You should pretty much know what to expect when you buy a ticket to see Stewart Lee. If you don’t you have most definitely gone to the wrong gig. In the final year of his forties, Lee is not one to suffer fools gladly – not that he ever has. And as ever – we, his loyal fee-paying audience, are the butt of his jokes. There are very few comedians who can make a whole room laugh so much at their own inadequacies.
Stewart Lee is still bitter from his BAFTA-winning BBC 2 show Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle not being recommissioned after its fourth series and he has no qualms in sharing. His stage persona is not just of arrogance but we would be mistaken in thinking he believes himself a demi-God of stand-up comedy. Boasting four and five-star reviews of his tour so far, he firmly asserts that if we don’t find him funny the problem will not be on his side of the stage.
Lee has often been described as a surreal satirist throughout his career and there is no avoiding the political landscape in Content Provider – no matter how much he states he didn’t want to write a show about Brexit or the rise of Trump. For years Lee has had the pleasure of referring to his leftist audience as the bourgeoisie and tonight we are lambasted many times for being a “metropolitan liberal elite”. He knows his audiences’ Achilles heel and he isn’t afraid to give it repeated swift kicks. When writing about Lee’s stagecraft it is impossible not to refer to his self-referential cleverness as he deconstructs everything about what he is and what he does: his role as a stand-up comedian and the actual jokes themselves. He loves to play with his audience and keep them guessing what is actually scripted and what he can improvise in the moment after thirty years of being one of Britain’s most respected comedians.
The first half of Lee’s show is a superb, polished hour of comedy. He doesn’t hold any prisoners and delivers everything we love about him with such delicious viciousness. His set, cruelly, is constructed of mounds of other comedian’s DVDs he claims to have bought from the internet for one pence or the odd fifty pence in a charity shop. The cheapest you can buy a second-hand copy of one of his DVDs, he gleefully informs us, is for about £3.60. And at one point takes delight in trampling on and kicking over piles of the worthless artifacts he describes as the cheapest building blocks available. The second half, however, lacks the drive and bite he so successfully establishes. With a similar running time to the first half, the attention in the room begins to wane a little as his topic strays to the imagined sex life of the increasingly elderly population. Without his trademark self-aggrandising, he occasionally slips into the realm of the stand-up comedians he tells us he so vehemently despises.
Despite seeing him several times over the years Stewart Lee never fails to impress. With such carefully constructed turns of phrase, it is no surprise that at one point of the show he even quotes himself from an interview in a broadsheet newspaper. After years of shunning television panel shows, it seems that TV has finally shunned Lee despite the critical acclaim he received. He has always been a live stand-up, first and foremost, and now entering his fifties one hopes he doesn’t want to slow down anytime soon.
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, 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
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter