Joe Lycett has been accused of ‘betraying’ his beloved Birmingham with the release of a new Channel 4 chat show.

Between rounds of upsetting the establishment and your right-leaning dad, the comedian and future Celebrity Traitors star has made a name for himself as the most vocal advocate for the UK’s second city.

In addition to filming the BAFTA-winning Late Night Lycett in Digbeth, Brum, he also released The United States of Birmingham in 2025.

Released on Sky One, Joe’s unique take on the travelogue saw him trotting across the States to visit the 18 towns and cities which share their name with Birmingham.

He also co-founded Queen’s Heath Pride in the suburb of Kings Heath – which formed the basis for his 2022 show More, More, More! How Do You Lycett? How Do You Lycett?

However, he’s upset some Birmingham residents by apparently ‘snubbing’ the city in his latest show, The Lycett Arms.

The set-up is simple – it’s a pub that’s only open for one hour a week.

During this time, Joe is joined by celebrity guests (in last night’s case, fellow Midlands comedian Guz Khan and DJ Sara Cox) and a real live pub audience.

Like Late Night Lycett, it’s a bawdy cocktail of topical humour, celebrity chit-chat and off-the-cuff silliness.

The synopsis on ticket booking site Applause Store describes it as ‘an unmissable anarchic hour of comedy, mischief and celebrity pub chat,’ and ‘welcomes everyone to soak up the atmosphere at the newest local in town.’

However, this time, Joe has eschewed Birmingham in favour of an old-fashioned East End boozer.

It’s a move which has left some Brummies feeling snubbed, and questioning whether the Travel Man host has sold out.

Writing on a Reddit thread, No_Self8074 described the decision as ‘massively disappointing,’ highlighting the investment which has been put into Birmingham’s media industry lately.

‘Why not use the BBC studios equipment. There are production companies in Birmingham?’ asked Amricksingh67.

‘Aw man, that’s a shame,’ said Val_Victorious of the show’s London-based set. ‘Was hoping to go there if it had been in Brum.’

‘The shift away from Birmingham does seem like a pretty deliberate change of direction from what he was saying a couple years ago about wanting to make it here,’ observed Queasy_Buy2419.

Meanwhile, Majestic-Horse-5409 described the star as, ahem, ‘a big smelly poo poo pants traitor’ – likely in reference to his imminent appearance on the second celebrity series of the BBC competition.

However, others were quick to point out that the decision was likely a production decision – and not intended to leave Birmingham out in the cold.

Others, meanwhile, noted that one London-based series does not undermine all that the funnyman has already done for his hometown.

Later this month, Birmingham will celebrate its third International Day of Birmingham with two days of festivities on September 24th and 25th.

Inspired by Joe’s visit to the States, it’s expected to be the biggest yet, featuring ‘around 50 inspiring events, opportunities and shared moments.’

Quoted for Visit Birmingham & The West Midlands, Joe joked: ‘This day has got out of hand and I want nothing to do with it.

‘The sad truth is that I will be unable to attend this year’s celebrations as I am contractually bound to be in Britain’s second city – London.

‘I wish everyone a very happy International Day of Birmingham 2026, bab.’

The star may be busy in London fulfilling his landlord dreams, but his contribution to the city’s culture, like his wardrobe, has been indelible.

Metro has reached out to Channel 4 and Joe Lycett’s representatives for comment on this story.

The Lycett Arms airs on Channel 4 and 4oD on Friday nights at 10pm.


Comment now
Comments

Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google
Add as preferred source