’I had to have sex with my lawyers!’
Comedian Joe Lycett – aka Hugo Boss – on the legal demands of his new show
Comedian 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 4
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