Comedian Joe Lycett – aka
Hugo Boss – on the legal
demands of his new show
’I HAD TO
HAVE SEX
WITH MY
LAWYERS!’
C
omedian Joe Lycett recently
changed his name by deed poll
to Hugo Boss in reaction to the
fashion label taking legal action
against smaller companies with the
word “boss” in their names. The
unlikely consumer hero did it all as part
of the new series of Joe Lycett’s Got
Your Back, which returns this week- the show in which Joe, 31, tackles
viewers’ consumer problems alongside
his sidekick Mark Silcox and a host of
helpful celebs.
We caught up with the new Mr Boss
to find out why he calls the show a
“sexy Watchdog”, how long he’ll be
keeping his new name and which stars
are getting involved...
Hello, Joe... er, sorry, Hugo. Here’s to
another series of Got Your Back!
It is an absolute thrill to be back! We’ve
been working on this show for six
months and we’ve got so many amazing,
shocking, brilliant stories. I cannot wait
to share them with the world.
Did you ever imagine that telling a
story about a parking ticket on 8 Out Of
10 Cats Does Countdown would result
in your own consumer show?
Oh, of course my grand plan was to get
a parking fine in York, contest it with
a series of increasingly absurd emails,
perform it on Cats Does Countdown
and use its success to convince
Channel 4 to give me a consumer show.
It worked. My next plan is to convince
Mark Silcox to run for Prime Minister
and manage his, ultimately successful,
campaign.
You described the first series as “Sexy
Watchdog”...
If last year was sexy, this series is the
resulting baby. And it cries and soils
itself a lot.
Can’t wait! So what can we expect?
There’s a really eclectic mix this series.
Big fashion brands, a fly-tipper,insurance companies,
local councils, estate
agents and a man who
doesn’t think Pot
Noodle soy sachets are
the right size.
Some special guests
will be joining you too.
Who do you have lined up?
We’ve got amazing comics
like Katherine Ryan, Lucy
Beaumont and Rosie Jones,
plus some classic television
legends like Anneka Rice
and Mr Motivator, and then
cameos from people like Lord
Alan Sugar and Uri Geller. It’s
like a mad dinner party.
How important is humour in
righting consumer wrongs?
At first, I thought it was just fun
to make a funny version of
Watchdog, but it’s become
apparent with some of the stories
that using humour is really effective
in getting companies to change their
ways. It’s a bit embarrassing for a
company to be exposed for
wrongdoing, but it’s really
embarrassing if it’s done by making
them the butt of a joke.
You kept the lawyers very busy in
series 1! How did you manage to
persuade them to come back for more?
By having sex with all of them.
On a personal note, does anything
particular rile you as a consumer?
Companies ignoring their customers.
I think it’s unforgivable. And I count
using a chatbot on your website as
ignoring your customers. Stop doing it.
And finally, will you be Hugo Boss
forever more or will Joe Lycett make
a return at some stage?
You’ll have to tune in to find out!Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back, Fridays,
8pm, Channel 4TV
Q&A
T
V
Q
&
AHe’s changed
his name to
Hugo BossHis and Mark’s
guests include
Katherine RyanWORDS: Sarah Morton PHOTOS: Getty, Shutterstock