Charlotte McLaughlin, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

17 November, 2023 00:16

A letter written by Joe Lycett to the former home secretary Suella Braverman has been read out at the Royal Albert Hall.

Stephen Fry gave a rendition of the communication, on behalf of Lycett, at the 10th anniversary of Letters Live which is held in association with a charity supporting refugees.

Mrs Bravermans name being mentioned on Thursday night attracted shouts of boos from some in the audience.

Before being ousted as home secretary, the Conservative MP attracted criticism over her comments about rough sleeping being a lifestyle choice, people from the LGBT+ community seeking asylum in the UK and the Metropolitan Polices managing of pro-Palestine protests.

The letter from Lycett, who has identified as pansexual, was previously revealed by the comedian in October.

Fry read it out saying: Dear Home Secretary, I am contacting you on an urgent matter as I was very interested to read your claim that asylum seekers are attempting to abuse the immigration system by pretending to be I too am disgusted by men pretending to be gay and think we should weed out this scourge from our society.

He added a radical plan has been devised that would involve Lycett monitoring applications through setting up a company to help the Government with asylum claims.

The Lycett letter also read: Just because you or your family have benefited from a system doesnt mean that system should not be smashed to bits.

For example I am vehemently against people pretending to be gay simply to achieve a better life, despite that being exactly what I did to progress in showbusiness.

Following Frys rendition, there were cheers and claps from the audience.

Ahead of performances at the event, Choose Loves chief executive Josie Naughton said: We dont believe in deporting people to Rwanda.

The reference to the Governments immigration policy attracted applause.

Earlier this month, Lycett referenced Mrs Bravermans remarks as part of a campaign to raise 50,000, which he reached, for homelessness charity Crisis UK.

Elsewhere, Jodie Whittaker performed a letter sent by fellow Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi to a nine-year-old fan of the BBC science fiction series.

Whittaker had followed Capaldi in playing the Time Lord, known as the Doctor.

Benedict Cumberbatch also dramatically rendered George Bernard Shaws voice as he read out his letter of complaint to the Times about an opera event.

Putting on a voice, Cumberbatch as Shaw objected to a woman wearing a bird on an outfit.

Oscar winner Olivia Colman, Outlander star Tobias Menzies and Sex Education star Gillian Anderson also performed other letters.

Anderson read out American writer Anais Nins letter to a client who was paying her for erotic fiction.

Colman, who starred in an BBC adaption of Great Expectations, read a letter written to the corporation in which childrens author Jackie Morris objected to being asked to pay the licence fee when she had no TV aerial.

The actress also soliloquised aletter of complaint to a funeral parlour by novelist Lydia Davis.

American actor Woody Harrelson, who is performing in the Ulster American at the Riverside Studios in London, read letters from novelists Kurt Vonnegut and John Cheever.

The show supports Choose Love, which help refugees and displaced people.

Excerpt from:
Joe Lycett letter to Suella Braverman read at refugee charity event - The Irish News