ+ charities.[45][13]

In December 2022, against the backdrop of his criticising David Beckham's sponsorship deal, the tabloid newspaper The Sun published an article detailing the fact that Lycett had previously performed in Doha, Qatar, in 2015.[46] The paper suggested that Lycett had engaged in "hypocrisy" by himself performing in Qatar. Lycett responded on Twitter, highlighting that him performing in Doha in 2015 was not secret and that he does not "have the perfect hindsight and spotless morality of, to pick a completely random example, The Sun newspaper."[47]

Following comments from Home Secretary Suella Braverman in early November 2023 that homelessness was a "lifestyle choice," Lycett used a stock image of potpourri to raise over £50,000 for homelessness charity Crisis.[48]

In late November 2023, Lycett launched a "fake" podcast, Turdcast, about "celebrities talking shit," and recorded an episode with Gary Lineker. He set up an inflatable toilet dubbed "the Turdis" at the Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool for the launch, though this was seemingly cancelled "due to a technical issue," with the alleged waste from the toilet spilling into the sea. Lycett later released a statement revealing that "it was fake sewage, from a fake toilet, to promote a fake podcast". He criticised water companies in England for discarding "billions of litres of real sewage" into bodies of water, and announced an hour-long Channel 4 special, Joe Lycett vs Poo, about the companies.[49][50]

Awards

In 2009, Lycett was awarded that year's Chortle Student Comedian of the Year award and was also the winner of Bath New Act competition. He was runner-up in the 2009 Laughing Horse New Act of the Year, and a finalist in the 2011 BBC New Comedy Awards. In 2012, his debut stand-up show Some Lycett Hot was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. In October 2023, Lycett won The Comedy Award in the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards.[51]

Personal life

Lycett frequently refers to his bisexuality[52] and pansexuality[53] as part of his stand-up routines. In 2021, Lycett was described by Unicorn magazine as "probably the most high-profile pansexual man in Britain today".[12] In a 2015 interview with Attitude magazine, he described how being bisexual "presents its own challenges," when people have "no box to put you in", adding "It just means you fancy people of all genders."[54][45]

In 2015, while performing in York, Lycett was given a parking ticket for parking illegally in a taxi rank. The ensuing trail of correspondence, between him and City of York Council, was recounted as an anecdote on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and then became the basis for one of his stand-up routines.[55]

In May 2019, Lycett arranged for the Birmingham Lord Mayor Yvonne Mosquito to officially open his kitchen extension. At first, Mosquito declined, as it was not a public event, but after Lycett raffled four tickets to the event to the public she agreed.[56]

Lycett has been a supporter of West Bromwich Albion since 2012.[57] He suffers from anxiety and panic attacks.[58][2]

Lycett lives in Birmingham and has a flat in Peckham, south London.[59]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Laughter Shock Himself TV movie
2011 Epic Win Himself August – September 2011
Dirty Digest Himself November 2011
2012 8 Out of 10 Cats Himself Series 14
Celebrity Deal Or No Deal Himself Appeared on the wings for Sarah Millican's game
Celebrity Juice Himself Series 8
2012–2014 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Himself Series 26 (2012), Series 28 (2014)
2014–2015 Virtually Famous Himself Series 1 (2014), Series 2 (2015)
2014–2016 Live At The Apollo Himself Series 10 (2014), Series 12 (2016)
2014–2017 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown Himself
2015 Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled Himself Series 3 (2015)
2015–2017 Would I Lie To You? Himself Series 3 (2015), Series 5 (2017)
2016 Insert Name Here Himself Series 1 (2016)
Countdown Himself (Dictionary corner guest) Series 75 (2016)
2017 Taskmaster Himself Series 4 (2017)
2017–present QI Himself Series O (1 episode), Series P (2 episodes), Series Q (2 episodes), Series R (2 episodes)
2018 Roast Battle Himself Series 1 (2018)
The Time It Takes Himself Series 1 (2018)
2019–2021 The Great British Sewing Bee Presenter Series 5 – Series 7
2019–present Joe Lycett's Got Your Back[60] Presenter[nb 1] Series 1 (2019), Series 2 (2020), Series 3 (2021)
2019, 2020 The Big Fat Quiz Himself The Big Fat Quiz of Everything (2019 Special),
The Big Fat Quiz of the Decade (2020)
2020 Dragon's Den Presenter[61] Dragons' Den: Best Ever Pitches: The Inventions, Ep1 - 6
2021 Birdgirl Graham Voice acting
Have I Got News for You Himself (Panellist)[62] Series 61, Episode 4 (30 April 2021)
Joe Lycett vs the Oil Giant Himself (Presenter) Air date: 24 October 2021
2021–present Travel Man Himself (Presenter)[63] Succeeded Richard Ayoade as presenter from series 10
2022 Joe Lycett's Big Pride Party Himself (Presenter) Air date: 3 July 2022
Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist Himself (Presenter)[64] Air date: 23 July 2022
The Sandman The Tabby Kitten Voice acting
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg Himself (Panellist)[38] Air date: 4 September 2022
2023–present Late Night Lycett Host[65] Series 1 (2023); series 2 commissioned[66]
2024 Joe Lycett vs Poo (w/t) Himself (Presenter)[67] Upcoming documentary
  1. ↑ Series 1 as Joe Lycett and Series 2 as both Hugo Boss and Joe Lycett

Stand-up DVDs

TitleRelease dateAge rating
Joe Lycett: That's The Way A-Ha A-Ha, Joe Lycett – Live21 November 201615
Joe Lycett: I'm About to Lose Control And I Think Joe Lycett – Live26 November 201815

References

  1. ↑ Boss, Hugo [@joelycett] (1 March 2020). "It's clear that @HUGOBOSS HATES people using their name. Unfortunately for them this week I legally changed my name by deed poll and I am now officially known as Hugo Boss. All future statements from me are not from Joe Lycett but from Hugo Boss. Enjoy" (Tweet). Retrieved 15 February 2021 – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 "'I'd never have made it in the corporate world': Joe Lycett on comedy, consumer activism and queer communities". the Guardian. 27 March 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  3. ↑ Fear, Helen (14 April 2021). "Why did comedian Joe Lycett change his name and what's his net worth?". Entertainment Daily. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  4. ↑ Joe Lycett, retrieved 22 November 2022
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Joe Lycett: Comedian changes his name to Hugo Boss". BBC. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Joe Lycett: 'All I want to do is wind up boring grey people'". the Guardian. 23 December 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Who is Joe Lycett? the rise of the Birmingham-born comedian". www.birminghamworld.uk. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "Joe Lycett: the anti-lad of stand up comedy". The Oxford Student. 1 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "Labour MPs, fur capes and UB40: a wild night with Joe Lycett, comedy's new star". the Guardian. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Joe Lycett's Got Your Back: Joe Lycett's Got Your Back". Channel 4. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 Joe Lycett [@joelycett] (16 April 2020). "A statement" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. 1 2 Malachowski, Joe Von (27 April 2021). "Joe Lycett On Success, Sexuality and Silencing His Inner Critic". UNICORN. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  13. 1 2 Lewis, Isobel (21 November 2022). "Joe Lycett reveals 'whole truth' behind David Beckham World Cup money shredding". The Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "Joe Lycett". birmingham.livingmag.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Laws, Roz (31 January 2011). "Jim Davidson gives Birmingham comic lecture in swearing and race". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Lycett, Joe (25 August 2015). "Afternoon Reading: Spooky and the Van". BBC Radio 4.
  17. ↑ "It's Not What You Know". BBC Radio 4.
  18. ↑ "Joe Lycett". The Dome. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016.
  19. ↑ acast (21 July 2016). "Footnotes: Joe Lycett – My Dad Wrote A Porno on acast".
  20. ↑ "Glastonbury Special With Joe Lycett". Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  21. ↑ "Episode 168 – Joe Lycett (Live) – The Comedian's Comedian Podcast with Stuart Goldsmith". British Comedy Guide.
  22. ↑ "Joe Lycett Unveils New Portrait Of Liz Truss With A Very Sweary Message". HuffPost UK. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  23. ↑ "Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist | Blog | Royal Academy of Arts". www.royalacademy.org.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  24. ↑ "Joe Lycett: Why I am the greatest artist in the world". the Guardian. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  25. ↑ "Chris Sculpture". Joe Lycett. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  26. ↑ "The Great British Sewing Bee viewers give their verdict on new host Joe Lycett: Joe has stepped into Claudia Winkleman's shoes". Good Housekeeping. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  27. ↑ 15: John Hannah, Kevin McCloud and Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, 8 April 2019, retrieved 24 April 2019
  28. ↑ "Mark Silcox vs Burger King : Video 2019 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  29. ↑ "Joe Lycett's Got Your Back: Joe Lycett's Got Your Back – On Demand". Channel 4. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  30. ↑ Stolworthy, Jacob (1 March 2020). "Joe Lycett changes name to Hugo Boss in protest against fashion house". The Independent. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  31. ↑ Armstrong, Stephen (5 April 2020). "Joe Lycett interview: why I changed my name to Hugo Boss". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  32. ↑ Stolworthy, Jacob (1 March 2020). "Joe Lycett changes name to Hugo Boss in protest against fashion house". The Independent.
  33. ↑ Mangan, Lucy (10 April 2020). "Joe Lycett's Got Your Back review – will the real Hugo Boss please stand up!". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  34. ↑ Williams, Kathryn (10 April 2020). "Joe Lycett's takedown of Hugo Boss aired tonight and it was brilliant". walesonline. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  35. ↑ "Joe Lycett: PSNI received complaint after joke at Belfast show". BBC News. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  36. ↑ "Joe Lycett standup joke investigated by police after complaint". The Guardian. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  37. ↑ "Joe Lycett for PM! Politics is already a farce as it is". independent.co.uk. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  38. 1 2 "Truss for PM really is a laughing matter, finds Laura Kuenssberg panel | John Crace". the Guardian. 4 September 2022.
  39. ↑ Matt Chorley (6 September 2022). "Joe Lycett: 'It's such fun being right-wing'". The Times. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  40. ↑ "Oral evidence: The work of the BBC, HC 382". parliament.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  41. ↑ Bulbul, Nuray (7 September 2022). "Tory MP furious about Joe Lycett's Liz Truss joke on Laura Kuenssberg show". Evening Standard. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
  42. ↑ Vynter, Robin (13 November 2022). "Joe Lycett to shred £10,000 if David Beckham promotes World Cup in Qatar". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  43. ↑ "Joe Lycett video appears to show him shred £10,000". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  44. ↑ Lewis, Isobel (20 November 2022). "Joe Lycett 'shreds £10,000' following David Beckham ultimatum – live". The Independent. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  45. 1 2 Glynn, Paul (21 November 2022). "Joe Lycett did not shred £10k in David Beckham Qatar protest". BBC News. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  46. ↑ McIntosh, Steven (21 December 2022). "Joe Lycett defends himself after Qatar hypocrisy charge". BBC. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  47. ↑ Starkey, Adam (21 December 2022). "Joe Lycett responds to criticism for performing in Qatar before David Beckham stunt". NME. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  48. ↑ Levison, Jake (7 November 2023). "Joe Lycett raises thousands for homelessness charity Crisis after Suella Braverman's 'lifestyle choice' comments". Sky News. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  49. ↑ O'Connor, Roisin (26 November 2023). "Joe Lycett praised as he reveals target of his latest stunt". The Independent. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  50. ↑ O'Dell, Liam (26 November 2023). "Joe Lycett confirms Turdcast podcast is fake as he calls on water companies to take 'poo promise' | indy100". Indy100. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  51. ↑ Attitude Staff (12 October 2023). "Here are all the winners from the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards, powered by Jaguar". www.attitude.co.uk.
  52. ↑ "Comedian Joe Lycett: 'Being Bisexual Has Its Own Challenges'". Attitude. 26 June 2015. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  53. ↑ "Joe Lycett on comedy, revenge and pansexuality". iNews. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  54. ↑ "Joe Lycett's battle with fame anxiety and bizarre reason he is so productive". 2 November 2021.
  55. ↑ "Comedian dreams up genius way to dodge York parking fine – celebrates with street party". yorkmix.com. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  56. ↑ "The lord mayor, a comedian and a kitchen". BBC News. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  57. ↑ "Comedian Joe Lycett unleashes a sweary blast at Birmingham City after West Brom's dramatic win". Birmingham Mail. 30 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  58. ↑ "Joe Lycett On Success, Sexuality and Silencing His Inner Critic – UNICORN". Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  59. ↑ Hollister, Holly (5 September 2022). ""I'll see you on Broad Street bab!" An Interview with Joe Lycett • BABMAG". BABMAG. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  60. ↑ Boss, Hugo (6 March 2020). "Filmed this last night. It's a lot of fun. Coming to @Channel4 next month. pic.twitter.com/cJQQKME4WS". @joelycett. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  61. ↑ Den, BBC Dragons' (30 May 2020). "In 24 hours the vault swings open again to reveal Dragons' Den- Best Ever Pitches @joelycett will be your host on @BBCTwo at 8.15pm and tonight we raise a toast to inventions.pic.twitter.com/QeIvluZj8b". @BBCDragonsDen. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  62. ↑ Lycett, Joe (30 April 2021). "misinterpreted the text ur dad sent me asking to see me at 9pm on friday so i accidentally went on his favourite show". Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  63. ↑ "Joe Lycett becomes Channel 4's Travel Man". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  64. ↑ "BBC Arts announce Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  65. ↑ "Channel 4 goes live on Friday nights with Joe Lycett". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  66. ↑ "Channel 4 heads back to Birmingham for more mischief with a second series of live entertainment show, Late Night Lycett". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  67. ↑ "Joe Lycett Makes A Splash". channel4.com/press. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.