On his Comedy Vehicle Stewart Lee drove a cross between a tractor and the field it was ploughing into the debate that should start now about the purpose of BBC Two. After the silliest opening titles Lee could dream up, in which his tractor-field was followed by a troupe of circus performers, Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle provided the most intelligent half hour of stand-up you will see on television this year – outside, one trusts, the next five episodes of this series.
“The sat-nav is off,” promised Lee at the start of his set, and for once the promise of unpredictability was not broken. The heroes of last week’s Comic Relief effort, Chris Moyles and Davina McCall, were ruthlessly exposed to Lee’s mockery, alongside others made untouchable by their popularity: Dan Brown, J. K. Rowling and the Grange Hill star-turned- rapper Asher D (“Yes, I am disrespecting you.”) What had this lot done to deserve Lee’s ire? They had all written insultingly stupid books, whose vaulting ambition in Moyles’s and Jeremy Clarkson’s case, at least, was to find a place in the toilet. Thomas Young, Lee reminded us, was the last person reputed to have read all the books that had been published in his lifetime. The person who did the same today, averred Lee, would be more stupid than the man who read nothing.
Lee, who has not had his own TV series since the juvenilia that was Fist of Fun, demonstrated that in the intervening years he has become the master of deadpan stand-up. A routine in which he repeatedly tried to explain who rappers were was almost surreally brilliant. But that is not the reason Lee’s show was important: it suggested that intelligence might be valued again on BBC Two, after some decades in which intellectual snobbery was considered almost as vile as racism. When she was at BBC Four, Janice Hadlow, BBC Two’s new controller, gave a lecture, The Importance of Being Serious. Last week, at the Broadcast Factual Commissioning Forum, she said she wanted to commission programmes that “contribute to the national conversation” rather than mere “crowd pleasers”. She then rather spoilt things by saying that, of course, the “overnights” were important. In her job, they shouldn’t be. The question this morning is not what ratings Lee got for his intellectual snobbery, but if Hadlow cares either way.
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, 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