Joe Lycett has revealed just how proud he is of the front page coverage he received for “mocking” Liz Truss during a BBC interview.
The comedian appeared on the first episode of Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on 4 September alongside Labour’s Emily Thornberry and former No 10 staffer Cleo Watson.
After watching Kuenssberg interview then-prime ministerial candidate Truss live in the studio, Lycett could be heard shouting off-screen: “You smashed it, Liz!”
Lycett then sarcastically shared his thoughts about Truss and the Tory government, while joking that he is “extremely right-wing”.
During the interview, Lycett said of Truss: “I know there’s been criticism in the The Mail on Sunday today about leftie liberal wokie comedians on the BBC. I’m actually very right wing and I love it. I thought she gave great clear answers. I know exactly what she’s up to.”
That same evening, the comedian shared the following day’s Daily Mail front page, which featured the headline: “Now BBC Comic Mocks Liz Truss.” The paper reported that the BBC had been accused of “anti-Tory bias” due to Lycett’s segment.
Lycett captioned the post: “I’ll be off to the framers in the morning.”
Now, more than a month later, he has revealed this was no joke after unveiling the framed front page on Twitter, writing: “It’s perfect.”
During the interview, Kuenssberg asked Lycett to be “serious”, with the comic replying: “I’m not being sarcastic.”
Later, after Kuenssberg showed a news report that argued that Truss is a “stronger” candidate “than you think”, Lycett said: “I think the haters will say we’ve had 12 years of the Tories, and that we’re sort of at the dregs of what they’ve got available, and that Liz Truss is sort of like the backwash of the available MPs.
“I wouldn’t say that, because I’m incredibly right-wing, but some people might say that.”
It’s not the first time that Birmingham-born Lycett, who has previously insisted he is not a political comedian, has ruffled feathers with his politics-based jokes.
In January, Lycett noticed that his joke version of Sue Gray’s findings on the Downing Street parties, which allegedly occurred during Covid-19 lockdown, had been read out as a “serious report” in government.
The comedian learnt the news from someone he said was a “verified” employee of a Conservative cabinet minister.
You can read more of Lycett’s biggest political pranks here.
