Stewart Lee returns to TV with this new show, and when he left – all of ten years ago – I mourned his passing. Together with Richard Herring he crafted two shows (Fist of Fun & TMWRNJ) which were full of life, joy, and intelligence.
A favourite memory from the show involves a repeated joke where a guest would make a lazy ‘political’ gag at a soft target, only for Stewart and Richard to deconstruct it to the point of absurdity and humiliation.
It was a surprise to me, then, that the ostensible targets of Stewart Lee’s new show were so soft. Celebrity books, Harry Potter, slapstick British sitcoms. He is no longer the arrogant young star, but a paunchy middle aged man, who has experienced some of life’s indignities, and his sarcasm veers close to bitterness. The intelligence still burns brightly, and the forensic analysis is combined with a new, daring, tendency to torture his audience by the repetition of a line until it becomes almost performance art. And I think that it is here that we find the real target of Mr Lee’s ridicule. Us – his audience.
Both shows so far have started by attacking some aspect of modern popular culture. We laugh along with him while he points out how ghastly they are. And then he slips in something like; ‘Have I read Harry Potter? No! But I have read the entire works of William Blake!’ which sounds a lot like literary snobbery. And we laugh along – only a bit more nervously. We are suddenly not so sure of our ground. Is he saying, not in so many words, ‘You laugh at how crap celebrity books are, but you still buy them, don’t you? You are the people who make this stuff popular.’
So perhaps his targets are not so soft at all. Its easy to mock a celebrity biography, certainly. Not so safe to mock us for buying them. At one point – when discussing the credit crunch – he demands that all those watching on a flat screen TV they have not paid for turn off the set and read a book instead. You haven’t earned the right to watch, he says, you are the cause of all the problems.
Still, he makes me laugh but he makes me pay for the laughter with thought. The world needs more from Stewart Lee.
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Aaron, comedy.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
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Sidsings000, 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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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Keilloh, Twitter
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FBC, finalgear.com
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Etienne, Chortle.com
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Visualiser1, Twitter
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Fowkes81, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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World Without End, Twitter
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Danazawa, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Joycey, readytogo.net
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Brighton Argus
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Peter Ould, Twitter
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Bosco239, youtube
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Idrie, Youtube
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com