I've just been listening to the first series of What To Do If You're Not Like Everybody Else this evening/morning, and it's wonderful. I've always found his TV appearances highly amusing, and the show is in much the same vein. Great stuff, looking forward to the second series.
It was excellent, wasn't it? Glad it was picked up for a second series. Everyone go see him, if you haven't.
Dan
I absolutely love him. Everytime I see him he just sounds like a furiously bitter misanthrope disembowelling himself on stage. He does do very dark humour but then I love dark humour.
Is very funny 
Surprised no-one is talking about the whole Andrew Lawrence Facebook business.
In my view, while I'm left-wing I do sort of agree with him on the needing more right-wing comics on TV and radio. We need some sort of balance, and I would rather see Andrew Lawrence on HIGNFY than Nigel Farage again.
I'm also a leftie on most things. But yes he did have a couple of good points (and he also said things a totally disagree with).
Manly his criticism of lazy comedy on MTW, HIGNFY, 8 out of 10 and a few others. MTW is the worst offender. Lazy 'UKIP are racist' jokes. They are incredibly easy.
As someone who isn't even remotely funny enough to be a comedian, when I hear Andy Parsons do a set up, I can guess the potential punchline, decide it's to obvious and tired and not funny to say out loud, decide he's going to come up with something original, then hear him say the obvious, tired punchline I wouldn't even use on mates in the pub, let alone saying it on national TV. He always looks so pleased with his work afterwards.
It's 'UKIP/Farage is racist' at the moment, it was 'Abu Hamza has hooks for hands', 'George Bush is a bit stupid', 'Sarah Palin is a bit stupid and right wing', 'Osama Bin Laden has a beard and lives in a cave' and it goes on. UKIP are the flavour of the month bog standard gag that will be used every week on MTW until they either become completely mainstream or (hopefully) fade away.
I think MTW needs to either stop or ditch Parsons and Dennis. Has Andrew Lawrence been on MTW at any point?
He hasn't, no. And judging by his post yesterday, I don't think he would wish to!
Quote: DougWonnacott @ 2nd November 2014, 2:34 PM GMTI think MTW needs to either stop or ditch Parsons and Dennis. Has Andrew Lawrence been on MTW at any point?
I had a look in the guides records. The only panel shows Lawrence has appeared on are The News Quiz back in 2010 and Ask Rhod Gilbert in 2011.
I also think that if the BBC is to axe any panel shows, MTW is certainly one of the weaker ones.
I have met Andrew Lawrence and worked with him a number of times.
I have to say that he has always seemed a nice enough chap, though personally I have always thought there were better comedians out there.
I think he has a tour coming up and tickets to sell, that's why he has followed this lead. Let's face it, we are all talking about him, aren't we? He was becoming increasing irrelevant otherwise.
It's cynical, brutal and I secretly admire his balls on this one, though I totally disagree with everything he says.
BTW, comedy is by its nature inclusive. As a popular West End comedy club, I find that half the audience are women (actually it's 51% to 49%, I have the stats to back this up) and about a third of the audience are either not white or white from overseas.
Mr Lawrence may not like this (I love it!) but (in London anyway) them's the facts. Comedy tends to reflect its audience, it's nothing to do with positive discrimination, it's just happening.
The post The subsequent explanation Stewart Lee's comments
I think the crux of what he's saying is: "write some different gags about UKIP, rather than the same old boring stuff", which is, admittedly, a bit boring now and anybody writing should probably come up with a new angle.
He's probably not said it very well, though it does feel entirely within his stand-up persona, ie bitterly going off on one, and very descriptively. And he is a *very* funny stand-up, in my opinion. One of the better ones I've seen.
From his clarification, he seems to be saying that a comedian should be on a show because they're the best comedian, regardless of ethnicity or gender, which is perhaps a bit idealistic nowadays given quotas for this and that, and suggesting that the BBC's quotas are geared more to these quotas than providing the 'best comedy experience' possible.
Which is probably not nearly as pertinent as Stewart Lee's observation that the majority of the performers on these panel shows seem to come from the same agency!
Stew's article on the subject is very humourous too, but will no doubt be entirely misunderstood by the irony-free readers.
He has a DVD on sale this week too, so the same publicity thing probably applies.
Are there really any genuinely right-wing comedians that could go on the BBC (or any channel)? Lee mentions Henning Wehn, Simon Evans and Liam Mullone but surely the 'right-winged-ness' is entirely an on-stage persona by really quite liberal comedians.
Dan
Quote: swerytd @ 10th November 2014, 5:09 PM GMTI think the crux of what he's saying is: "write some different gags about UKIP, rather than the same old boring stuff", which is, admittedly, a bit boring now and anybody writing should probably come up with a new angle.
He's probably not said it very well, though it does feel entirely within his stand-up persona, ie bitterly going off on one, and very descriptively. And he is a *very* funny stand-up, in my opinion. One of the better ones I've seen.
From his clarification, he seems to be saying that a comedian should be on a show because they're the best comedian, regardless of ethnicity or gender, which is perhaps a bit idealistic nowadays given quotas for this and that, and suggesting that the BBC's quotas are geared more to these quotas than providing the 'best comedy experience' possible.
Yup, that's precisely what he means. And as far as I've read, what he actually says, too.
Quote: swerytd @ 10th November 2014, 5:09 PM GMTAre there really any genuinely right-wing comedians that could go on the BBC (or any channel)? Lee mentions Henning Wehn, Simon Evans and Liam Mullone but surely the 'right-winged-ness' is entirely an on-stage persona by really quite liberal comedians.
Define 'liberal' and 'right wing'? There are, thankfully, relatively few people in any sphere of public life - much less the arts - who are not socially liberal.
Can't comment on Evans or Mullone, but I've seen Wehn (personally) described in multiple places in the past as being libertarian. Not quite the same as being right-wing, but in the contemporary political climate certainly more aligned toward it than to the socialist left.
Mock the Week is a a pet hate of mine, so obviously heavily scripted, I'm pleased when anyone has a go at it.
now he's been branded "right wing" for attacking a shite TV show
and it's channel's incredible bias
he may suffer for it
he will now be dismissed in every
story as "right wing funny man andrew lawrence"
Saw him in a show. He made light of the "controversy" in aggressive fashion. Hilarious.
He is genuinely funny, which is what counts. Stewart Lee and Henning Wehn aren't any wing, more subverting and observing than showing any political agenda, although they like everyone will have one. Funny is funny in the end, edgy comedy will always sail close to the wind and be unpalatable to mainstream media. A comedian doesn't have to share my politics to make me laugh, unless they are so clumsy or politically motivated as to alienate me, I don't find this the case with Lawrence and I am left of Marx
