Joe Lycett believes all of his prior television productions were “terrible.”
There’s a new child in town with Late Night Lycett, which debuted on March 31, and the 34-year-old comic feels it’s his finest work yet. Move over, Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back and the Great British Sewing Bee.
In reality, the stand-up found all of his prior endeavours pale in comparison after producing the performance.
Despite receiving two Royal Television Society Awards and BAFTA nominations for his TV hosting work, which has included appearances on Live at the Apollo, The One Show, Sunday Brunch, Joe Lycett: Summer Exhibitionist, The Great British Sewing Bee, Joe Lycett’s Big Pride Party, and Travel Man, Joe believes his work has been “terrible.”
‘I am having so much fun,’ Joe said of making the show.
‘I sort of feel like I’ve been making terrible television up until this point.
‘I don’t know what clicked, I think it’s the fact that it’s live and live is “the thing” isn’t it.’
On this morning’s BBC2 Breakfast programme, the comedian spoke with Zoe Ball about how the show’s Birmingham filming location makes it extra personal for him because it’s where he was born.
‘And then the fact that it’s in Birmingham,’ he continued.
‘We’ve been able to push it in mad directions and Channel 4 have just gone, “Yeah, great. Go for it.”‘
And according to Joe, the public’s response has been phenomenal.
‘I’ve never had a reaction like it to anything I’ve done,’ he said.
‘People are just sort of so nice, coming up to me in the street and saying how much they loved the show.’
Joe has his own chat show, Late Night Lycett, which airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. Guests thus far have included a who’s who of well-known names, including Katherine Ryan, Rylan Clark, Greg James, Dame Joanna Lumley, Alison Hammond, and Daisy May Cooper.
Dame Joan Collins and Gemma Collins once improvised a small scene in which the 89-year-old Dynasty actress really smacked the TOWIE star. It was a very memorable moment.
Joe acknowledged that he was “nervous” for that specific concert, but claimed he was confident he would “die happy” because of the experience.
‘Anything could happen with that. And the fact that Dame Joan Collins agreed and very beautifully slapped Gemma Collins,’ Joe said, ‘I was in gay heaven.’
Joe talked about his ‘awful’ TV, his 15 years of stand-up comedy, and a horrible performance he once had at the Royal Variety Performance.
While telling Zoe a story about Timmy Mallet, Joe said: ‘I think I’d done the Royal Variety performance – and between you and I, I did not have a good time and it was not a good performance – and he sent me a lovely tweet saying, “What a fantastic young comedian.”‘
Regarding the upcoming episode of Late Night Lycett, the comic hinted last week that it has his “all-time favourite” cast.
Channel 4 broadcasts Late Night Lycett every Friday at 10 p.m.
