Stewart Lee is one of comedy’s big success stories. No, he’s not filling the arenas like McIntyre, Bishop or Flanagan, and his BBC Two stand-up series is aimed at a niche audience: those of us who are happy to hang on as he works through his carefully convoluted and playfully abrasive ideas, basting his dry routines with reminders that they are routines, that comedy is a contrivance.
Yet in standing his ground and finding his crowd over the nine years since his breakthrough stand-up set – his first after co-creating Jerry Springer: The Opera, which followed his years in a double act with Richard Herring – he has made himself the 21st -century’s poster boy for the art form formerly known as alternative comedy.
It runs in the family; his wife, Bridget Christie, has just won the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards. And her old man’s new show, Much A-Stew About Nothing, is his funniest and most focused for a while.
That’s partly because, as he keeps reminding us, the evening’s three half-hour routines are destined for his third television series next year. He makes it clear that this show will be a fragmented, no-frills show – “Anyway, that’s the end,” is his final line – after noting that this, the second date to go on sale at this 1,700 seater is not quite full. “You’re the people that applied late for tickets…I’m glad you came, but you’re not really my crowd.”
Ah, irony. We all like to think we can handle it. Only a few of us can do so without it farting in our faces. Lee is an irony grandmaster. He has made sure to write plenty of cherishable lines. He’s also sidelined the obsession with analysing his position in the market placethat was making his act eat it’s own tail. And as he works through a routine about Tories, one about Englishness and multiculturism, and a wickedly morose finale about being “an impotent, vasectomised 45-year-old father of two”, he plies a sharp, sophisticated look at the post-political correctness cultural landscape.
Lee explains the changing hegemony between Thatcherism and now in little more than a breath; ponders the political affiliation of Helena Bonham Carter; rubbishes a UKIP politician’s disingenuous concern for Bulgarians in a reducto ad absurdum rant that takes little-Englander worries all the way back through the HUgenouts and the Anglo-Saxons to the Big Bang. Masterful.
He toys, he teases, he mocks he plays. And if you can’t make it out to a theatre to be spoken down to in person, the good news is that, on this evidence, that next television series is going to be a treat.
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube