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Comedian Joe Lycett said he hopes to “celebrate our British boozers” with his new live pub show.
The 38-year-old will open an east London pub for just an hour a week on Fridays for the duration of the live episodes in the six-part series The Lycett Arms, which will air on Channel 4.
He said: “The live performance sector, if you want to call it that, is under great threat, and the pub industry is as well.
“And I think anything we can do to celebrate our British boozers is a good thing because yes, they provide a watering hole and, as I’ve said, I do think they’re really good for society at large.
“It’s good to have a public house where the public can come in and mingle with one another.
“It’s good for people who are lonely. It’s good for people who need to connect with their community.”
In order for the show to go ahead, Lycett had to be fully accredited with a licence to serve alcohol and underwent a training course and exam to obtain a level 2 award for personal licence-holders.
In each episode, Lycett will be accompanied by a celebrity pub manager on a trial shift and The Lycett Arms will be paired with a real pub elsewhere in the UK.
Lycett added: “I moved to my area of Birmingham because I loved the local pub and I still do, and when I go in there, there’s always someone that I kind of know and can sit and have a drink with.
“I think it’s been a place of great solace for me over the years, and I think pubs closing in places kills the local area.
“And so we definitely want to champion those amazing boozers around the country, and it’s a sort of a spiritual place for lots of people.”
The Lycett Arms airs live on Channel 4 on Friday nights at 10pm from September 4.
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