Joe Lycett

Joe Harry Lycett (born 5 July 1988), also known by the self-given moniker Mummy, and briefly legally known as Hugo Boss, 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.

Lycett began performing stand-up in 2009 and won the Chortle Student Comedian of the Year the same year.

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.

"[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On 12 February 2019, Joe Lycett took over as the new presenter 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" in 2019 with help from various guests and Mark Silcox.

The show takes on big corporations, such as airlines and banks, to provide justice for consumers, with a comedic spin.

The series was renewed for a second series.

Lycett describes the show as "a cross between Rogue Traders and RuPaul's Drag Race".

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

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Lycett was born to parents David and Helen Lycett in Hall Green, Birmingham.

He grew up in Solihull.

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

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).