Joe Lycett is giving away his own car as a prize on chaotic new Channel 4 series Late Night Lycett
Joe Lycett is set to give away his own Lexus vehicle on Late Night Lycett. (Shirlaine Forrest/Getty)
Joe Lycett is no stranger to pulling unexpected stunts in the name of entertainment, but the comedian is making possibly his biggest sacrifice yet after agreeing to give away his own car as a prize on new Channel 4 series Late Night Lycett.
The comedian, 34, is set to hand his Lexus hybrid vehicle to an audience member as part of the raucous comedy series, which premieres at 10pm GMT on Friday (31 March) live from Birmingham and will air every Friday for five weeks.
Announcing the madcap competition on Instagram this week, Lycett joked that he’d been forced to get creative after complications arose with the Channel 4 prize budget.
“Long story short I had a zoom with channel 4 to ask about paying for some prizes on my show and they said they wouldn’t give us any more money cause it’s expensive to do a live show outside of London or some shit”, Lycett wrote on Twitter. “I jokingly said, ‘I’ll just give away my possessions shall I?’”
The out pansexual star continued: “Anyway we’re giving away my actual f**king car. It’s a Lexus hybrid so not full leccy but also not full plastic bottle in a dolphin’s gob. I love it and am annoyed. Apply to win it here…”
Channel 4 confirmed the unlikely competition offer on its own website as it encouraged viewers to apply to take part in the competition.
“How do you fancy playing live in the Late Night Lycett studio on a Friday night? You could have a chance to win the truly incredible prize of JOE LYCETT’S ACTUAL CAR – as well as getting your face on telly!” a statement reads.
“We’re looking for people who have a funny but unfortunate story. If you are aged 18 or over and meet the other eligibility requirements below and think you’ve got a story to beat all other stories then what are you waiting for?”
Late Night Lycett looks set to deliver on Lycett’s typical mad-cap comedy style, with the star running through the week’s biggest news stories and cultural happenings with his signature mix of “mischief and mayhem”.
Featuring a live audience and big-name celebrity guests, Lycett himself has said the show will be “anchored in queer culture”, “very chaotic” and will make Conservative MP Nadine Dorries “absolutely s**t a brick”.
In recent years, Lycett has sparked plenty of laughs and vital cultural conversations with a variety of eye-opening stunts, which included legally changing his name to Hugo Boss to highlight the fashion brand’s treatment of small business.
He also rebranded himself as “very right-wing” in a witheringly satirical dismissal of Liz Truss – who he’s been busy trolling once again this week in the former prime minister’s local newspaper.
Lycett also sparked a major public conversation around LGBTQ+ rights when he threatened to shred £10,000 of his own money in protest of David Beckham’s ambassadorial role at the World Cup in Qatar, a country with a track record of anti-LGBTQ+ laws and human rights abuses.
Despite thought-provoking stunts offering plenty of entertainment for fans and plenty of column inches for the press, Lycett recently admitted that the publicity surrounding his antics can take a toll on his mental health.
“It’s much easier for me, actually, if I’m not trending and I’m not in the paper because I live a much happier, quieter life,” Lycett told Radio Times in a recent interview.
“If anything, I feel pressure from my own mental health to not do big stunts, but then I get wound up by something and I can’t help myself.”
Late Night Lycett premieres at 10pm GMT on Friday 31 March on Channel 4.
