To a viewer of his new Channel 4 show

Joe Lycett is giving away his own car on his new Channel 4 show.

The comic is putting up his Lexus hybrid as a prize in Late Night Lycett, the live show which starts at 10pm this Friday.

He’s also giving away other real-life possessions, including all his cutlery, his socks and even one of his comedy awards.

Lycett  said: ‘Channel 4 wouldn't give us any money for prizes and the production team have overreached and are trying to ruin me by giving away my possessions.

‘Genuinely one of the things they tried to get me to give away was my house. My actual house. I said no but appeased them with my Lexus Hybrid.

‘The production team are out of control. I am essentially a hostage to this programme and want nothing to do with it. Please do not watch it, it will encourage them.’

Lycett knows what it’s like to get a free car, as early in his stand-up Sarah Millican gave him her old Nissan Micra – the vehicle he had before the Lexus – although she didn’t reveal its full history.

A few years ago, he revealed: ‘Basically, I was deciding between staying in Manchester where I was living, paying rent or going home to Birmingham and learning to drive. And I decided on that one. 

‘Sarah knew that was I was doing. She had this car and was like, "Do you want to have this car" and I was like, "Yeah".

‘But not only did she give me the car, she got it serviced, cleaned. It was beautifully pristine. And it was a real lifesaver. 

‘She then told a story on Would I Lie To You? about a year later that she'd pissed in the passenger sear, which she hadn't told me when she gave it to me.’

It’s not the only celebrity gift he’s received, telling  Angela Scanlon's Thanks A Million podcast, that Noel Fielding had given him a chair with a picture of David Bowie on it – ‘that I love’ and that Paul Chuckle gave him a portrait.

To stand a chance of winning the Lexus, viewers must apply to take part in the show by sending producers their most unfortunate, yet entertaining story. Those with the best anecdotes will be invited on to the show, which will air live from the banks of a Birmingham canal.

Published: 28 Mar 2023