United Kingdom
Freelance journalist and copywriter, formerly of the Birmingham Post and Mail. I specialise in TV, the arts and theatre.
Warm, witty and occasionally waspish, Joe Lycett is just the man to keep us entertained during lockdown. It's fortunate, then, that he is presenting two lengthy prime-time TV series, with another on the way.
What is it really like in the Great British Bake Off tent? How do the contestants create their bakes while dodging camera crews? Do they get to eat what they cook and how long does it take to create their masterpieces?
An interview with D-Day Veteran Ernest Pegg on the 75th anniversary.
A new book is to reveal the secret world of Birmingham women who wear niqabs - and what they put on in private. Saskia Aukema is the Dutch photographer behind Veiled, a collection of pictures of Muslim women in Birmingham and the Netherlands.
I'm a bionic woman now," says Dame Julie Andrews, proudly. "I have a titanium ankle, which is rather rare. The operation saved my life." But it was because of surgery on her ankle that Julie missed out on a part in an outrageous movie.
An entrepreneur rejected by Dragons' Den who then turned down a £90 million offer for his company has had to sell his house and car. He claims he has had a massive 80 per cent drop in sales - because of a backlash against him 'bragging' about his worth.
Marco Pierre White, known as the first 'celebrity chef', owns a string of restaurants and a hotel. But you won't find crisps on sale at any of his bars. If anyone asks for them, customers are told: "Marco doesn't like crisps."
Feature on Tilt Festival
We all know we have more canals than Venice and more green spaces than any other European city, but do we really appreciate Birmingham enough? Living in a city, we often overlook what's on our doorstep and forget about some of the things that a tourist would do.
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has given a revealing insight into how he writes the drama. He pens every word of the series - as he says it's his most personal project, his 'baby' which he guards preciously. He won't let anyone else write it - and he doesn't like the cast ad-libbing, although the one exception is Tom Hardy.