TV’s Frankie Boyle has declared that no-one over 40 should do stand-up, as the old comedians lose their edge and their anger. Stewart Lee is 42 and Frankie’s heartless Scottish words have made him wonder if it’s worth carrying on.
Undaunted, the furiously baffled comedian tries to win round the legendarily harsh Glasgow audience with a crowd-pleasing Mcintyre-style routine about coffee shops, but is distracted by scores of imaginary pirates; he tries to talk about every day middle aged men’s concerns, but is drawn into a forty minute rant against Top Gear and all it stands for; he attempts to find some common ground with happy childhood memories that he and the audience can share, but is instead consumed with loathing and despair as a result of a Magners’ Cider advertising campaign.
He screams from the balconies, stumbles in the aisles, and ends with a country and western song. If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One is a vast and all-consuming epic of stand-up comedy, exploring the absolute formal limits of the art form.
There are also some jokes.
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Brighton Argus
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Stuart, Chortle
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Idrie, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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World Without End, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Meninblack, Twitter