By: Mary Genson | Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle | Published June 27, 2024
BIRMINGHAM — Birmingham, Michigan, is home to unique art, culture and community.
One thing less unique about the city is its name, which is shared with a major city in England and 17 other North American locations.
A production team from the United Kingdom recently stopped in Birmingham, Michigan, to film part of a series, “Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham.” During their travels, they plan to roadtrip across North America to visit different Birminghams and ultimately sign “Friendship Agreements” to form an official partnership.
Lycett, a popular comedian in the UK, will approach his travels through a warm and humorous tone.
“Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham” will be a three-part series that sets out to not only celebrate Lycett’s home of Birmingham across the pond, but also to recognize the different cultures in the Birminghams of the United States.
“This is a sort of love letter to everywhere named Birmingham,” producer Jake Clifford said.
The people of Birmingham, England, are often known as “Brummies,” which is derived from the word Brummagem, a local name for the city. In each North American Birmingham, Lycett will talk to locals to get to know what life is like for Brummies throughout the country.
Not all of the Birminghams in North America are defined as a town or city. Some are “unincorporated communities” or villages. The series will show Lycett visiting 11 North American Birminghams in person and seven locations remotely by Facetiming locals.
“It is really a good chance for us to explore parts of the U.S. that don’t normally get much press attention for one reason or another, and the reason they get attention this time around is because they are called Birmingham,” Clifford said. “It is great because we’ve got history, we’ve got arts, we’ve got food — all those kinds of classic travelogue things — but the anchor of it is Birmingham.
In each Birmingham, the series will focus on something special about each area. For instance, the focus of the Birmingham, Michigan, portion of the show is about art, among other interesting aspects of the city.
“We certainly are not only interested but passionate about art and expression,” Mayor Elaine McLain said.
McLain will be featured in the series as she gives Lycett and the crew a tour through her city. While they are there, Lycett plans to visit the Daxton Hotel and the Baldwin Public Library, among other significant spots that McLain will show them on their tour.
“Birmingham is my hometown. I have lived here 65 years, and I am extremely proud of our hometown,” McLain said.
The series ends in the same place that it began: Birmingham, England. It will conclude with the “International Day of Birmingham,” which celebrates all of the friendships made with the Birminghams of North America.
Each hour-long episode of “Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham” will air on Sky, a British streaming service.