YOU may have paid your money, but Stewart Lee isn’t going to go easy on you.
The greying comedian, who made a recent return to television screens with BBC Two’s Comedy Vehicle, cast an unforgiving eye over everything from coffee shop loyalty cards to Top Gear as he took to the stage of Malvern’s Forum Theatre on Saturday (January 30).
Eschewing the current trend for snappy one-liners, Lee painfully, and often hilariously, deconstructed every joke, point by point, simultaneously warning the audience worse was to come.
There was no attempt to get the crowd ‘on-side’ as he fantasised about Top Gear’s Richard Hammond being killed in the car crash which left him with brain injuries in 2006.
The skit’s tabloid reception was tackled head-on by Lee who explained that although his comments were ‘only a joke’, they coincidentally represented his true feelings about ‘the Hamster’.
Lee’s characteristic repetition was used to great effect in the closing segment where a throw-away line from a cider advert was plucked from obscurity and subjected to 20-minutes of ridicule.
During this prolonged invective against the advert, in which Lee pretended the line had in fact been a passed-down tradition of his own family, he left the stage and circled the theatre, bellowing at the audience from behind their heads.
The former comic partner of Richard Herring and writer/director behind Jerry Springer the Opera proved that compromise and dumbing-down did not need to go hand-in-hand with comedy.
If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One took no easy routes and was all the better for it.
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Dan McCaid, Twitter
Dan McCaid, Twitter
Spursguy, Youtube
Spursguy, Youtube
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
XPIJONpsY, Twitter
XPIJONpsY, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
Zoot Cadillac, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Herald Scotland.
Herald Scotland.
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com