It’s fair to say that Stewart Lee polarises opinion.
To some, the writer and comedian is ‘a true artist of comedy’.
To Jan Moir of The Daily Mail he is ‘a slime-pit of bitterness’.
But it has to be said that the mixed stew of ideas that he brought to the Crucible for two sell-out nights in preparation fora third BBC TV series achieved his aims of making you think and laugh in equal measure.
Exploring ideas from the internet and imagination, parental alcoholism, urban foxes, vasectomies, to Throne of Blood and ‘the rest of the oeuvre of Kurosawa’, The Big Bang and UKIP he plays on the insecurities of the liberal-thinking ‘Ocado generation’.
“You’re laughing at your guilt over self-selective education,” he tells the audience.
But beneath the thin veneer of intellectual superiority lurk Lee’s own demons.
The ’45-year-old vasectomised, functioning alcoholic father-of-two’ says that he gets most of his material from cab drivers, because they are the only adults he mixes with these days.
After a two-hour invitation to begin the backlash before transmission of his series in the spring, he bounds up the stairs into the night, possibly in search of new material from the cabbie taking him back to his hotel.
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Idrie, Youtube
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Bosco239, youtube
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Brighton Argus
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John Robins, Comedian
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com