It’s curious thing that Stewart Lee’s annual press outing has, in recent years, come when he starts carving his shows into three half hour segments to fit the remit of his television series – Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.
Lee describes tonight as a “work-in-progress” despite this show running throughout the Edinburgh Fringe and touring the UK for the last two months. Still, however it is served, Lee’s ‘stew’ is a highly seasoned one as ever.
Although employing his familiar tropes of repetition, deconstruction and long-form subversion, the 45-year-old is much looser in style than he once was and also less surly, if no less scathing.
Targets as diverse as Ben Fogle and Ed Miliband are despatched with a mix of long and short form assaults. Meanwhile, UKIP deputy Paul Nuttall prompts a classic Lee rant, effectively a treatise on the benefits of immigration.
Touching familiar bases of lampooning his own fame, the whims of the comedy business, Lee goes beyond just pleasing his fans with more of the same. This is particularly the case with his final third that sees him muse on the ravages of age and family life, sufficient to drive a middle-aged man to become a ‘connoisseur’ of specialist beers with evermore unlikely names – Hogwarts Bukake anyone?
It’s impossible to believe that we could ever lose Lee’s incisiveness to an olde English novelty beer-induced stupor, and, indeed, as ever he doth protest too much. However, he’s packaged, there is a clarity to Lee that not even his own over-embroidering can hide.
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Bosco239, youtube
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Stuart, Chortle
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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World Without End, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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John Robins, Comedian
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter