A comedian and television personality funded complimentary beverages for customers at three West Sussex establishments as part of a programme celebration.
The Selden Arms on Lyndhurst Road in Worthing was among thirty venues nationwide selected to receive a hundred-pound bar tab courtesy of Joe Lycett.
The venue’s manager, Joe Bunn, reported feeling considerable enthusiasm upon learning of the establishment’s inclusion.
The funding coincided with the concluding edition of Channel 4’s Live from The Lycett Arms, a comedic programme featuring the comedian and Celebrity Traitors participant.
Mr Lycett announced intentions to contribute modest financial support toward drinks at various selected premises throughout the country.
The production took place within a genuine public house established by Mr Lycett himself, where notable guests and general patrons participated in live Friday evening segments encompassing interviews, comedy performances, interactive games and general pub conversation.
The establishment operated for a single hour weekly throughout the broadcast run.
Regular patrons of The Selden Arms had put forward the Worthing venue for consideration, though employees remained unaware of its selection until the televised announcement.
Mr Bunn described experiencing momentary concern regarding the logistics of managing the complimentary tab.
The manager, who has been employed at the establishment for four years, explained that the sole requirement involved staging the event on the sixteenth, prompting a six o’clock evening declaration that beverages would be complimentary courtesy of Joe Lycett.
The allocated funds were exhausted within six minutes.
The thirty-seven-year-old Bunn disclosed having monitored Lycett’s professional trajectory since the Chortle Student Comedy Awards in 2009, describing him as accomplished.
The Selden Arms has operated in Worthing for numerous years, with Bunn overseeing management since its reopening under the same ownership group as The Hole In The Wall in Hove.
Bunn characterised the experience as an unexpected form of acknowledgement and noted that Sussex possesses a substantial clientele appreciative of traditional public houses as opposed to bar establishments.
Beyond The Selden Arms, two additional Sussex premises participated in the initiative.
The Old Bike Stone located in Worthing and The Preston Park Tavern in Brighton received nominations, with the latter supplementing Mr Lycett’s contribution with an equivalent amount, resulting in a combined two hundred pounds available for complimentary drinks.
The Preston Park Tavern acknowledged fellow performer Maisie Adams for her nomination via social media platforms.
