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