During the encore (though he never left the stage) of Stewart Lee’s latest show, he suggested the convoluted nature of his performances make him “impossible to review”, and I’m tempted to agree – or at least admit it seems unfair to do so while he road tests material for his next TV series.
The current Room With A Stew tour is a work-in-progress for three episodes of Lee’s brilliantly original Comedy Vehicle, and finds him in typically antagonistic form, regularly admonishing the audience for not keeping up – or missing the best jokes – as well as recalling the halcyon days when he played to a more elite crowd in the Arts Centre’s tiny Studio venue.
It’s familiar turf for anyone who has seen him before, and despite the repetitiveness of his reprimands and diatribes he plays the frustrated middle-aged intellectual to perfection as well as belly laughs from a fiercely partisan crowd.
The loyalty of his supporters is also what enables Lee to perform disjointed practice sessions – he read the encore from notes – in 1,500-seat halls.
Their reward was typically clever, unconventional material – which ranged from Lee’s futile attempts at Islamaphobic observational comedy (“to get the Daily Mail off my back”) to national identity to urine – and while there’s undoubtedly work to be done, it was as enjoyable as it was fascinating to get a glimpse “behind the wizard’s cloak” of one of the UK’s bravest comics.
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Bosco239, 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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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Pudabaya, Twitter
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Brighton Argus
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Stuart, Chortle
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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John Robins, Comedian
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Danazawa, Youtube
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Mpf1947, Youtube