Joe Lycett ‘happy to go to jail’ over consumer rights for his Channel 4 show Got Your Back

Joe also hinted he’ll soon be back for another series of Great British Sewing Bee (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Comedian and TV presenter Joe Lycett, 33, on taking on the man, conducting flowers and why he’s after more than laughter.

Your show, Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, has been described as a cross between Rogue Traders and RuPaul’s Drag Race, is that fair?

It’s a more than accurate description! My show is camp – I’m hosting it, so it’s got to be!

We’re fighting for consumer rights but it’s done in a comedic style. The way we approach the stories is maybe a little unusual.

You’ve also been called the Millennial Esther Rantzen…

I take that as a huge compliment, I don’t know whether Esther would!

That’s Life! was slightly before my time but when we were developing our show I’d been told it was a similar format, with the serious campaigns and a bit of fun, too.

Radio 1 presenter Clara Amfo will be joining Joe on his show (Picture: Jonathan Hordle/REX/Shutterstock)

There are a few celebrity cameos in this series…

We’ve got some amazing guests – Stephen Mulhern, Kirsty Wark, Sarah Millican, AJ Odudu and Clara Amfo.

We have also got Five and Antony Costa performing, and out on the road we’ve
got Billy Billingham from SAS: Who Dares Wins and Debbie McGee dressing up as James May. It’s a surreal mix.

You’re a comic first and foremost, why do you feel so strongly about righting consumer wrongs?

Comedy is a great power and if you can use it for good then you should try to.
I realised quite early on that I can make people laugh.

That’s a lovely feeling but so what? If you can do something with that and make some change, that’s so much more exciting to me.

We understand you’re prepared to go to extreme lengths…

I’m happy to go to jail for this show. I think it would be really funny if I ended up in jail over some stupid trademark case. I don’t really care!

Last year I changed my name to Hugo Boss. They were sending legal letters to companies that have similar names and logos and went after a tiny brewery in Swansea that is so different to their brand.

They’re called Boss Brewing and this small brewery spent thousands on legal fees and rebranding. It seemed heavy-handed and cruel and I thought, ‘nah, I’m not having that’.

I thought if they don’t like people using their name they probably won’t like me changing my identity, and let me tell you they didn’t! We heard from their lawyer big time!

Joe recently staged a walk-off from Steph’s Packed Lunch in a bid to raise awareness of single-use plastic (Picture: Channel 4)

Were you this passionate about things as a child?

I was an ostentatious child with a slight lack of respect for authority.

We found all this old footage of our family on VHS and in loads of it I’m running round with my trousers off and my k**b flapping around.

One of the things I used to enjoy was going out into the garden and treating the flowers like an orchestra. I’d sing classical music while conducting them.

What made you become a comic?

I tried loads of stuff at university – acting, graphic design and making films. I tried stand-up and got a real buzz.

I won the 2009 Student Comedian of the Year, which got me on the radar of quite a few places.

You talk about being pansexual in your stand-up routines…

I suppose my on-stage persona made it hard to hide! It was an intellectual way of describing my sexuality.

I’m attracted to people for all sorts of reasons and it’s not necessarily to do with whether they’re a man or a woman.

‘Pan’ means ‘all’ and I’m open to all things. But I’m not precious about it. If people describe me as gay, bi or straight I’m like, fair enough, whatever.

Joe reckons the next series of Great British Sewing Bee will soon be underway (Picture: BBC/Love Productions/Mark Bourdillon)

Is there going to be another series of The Great British Sewing Bee?

I believe so. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t. It’s such a charming, lovely show.

What’s coming up next?

I’m going on tour next year. I’m really excited, because stand-up is my first love. It’s called More! More! More! How Do You Lycett? How Do You Lycett?

The title is based on a song by Andrea True Connection, but I don’t do any performances of said track in the show.

How do you spend your weekends?

Gardening. I’ve only got a small garden, but there’s an extraordinary amount of stuff going on.

I’ve got tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, squash, sweetcorn and kale. I find cooking with stuff from the garden so fulfilling.

How do you unwind?

I try to run two or three times a week – physical exercise of any sort is really good for my mental health, but the thing that has consistently brought me most solace in my life is making things. It doesn’t necessarily need to be impressive.

It can just be making a nice dinner or writing jokes but it brings me a lot of joy. If I feel low and I sit down and do a little painting, or make a silly film on my phone, there’s a good chance I’ll start to feel better.

Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back starts on Thursday at 8pm on Channel 4 and All 4

MORE : Joe Lycett’s staged tantrum on Steph’s Packed Lunch actually worked as Yop commits to changing plastic bottles

MORE : Joe Lycett claims he staged ‘tantrum’ after storming off Steph’s Packed Lunch over plastic bottle drama: ‘I risked my reputation’