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.
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Idrie, Youtube
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Stuart, Chortle
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com