Stewart Lee divides comedy fans; his control of an audience is masterly, though he rarely tells conventional jokes and has no physical skills to speak of apart from stoutly leaning on his mic stand and occasionally capering up and down. I find him screamingly funny; plenty don’t, accusing him of smugness and a wilful disdain for the punters. “I’m up here like a god and you’re down there in the dark like pigs in an Essex ditch,” he informs the “cackling sycophants” of Southend-on-Sea in Stewart Lee: Content Provider (Saturday, BBC2, 10.45pm). They love it.
Filmed on one of the last nights of his latest tour, he actually does begin with a (foul) political joke, but soon settles into familiar routines of analysing levels of audience enthusiasm, decrying his rivals (the set is littered with their DVDs) and pontificating on the nature of comedy: a good line “ends on or near a hard consonant”, he maintains, and there’s a lengthy analysis of the comic value of the phrase, “soon-to-be-deported eastern European workers”.
His recent BBC2 series — axed, as he bitterly informs the audience — featured segments in which Chris Morris sternly pointed out Lee’s manifold personal and professional deficiencies. Here his interlocutor is graphic novel genius Alan Moore, to whom Lee confesses, “It’s not something that I feel is good enough to broadcast.”
Those who enjoy “pretentious, meta-textual, self-aware shit” will disagree, and for everyone else, there’s always Michael McIntyre.
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Rudeness, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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John Robins, Comedian
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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World Without End, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter