Latest news with #JoeLycett
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Big names and rising stars on Birmingham Comedy Festival bill
A 10-day comedy festival is to feature established artists such as Joe Lycett and Babatunde Aléshé, alongside debut performers and rising annual Birmingham Comedy Festival, now it its 24th year, runs from 3 to 12 October and comprises of more than 90 launches at The Glee Club, with the award of a prize for emerging regional talent, won in 2024 by comedian Tom Towelling who is also one half of Birmingham double act Good Kids. Shows are taking place in theatres and other venues across the city, including in the Jewellery Quarter, Stirchley and Moseley. Multi-award winner Aléshé performs at The Alexandra theatre on Suffolk Street, Queensway on 4 Kane Brown will appear at the Town Hall the following night, and popular Irish stand-up Jason Byrne at the same venue on 10 October.A series of events will celebrate film and TV comedy, including The Comic Strip Presents on 4 October and Trigger Happy TV: Live, with creator Dom Joly on 7 to see Birmingham-based comedian Joe Lycett at The Glee Club on 6 October are already sold out, while demand has seen new dates added for black comedy horror play Inside Number 9 - Stage/Fright at The Alexandra. "Tasting Menu" shows at Cherry Reds on John Bright Street on 4 and 11 October promise spectators a rapid-fire hour of short sets from comedians that have full-length acts elsewhere in the are also free half-day events from 13:00 BST at Cherry Reds and The Victoria, also on John Bright Street, on both 5 October and 12 October. Five comics will be competing for the Birmingham Comedy Festival Breaking Talent Award 2025, with the shortlist yet to be said about 12,000 attended each year, and described it as the the UK's second longest running comedy and arts full line-up and ticket details can be found on the event website. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The age of the distinguished, insightful travelogue is over – now it's all idiots abroad
Whether it's Joe Lycett knocking back Swedish firewater made of beaver glands in Channel 4's Travel Man: 48 Hours in...; Gino D'Acampo setting fire to his deodorant spray and skinny dipping ('look: free willy!') his way through Italy in ITV's Gordon, Gino and Fred: Road Trip; or Sue Perkins smirking while snacking on giant croissants and pan-fried crickets in Sue Perkins' Big Adventure: Paris to Istanbul (also Channel 4), you might have been struck by something about recent TV travel documentaries: namely, their lack of the je ne sais quoi that marked the heyday of travel-documentary oeuvre. The Seventies saw Alan Whicker hanging out with the Sultan of Brunei and the super-rich recluses of the South Pacific islands, all sardonic wit and (whatever the climate) his signature tailored suit. The Eighties and Nineties, of course, gave us the affable Michael Palin, bringing to life the architectural wonders of Timbuktu and the Tuareg caravan travellers of the Sahara Desert. In the 2010s we moseyed along the River Nile and the Trans-Siberian Railway from Russia to Mongolia and China with plummy national treasure Dame Joanna Lumley. Not a shot of snake's blood or gratuitous nude between them. Veteran American travel writer Rick Steves, 70, recently weighed in on the debate around the current crop of dumbed-down travel programming, noting that TV travel shows and YouTubers baiting clicks with 'grossout' foreign food and whizzing through world bucket lists are problematic for the destinations that are featured. Such programming, Steves argues, peddles the 'superficial aspects of travel and tourist traps' as it 'exaggerates a destination's potential dangers for comedic effect' ('don't drink the toilet water, guys – phnarr, phnarr!'). Seasoned travel head Noel Josephides, aged 77, chairman of tour operator Sunvil, also laments the loss of the golden days of linear television from the Seventies to Nineties, when travel shows were 'serious and their presenters were respected' by both the public and travel industry. 'I used to watch Michael Palin, Wish You Were Here…? on ITV, and the Holiday programme on BBC religiously, and if a destination was mentioned [Sunvil] could fill a whole season with bookings,' he recalls. These days, he notes, none of these things are true. 'Everything has been dumbed down and it's more about the presenter than the destination,' he complains. Former TV commissioner Gillian Crawley tells me that she believes 'celebs with no insight' should be removed from TV travel scheduling altogether, including actors such as Palin and Lumley and today's C-list crop. 'I used to wonder why I was sending someone from Corrie to Borneo to look at the orangutans because [the actor] was pretending to be an eco-warrior at the time,' she recalls. Instead, Crawley rates presenters with a depth of knowledge and a 'critical eye', such as Sir David Attenborough and Dame Mary Beard. 'Even Michael Portillo is better than some of the current crop,' she says of the politician turned rail presenter, 'as he at least does like trains.' She concludes: 'It doesn't matter whether someone is posh or not posh – they're just slebs with no special insight and they can pay for their own holidays.' However, Kylie Bawden, who has worked as a location arranger on shows including Ainsley's Caribbean Kitchen and Joe Lycett's Travel Man: 48hrs in Washington, DC disagrees with the idea that travel TV has been dumbed down. The more intimate onus of today's travel TV, she says, is as much down to social media and consumer demand as it is an erosion of standards. 'Viewers have access to celebrities via social media that was never possible in the Palin days,' she tells me. 'Today's audiences want something more light-hearted than before, but they also want to feel like there's a real possibility that they could replicate the experiences they are watching on TV. So, less crossing the Sahara desert in a camel caravan and more the best speakeasies in Washington or where to go to experience trad pub music in Ireland.' 'Parasociality', or the trend of viewers and listeners wanting to feel as if they are personal friends of the celebrities they follow, is – it seems – partly to blame. Bawden adds that destinations are often more than happy to roll the red carpet out for Lycett, Perkins et al with a view to the audience booking a holiday inspired by TV. 'Set-jetting [viewers travelling to destinations they have seen on TV] really drives bookings in the 2020s,' Bawden argues. Gavin Bate, director and mountain leader at tour company Adventure Alternative, corroborates this link between TV appearances and booking spikes: 'When the Comic Relief celebrity team climbed Kilimanjaro and the BBC aired the programme on a Sunday night, we got loads of Kilimanjaro bookings the following morning,' he explains. 'And any kind of wildlife programme, especially the Attenborough ones, will result in people booking more wildlife holidays – especially to see endangered species like the clouded leopard in Borneo.' James Willcox, founder of Untamed Borders, takes it a step further, believing that 'we are more likely these days to see bookings driven by the antics of travel YouTubers and Instagrammers than traditional travel documentaries'. One thing's for certain: the era of the patrician broadcaster showing viewers destinations they can never hope to reach has lost favour, and in its place we have the pally 'everyman' and 'everywoman' travelogue, with their smorgasbord of tick-list travel experiences. And yet, there are some antidotes to this phenomenon – in the gritty Channel 4 shows of ex-Army officer Levison Wood, for example, who slogs through inhospitable terrains from Siberia to the elephant migration routes of Burundi, and in Simon Reeve's various odysseys, in which he combines a diffident everyman approach (that appeals to the 2020s viewer) with thoughtful explorations of remote locations and communities. Wood is back with a show later in 2025 and Reeve is currently on BBC 2, exploring 'Arctic tundra, vast forests and stunning fjords in Scandinavia with Simon Reeve. 'I am very relieved Simon Reeves is back on with his Scandinavia series,' vlogger Emma Reed, who is based in Hampshire, tells me. 'Comedians on tour or hapless celeb father/son jaunts are becoming sooo tedious.' I'll raise a shot of snake's blood to that.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Stirchley cafe overjoyed after being crowned best in Birmingham
A cafe owner has said she "jumped with joy" after her business was crowned the best in Birmingham. Rachel Lewis runs Bournville Cafe in Stirchley, and won the region's best cafe title at the UK Small Business Awards at the beginning of 41-year-old described the cafe as her "little baby", which she opened eight years ago to fulfil her business dreams, after running a sandwich van in the city. She said the annual award, which celebrates business owners across the UK, was not something she had been expecting and was a "massive achievement" for the cafe and the community. "We went there with no expectations, so it was really exciting to win," she said. The UK Small Business Awards said that thousands of people apply for the awards every year. Ms Lewis is through to the award's grand finals in December, where a trophy is up for grabs along with a national certificate of recognition. Ms Lewis' business has had some famous visitors, with comedian Joe Lycett filming part of his Channel 4 series, Late Night Lycett, in the cafe last year. She described him as an "absolutely lovely guy" who had brought in many customers inspired to visit the cafe since it was featured on his show."He always says he's going to come back and have his omelette, so fingers crossed he will come and see us soon," she said. The cafe owner added that it was "surreal" to have visitors like Lycett in the cafe, which had spurred more production companies to film in the cafe in the future. Ms Lewis described the cafe as a "down to earth" place where everyone could enjoy themselves with outgoing, friendly said that running the cafe was a chance for her to give back to the community and provide a space for families to enjoy themselves together. The cafe has a range of food items on their menu, with customers travelling up to 10 miles (16km) across Birmingham to try the homemade chips, one of the cafe's specialities, Ms Lewis said."It's not a chore to come to work, I actually enjoy coming and hopefully I'll still have the cafe for years to come." Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham moment city becomes 'official babs' with US namesakes
This is the moment Birmingham becomes 'official babs' with its American namesakes. Brummie comic legend Joe Lycett travelled all over the US to form a "Treaty of Friendship" with the other Birminghams. The funny Sky Max clip, shared exclusively with BirminghamLive ahead of tonight's United States of Birmingham episode, shows the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Ken Wood, sign each declaration to seal the special relationship. READ MORE: Watch Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham featuring hilarious Black Country slang chat There are 18 other Birminghams - 17 in the US and one in Canada. Dad-of-one Joe visited most of them during a road trip with his driver Randy and a TV crew as part of Sky's new show. An International Day of Birmingham also saw a colourful parade which ended outside the council offices in Victoria Square. In part of the clip above, Joe tells Lord Mayor Ken: "I imagine this is what it was like at the Good Friday Agreement. "Birmingham New Jersey - done. Birmingham Kansas, Birmingham Pennsylvania - done. "Birmingham Ohio - officially friends." Ken said: "You've certainly been getting around." Joe responds: "I have. Birmingham Michigan, Birmingham Indiana." READ MORE: International Day of Birmingham with Joe Lycett Ken says: "We really are indebted to you for doing this Joe." Joe: "Birmingham Alabama - the last one!" Ken says: "There we have it then Joe - We now officially have The United States of Birmingham." Joe responds: "Oh my word. I sort of can't believe it, what a moment. We should celebrate!" A civic reception was organised along with a parade as part of the International Day of Birmingham on September 24, last year. The man. The icon. The Brummie! Thank you @joelycett for being the catalyst behind the #InternationalDayOfBirmingham & the celebrations of it I presented Joe with the Lord Mayor's Award, for his outstanding achievements, exceptional service & charitable work in our city. — Lord Mayor of Birmingham (@BrumLordMayor) September 27, 2024 Posting after the newly formed celebratory day, the Lord Mayor wrote on X: "The man. The icon. The Brummie! "Thank you @joelycett for being the catalyst behind the #InternationalDayOfBirmingham & the celebrations of it." "I presented Joe with the Lord Mayor's Award, for his outstanding achievements, exceptional service & charitable work in our city." The final episode of Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham is Sky Max, from 9pm, tonight, Tuesday, May 13.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TV Baftas 2025: Here's The Full List Of Winners
The TV Baftas took place on Sunday night – and it's fair to say that not every category had the winner that telly fans went into the night expecting. While Baby Reindeer and Mr Bates vs. The Post Office went into the night with the most nominations (both of which actually aired in 2024, but outside the eligibility period for last year's ceremony), it was actually the BBC's adaptation of Bernadine Evaristo's Mr Loverman that took home the most awards, with two prizes to its name. Despite its winning streak at the likes of the Emmys and Golden Globes, Baby Reindeer picked up just one award for Jessica Gunning's unnerving portrayal of Martha, while the game-changing Mr Bates vs. The Post Office was named Best Limited Drama. Meanwhile, HuffPost faves like Danny Dyer, Rylan Clark and Gavin & Stacey star Ruth Jones all became first-time TV Bafta winners, while Strictly once again won in the fan-voted Memorable Moment category for Chris McCausland's striking Waltz routine, and Joe Lycett triumphed for Late Night Lycett for the second year running. Check out all the winners below... Blue Lights Marisa Abela (Industry) Lennie James (Mr Loverman) Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) Ariyon Bakare (Mr Loverman) Alma's Not Normal Danny Dyer (Mr Bigstuff) Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey: The Finale) Mr Bates vs. The Post Office EastEnders Shogun Rob And Rylan's Grand Tour Would I Lie To You? Joe Lycett (Late Night Lycett) Strictly Come Dancing: Chris McCausland and Diane Buswell's Waltz To Catch A Copper Atomic People The Jury: Murder Trial Ukraine: Enemy In The Woods Glastonbury 2024 Paris 2024 Olympics BBC Breakfast: Post Office Special State Of Rage Clive Myrie's Caribbean Adventure Quiet Life CBeebies As You Like It At Shakespeare's Globe FYI Investigates: Disability And Me Thought The Stars Of Netflix's Forever Looked Familiar? Here's Where You Know The Cast From Sopranos Star Recalls James Gandolfini's Reaction To Finale: 'I'll Tell You The Truth' This A-List Star Just Confirmed She's Bringing A Desperate Housewives Reboot To Our Screens
