18 February 2023 , 00:45
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Joe Lycett gave an iconic acceptance speech upon being named one of the winners at the National Comedy Awards.
The presenter and comedian, 34, was honoured with the ‘comedy game changer’ award, which celebrates individuals who have inspired social change through comedy.
Joe has been known to campaign for social justice throughout his career, including the time he confronted Shell on greenwashing, set out to tackle the issue of white plastic, and highlighting inequalities faced by the LGTBQ+ community, by asking David Beckham to relinquish his role as a Qatar ambassador.
He accepted the trophy that recognised his work at the Roundhouse venue in North London, presented to him by Grayson Perry, who called the comedian an ‘artist’, ‘prankster’, ‘disrupter’ and a ‘revolutionary’.
Joe was presented with the 'comedy game changer' award (James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock)The artist went on to say that Joe is “always unpredictable, always remarkable, always brilliantly funny, and a really nice bloke.”
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Joe’s acceptance speech referenced Liz Truss, the BBC and Hugo Boss.
He said: “I’d like to thank Liz Truss, couldn’t do it without ya, girl!”, in reference to his “friendship” with the former Prime Minister, who he mockingly encouraged to run for Conservative leader a second time.
Then he motioned to his previous spat with fashion brand Hugo Boss, which saw Joe legally changing his name in a bid to stop the company from targeting small businesses that used the word “boss” in their names.
Grayson Perry presented the comedian with the award, calling him a 'revolutionary' (Anthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock)He said: “Hugo Boss, I’d like to thank for designing those lovely Nazi uniforms and for their unending appetite to protect their intellectual copyright.”
Joe referenced his Qatar campaign, saying: “Everyone on Twitter with a football team logo as their profile picture, for keeping me grounded.”
Back to the government, he gave a shout out to former secretary of state for digital, culture and media, Nadine Dorries, “To Nadine Dorries, for everything she’s done for culture.”
Joe has been known for his high-profile campaigns against social inequality (James Veysey/REX/Shutterstock)Joe then targeted the BBC: “To the BBC chairman Richard Sharp, for that loan you gave me, thank you, Richard. I was struggling when I started out and he kept me afloat.
"I’d like to dedicate this award to the Channel 4 lawyers who have protected me throughout my career from myself.
"And with that in mind, I’d like to say that Richard Sharp should stand down as the BBC chairman and that’s not my opinion, but the opinion of Channel 4 television.”