Comedian's pride at offering training for locals

Joe Lycett, pictured at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, has long championed his home city

Comedian Joe Lycett has spoken of his pride at broadcasting from Birmingham while helping young people from his home city secure work in the television industry.

The 35-year-old will return to viewers' screens with Late Night Lycett on Channel 4 next Friday.

Ahead of its comeback, Lycett re-affirmed his commitment to the UK's second city and said the show was providing opportunities to trainees.

"I think we should have people who live in Birmingham that want to work in those places and have training for it," Lycett told BBC Radio 2.

"When you bring newer, younger people onto productions you get an energy you don't get when people have been doing it for years and it's just another job."

The show, which is filmed live from the Digbeth area of the city, has its own training scheme.

Digbeth Loc Studios, created by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, are due to open this year

It comes a time when Birmingham's creative industries have received a boost.

Digbeth Loc Studios, near to where Lycett films his show, is due to fully open this year.

Created by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, it will serve as the future home of MasterChef.

The BBC's new Midlands headquarters will also open in Digbeth later this decade.

'Fake news'

Despite his anxiety, Lycett said producing live TV was the most fun he had experienced.

"People still want that connection," he explained.

"They want that feeling of something actually happening that they can come to from their living rooms."

The comedian did not share many details about the upcoming series - other than hinting a new segment centred on so-called fake news was in the pipeline.

Lycett suggested he had planted false stories in national news outlets, including the BBC.

"We have been successful with a number of stories," he said.

Some have speculated one such story might include news that a statue of Steps star Ian H Watkins is set to appear outside a hotel in Wales.

Late Night Lycett is on Channel 4 on 12 April at 22:00 BST.