Don’t take children to see Stewart Lee, however. Not because he’s too rude or too satirical, although he is, but because when he kicks off with a line about how 9/11 is actually 9 November, they will quite reasonably turn to you and ask why someone as good as Lee still thinks this is a joke worth using three years after it did the rounds of every playground and office water cooler in the land. This quibble aside, Lee’s show is a masterclass in what the best stand-up can look like.
With a fine balance between current affairs and fart jokes, self-mockery and derision of celebrities (Graham Norton is ‘like a pink jackboot stamping on a human face for all eternity’), Lee, co-writer of Jerry Springer: The Opera, delivers so many good lines at such high density that the audience barely has time to keep up.
The greatest target of his wrath is Ben Elton; rebutting comparisons for the musical thing, he asserts that more people like Osama bin Laden than Ben Elton, because bin Laden ‘has at least lived his life to a consistent code of ethics’.
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Richard Herring, Comedian
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Frankie Boyle, Comedian
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Fairy Pingu, Twitter
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Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Al Murray, Comedian
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
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John Robins, Comedian
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Guest1001, Youtube
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Rudeness, Youtube
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Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
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Tin Frog, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Birmingham Sunday Mercury
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Brighton Argus
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Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Anon, BBC Complaints Log
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk