Stewart Lee and Richard Herring revived their double act on Sunday night for only the second time in ten years. It was a feisty, fond occasion for the faithful – at least one of whom, Herring gleaned in his opening routine, had trekked from Exeter for the show.
He’d be disappointed, Herring warned him, and maybe he was; the duo’s gloriously sloppy half-hour set followed a bill of solo stand-up plus turns from other alumni of their BBC Two show This Morning With Richard Not Judy, so cruelly axed in 1999. Trevor Lock did some waffly stand-up; Emma Kennedy played Seventies TV themes with her girl band, Vaginal Tap, upstaged by a masked “celebrity dance gimp” (rumoured to be Mel Giedroyc).
Lee, 40, and Herring, 41, last performed as a duo last year, and this set was an even looser reinvention of the same old jousts. Silly, horny Herring threatened to ring Jonathan Ross and tell him he’d slept with his grandfather. Dubious Lee insisted that the double was no more. “It was predicated on the conflict between a thin man and a fat one… Not two similarly overweight middle-aged men.”
Watching them at work was like seeing two old jazzers playing off each other. They were quick and rude, familiar and opaque. Sadly, nobody told Paul Putner, reviving his character Curious Orange, that things were going to be this ragged. Dressed as Davros from Doctor Who, he was so focused and funny that he blew the cobwebs from the ceiling.
So why the reunion? They never said, but Lee did mention that he’s back on BBC Two soon with his own series. And, good though Herring is, great though they were together, Lee’s stand-up is about as good as it gets. His set here had verve, imagination, intelligence and poise. So the nostalgia bandwagon starts and stops here: Lee and Herring have moved on. “My life is just like a Jack Dee sitcom,” Lee assured us. “It’s mediocre, middle-aged, and exactly copied off Curb Your Enthusiasm.” An indulgent but invigorating evening.
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Herald Scotland.
Herald Scotland.
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Dan McCaid, Twitter
Dan McCaid, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
XPIJONpsY, Twitter
XPIJONpsY, Twitter
Spursguy, Youtube
Spursguy, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter