I had wanted to start this review with the old Bob Monkhouse gag: ‘Everyone laughed when I said I wanted to be a comedian. They’re not laughing now’.
This was because Lee was the knowingly intelligent, metropolitan liberal whose deep analysis of the method of comedy allied to strongly-held political views would simply lead to two hours of sermonising.
It was also because he would be a man stridently complaining about things, a man creating friction between him and the Poole audience and a man railing at everyone else in the room for not being intelligent enough to understand him.
And it was because he would just rant at various other comedians, look aghast when supposedly humorous lines fell flat and be uncomfortable when the diverse nature of the audience didn’t fit his tribe.
He was all that, obviously, but sadly for the accurate use of the aforementioned Monkhouse line, he was also hilariously funny.
Lee’s shtick is this very grumpy persona he has created for himself, a stage character he uses for his stand-up routine and (in his own words) a deluded man who believes he’s a comic. Of course, it’s all an act.
In the current tour, Content Provider, he sets his sights on our throwaway digital age, our minute attention span and the very lack of substance in today’s instant world.
But he also finds time to chew up Brexit, Trump, Game of Thrones, the under-40s, Gary Lineker, Eamon Holmes, Russell Brand, Russell Howard, Dara O Briain and even his own brother-in-law.
The stage was littered with piles of other comedians’ DVDs ‘bought for a penny on e-Bay’ and the backdrop was a rather underused white screen– an elaborate set-up for his finale.
Not everything was hilarious, some flabby parts dragged a bit (although repetition is his big trademark), but even if he’d only done the ‘you’ve never had it so good’ bondage in the 1930s routine involving hessian sacks and dripping, it would still have been worth the ticket price.
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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John Robins, Comedian
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube