Joe Harry Lycett (born 5 July 1988),[3] also known by the self-given moniker Mummy,[4][5] and formerly as Hugo Boss, is a British comedian, television presenter and painter.
Known for his sardonically camp demeanour, public stunts and elaborate set designs, Lycett has been described as one of Britain's most popular comedians.
[9] 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.
[17] After attending King Edward VI Five Ways Grammar School, Lycett went up to the University of Manchester where he read Drama and English, graduating BA.
The ensuing paper trail of correspondence, between him and City of York Council, was recounted as an anecdote on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and later becoming the basis for one of his best-known stand-up routines.
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 with Mel Giedroyc, Hugh Dennis, Lolly Adefope and Noel Fielding and has made several guest appearances on Sunday Brunch in the absence of one of the regular hosts.
The show featured an interview with Liz Truss, who at the time was considered highly likely to win, which she later did, the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and therefore become Prime Minister.
When asked for comment by Kuenssberg, Lycett said with deadpan delivery that he was "very Right-wing"[29] and that he loved the clarity and was reassured by Truss's statements about the proposed measures to address the crisis.
[34] There was also a recurring segment that as part of Lycett's scheme to hire trainees with no previous experience, Linda Biscuits, portrayed by Chilli the labrador, is shown appearing with the production team.
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.
[40] Lycett was known as "the resident news hound" on Josh Widdicombe's XFM radio show, which was broadcast on Saturday (and later Sunday) mornings.
In late November 2023, Lycett launched a "fake" podcast, Turdcast, about "celebrities talking shit," and recorded an episode with Gary Lineker.
[12] On 13 November 2022, Lycett released a video criticising David Beckham for his multimillion-pound sponsorship deal promoting the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar due to the Gulf state's stance on LGBT rights.
[53][14] In December 2022, against the backdrop of his criticising David Beckham's sponsorship deal, the tabloid newspaper The Sun published an article detailing the fact that Lycett had himself previously performed at Doha, Qatar, in 2015.
Lycett responded on Twitter, admitting that he had accepted a fee to perform in Doha adding that he does not "have the perfect hindsight and spotless morality of, to pick a completely random example, The Sun newspaper".
[64][53] In an October 2024 interview with drag queen Bimini Bon-Boulash, Lycett revealed he had a girlfriend, who he refers to using the pseudonym "Denise" to "keep her out of the public eye".