Joe Lycett calls pubs 'one of the best things' about Britain as he gives away 500 pints

Joe Lycett calls pubs 'one of the best things' about Britain as he gives away 500 pints Star of The Celebrity Traitors Joe Lycett says he has a genuine affection for local pubs and the important role they play in bringing people together and creating a sense of community Comedian Joe Lycett has hailed the importance of pubs - as he prepared to give away 500 pints. The star, also currently featuring in The Celebrity Traitors, staged his recent Channel 4 show in a fictional boozer, The Lycett Arms. It came to the end of its first series last week but Joe is giving away pints at 30 real pubs across the UK this Friday. He said: “Pubs are one of the best things about this country, along with saveloy sausages and the Sugababes, and I’d love you to go to your local this Friday to give them some love. If you’re very lucky you might even get a pint on me, and if you don’t I reckon you’ll still have a nice time. “If we’re honest, the money might have run out by the time you get there, but if it has, you can buy a drink yourself and support a local business. Hurrah!” Joe isn’t the only star stepping behind the bar of late after it emerged James Bond star Daniel Craig had bought a 250-year-old pub in north London. The pub, the Horseshoe, which is said to be haunted. Other celebrity landlords range from Idris Elba and james Blunt to Jeremy Clarkson. Eighties singer Rick Astley owns the Mikkeller bar in London, one of the 30 taking part. Yet it comes as landlords are under massive strain because of sky high costs, with pubs closing at a rate of one a day this year. The Mirror has been a long champion of the industry with its Your Pub Needs You campaign. Those who want to be in with a shout of free pint should head to one of the listed pubs and ask for Joe Lycett’s tab. Tabs will be opening at different times to the public so people can try their luck at any point on Friday evening. It is limited to one drink per customer List of pubs: The Black Prince - Northampton The Old Ivy - Clerkenwell The 8 Sail Brewery – Heckington The Anchor Inn - Oldbury-on-Severn The Bluesdawg – Mapperley The Red Hart Inn – Gloucestershire The Somerset Inn Micropub - Chard Bristol Beer Factory The Miller - London Bridge The Old Bike Store – Worthing Preston Park Tavern - Brighton The Unicorn – Oxfordshire Signature Brew - Haggerston The Crown – Accrington The Old Monkey - Manchester The Grapes – Bath The Dog House – Kent The Chase at The Old Barge in Hertford Stage and Stem - Cardiff The Peveril Of The Peak – Manchester The Butchers Arms - Merthyr Tydfil The Crown and Greyhound - Dulwich The Crown - Cuddington The Hallamshire House - Sheffield The Dodo – Hanwell “Dexter and Jones” - Knutsford The Selden Arms – Worthing Red Lion – Wombourne The Crown Inn – Harbury Mikkeller Pub - Shoreditch, London It came as Tim Martin, founder of pub chain Wetherspoons, said wages now accounted for around £1..50 - about a thirds- of the cost of an average pint nationally, which he put at £5. "In supermarkets, it's about 12%," he told Lord Mark Price, the former Waitrose boss on his The Happy WorkLife Podcast. "So when you put up the minimum wage by 10%, it's 15p on a pint in a pub and it's about 1p or 2p in a supermarket. So the gap is widening. "It's quite a blunt instrument," he went on. "When governments step into the market and say we are going to control your biggest cost, I think it's full of double-edged swords for everyone."