Stewart Lee’s decision to do two nights of the same tour at the Cambridge Corn Exchange (the previous was May 2015) was a mistake. A big mistake that he is quick to criticise and punish the audience for.
Within the opening few minutes he has threatened to strike our faces with his microphone stand before smashing our mobile phones and then defecating on their shattered remains. Newcomers to Lee’s work tittered nervously, but the more seasoned majority encouraged them to accept his aggressive tone of disappointment as his very raison d’être. Cambridge settled in to have it’s middle class guilt magnified, mocked and mollified.
The tour was intended to workshop and develop material for the not-quite-Bafta winning Comedy Vehicle (Graham Norton gets a faux-bashing for being the undeserving winner for his lesser shower, dismissed as simply ‘chatting’). The new series has since been recorded, so the audience are treated to the final polished version with the barbs at their very sharpest. When we applaud a well sign-posted throwback joke we are quickly knocked backed for our pathetic desire to applaud our own capacity for memory: the audience’s lust for Lee’s criticism feels borderline sadomasochistic, but the rewards are so very rich.
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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John Robins, Comedian
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Brighton Argus
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Pirate Crocodile, 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
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Stuart, Chortle
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com