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Telegraph
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham, review: this wacky US travelogue is bostin'
Bostin' locals, Laurence Broderick's shiny brass Bull, that sprawling Spaghetti Junction, bins overflowing with rats and rubbish as far as the eye can see… Ah, Birmingham. With the headlines currently full of horror stories about the Second City's grim state thanks to those pesky strikers, I can't think of a better time for Joe Lycett to present his delightfully daft new travelogue Joe Lycett's United States of Birmingham (Sky Max), in which he visits some of the 13 places in the US that share the name. Lycett 's mission in life, it transpires, is to Big up Birmingham. Never mind shiny awards or hit TV shows – the Solihull native is intent on singing the praises of his home town. In the wake of Trump's presidency – and the uncertain future of Nato – Lycett has had the genius idea (in his eyes, anyway) to recruit community leaders from all the different Birminghams across America to form an alliance. He meets mayors and council leaders around the country, signing 'Treaties of Friendships', trying his luck at shooting ranges and tucking into fried chicken as he goes. Across four episodes, he takes every chance he can get to reiterate Brum's supremacy over similarly-sized UK cities ('No disrespect to Leeds and Manchester and Liverpool, but they are all dumps') as he promotes his ultimate dream: the International Day of Birmingham, to be held annually on the 24 September. For all his silly quips, though, Lycett's mission is a heartfelt one – you can tell he loves where he's from, and for a city as dumped upon (quite literally, at the moment) as Birmingham, it's nice to see it getting its time in the sun. Against a fitting soundtrack of Apache Indian, Dexys Midnight Runners and Black Sabbath, Lycett heads to the 'other' Birminghams: a suburban idyll in New Jersey ('It does have the vibe of Solihull. It's quite well kept, and I bet there's a few Right wingers here'), a remote village in Pennsylvania ('With a bit of the Cotswolds about it') made famous as the site of a Civil War battle and a tiny township in Ohio where he samples a local delicacy involving bacon fat splattered on white bread (a snack that, fittingly, my own British Brummie grandma was prone to enjoy for breakfast in those halcyon days before all anyone wanted was avocados or Ozempic). At one point he bumps into Wayne, a man from Dudley who has swapped the Black Country for a job as a barbecue pit master in Missouri. Fair enough. Lycett rounds off his US trip in Alabama, which has been on his 'to do list since I was a kid'. As Lycett discovers, the two metropolises don't just share a name, with the Deep South city's contribution to history and culture largely overshadowed by their noisy neighbours (sound familiar, Manchester?). He concludes his Brummie odyssey back on home turf, having flown his new American friends (including his hilarious driver, Randy) out to the West Midlands for a look around the world's biggest Primark (of course) and a meal at a local curry house. This isn't Palin. But it's good-hearted fun, and if you're a Brummie too, you might just understand why he's doing it.
The Guardian
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
TV tonight: Joe Lycett's mission to visit 18 places called Birmingham
9pm, Sky Max'It feels very profound but also completely worthless at the same time.' Only proud Brummie Joe Lycett could come up with this concept: visit all 18 places called Birmingham in the US and Canada and get them to sign an internationally recognised friendship agreement. Why? He wants to put his beloved city back on the global map – and he has the blessing of the lord mayor. First, he visits Birmingham in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, which boasts 'a disused chemical plant and a post office' and where the 'only hotel burned down 100 years ago'. Can he get the town to sign the agreement? Hopefully – there's an International Day of Birmingham party at the end of the series for all to attend. Hollie Richardson 9pm, BBC OneHollywood actor Andrew Garfield is incredibly candid as he traces his family tree to 1930s Poland, where his Jewish ancestors lived in the Kielce ghetto. He learns how he is related to Polish pianist Władysław Szpilman (portrayed by Adrien Brody in The Pianist) and later makes his way to the Getty museum in LA, where an art discovery moves him to tears. HR 8pm, Channel 4A big renovation often means making sacrifices, but potter Keith Brymer Jones and his partner Marj Hogarth are understandably fed up with sleeping in a shipping container. Thankfully, their ongoing conversion of a careworn 19th-century chapel has reached the stage where the vestry can be transformed into a very boho master bedroom. Graeme Virtue 8.30pm, BBC Two Julie Wilson Nimmo and Greg Hemphill head to the River Tay to meet Sally, who explains how swimming has helped her cope with grief. Elsewhere, the all-male, primarily LGBTQ+ swimming group the Dundee Dookers bond over mental health struggles. And in Aberfeldy, they swim with women's group the Freezing Fannies. Ali Catterall 8.30pm, ITV1Like Bake Off, this adorable canine documentary has found Alison Hammond to be a safe bet as replacement presenter – here, for the late Paul O'Grady. This time, she helps fellow TV host Katie Piper pick a puppy, supervises a kennel makeover and assists a Turkish Kangal with a weight problem. All the above are achieved with irresistibly sunny charm. Jack Seale 10pm, Channel 4Next in this gripping documentary series is a chilling gang-murder case taken on by defence barrister Laurie-Anne Power and king's counsel Paul Mendelle. There's conflicting evidence and a joint enterprise doctrine, which means their client could receive a lengthy sentence despite not having delivered the fatal blow. Nicole Vassell
