Tonight, Stewart Lee tells us, he will be tackling three main topics. Charity. The Government. And Adrian Chiles.
Normally, he’d try to be more seamless than this. “Why hasn’t it got”, he asks himself on behalf of his fans, “a narrative arc like the other shows?” The answer is that he is working up material that can work as half-hour chunks for his second BBC Two series, next year. On this matter, at least, we can take him at his word. So even if we are guinea pigs here, this is another delicious dose of the self-aware and the self-involved. As ever, the footnotes to his performance — the moments when he turns on us for not getting a joke, for blanking “references at the very edge of human consciousness” — matter as much as the ostensible targets. Which soon sprout into flights of fancy involving, say, his crisp-loving grandad who lives in a nest, Godzilla, and the comedian Russell Howard, of Mock the Week.
For more than 20 years now, Lee has been selling his ideas with a dubious yet musical delivery that blurs the lines between the rational and the ridiculous. Here, his immaculate timing isn’t always enough to conceal a lack of inspiration in some of his material. Several of the flights of fancy take off too soon — the tale of Grandad and Godzilla, say, is Lee at his most whimsical. And the ingenious fag-packet mathematics that “proves” why Howard doesn’t do enough for the needy is an engaging misuse of logic that has descended into protracted sarcasm by its end, even if he’s mocking our own preconceptions more than Howard’s behaviour. And yet his spirit of subversion is so original that he wins out anyway.
He ends the first half with a great song about Russell Brand’s wedding, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. And he hangs on to the guitar for a superior second half in which he pretends to tune up, mocking and celebrating the bag of tricks of a musical comedian. Then he nails the certainties of alternative comedy — “In the 1980s everybody hated the Tories. It’s amazing they got reelected” — before taking us into a story about his days at Oxford with David Cameron that is richly detailed and resonant, whatever your political hue.
Lee loyalists will find some ideas and formats from earlier shows getting dusted down for their turn on the telly. Some of his engaging unorthodoxies are in danger of becoming orthodoxies, too: the way he sticks an unneeded definite article in front of something, talking about, say, “the ITV”, “the News 24”, “the comedy”. But even at a notch below his brilliant best, he retains his mix of passion and pique, of the determinedly small-minded and the generously imaginative. Fascinating, funny stuff, in other words.
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk