Stewart Lee

Review: Stewart Lee

Not only did he provide the belly laughs, there was a catharsis in seeing someone like Lee plot a skilful course through some of the hottest topics of our times.

Work-in-progress - what is it worth?

I personally don't have a problem with comedians taking every opportunity they can to do warm-ups. In fact there is actually something particularly enjoyable about seeing shows in their embryonic form. You might, for instance, see Stewart Lee doing a routine that is destined to evolve into a TV classic, or, even better, get the Daily Mail's knickers in a twist.

Funny feeling: Idil Sukan's soulful snaps of standups

In her exhibition This Comedian, Idil Sukan captures comics in contemplative poses - plus there's Phil Nichol snogging a lion. Katherine Ryan, Bridget Christie, Stewart Lee and Steve Coogan all feature in the show, which runs from 20 February to 2 March at the Embassy Tea Gallery in Southwark, London. An accompanying live event, in which standups talk about baring their soul on stage, takes place at the Duchess theatre on 26 January. All photographs: Idil Sukan.

Opinion: never make friends with a comedian

After I posted a story yesterday about Stewart Lee standing in for Stuart Maconie on BBC6 Music's Freak Zone, it was pointed out to me that Lee had previously been critical of Maconie in his 2008 show 41st Best Stand-Up Ever. Lee was putting the boot into talking head pundits-for-hire and mentioned that Maconie, for a fee, can recall any aspect of human experience.

I'm creating a comedy databank for Islamic Birmingham

Fox News terrorism expert Steven Emerson claimed Britain's second city was entirely Islamic. Will I have to adjust my jokes?

Stewart Lee: 'I don't know where the ideas come from'

After years honing his singular brand of acerbic comedy, Stewart Lee is now regarded as one of the UK's top stand-ups. As the third series of his award-winning Comedy Vehicle is released on DVD - and he performs new material in preparation for a fourth - he answers questions from readers and famous admirers.

Opinion: can Dapper Laughs come back?

As comedy goes it could not have been more meta if Stewart Lee had made a cameo appearance. Just when we thought we'd seen the last of him Dapper Laughs released a new video on YouTube on Christmas Day in which he returned to earth from a buxom wench-filled heaven and put his creator, Daniel O'Reilly in his place for attempting to kill him off by donning an existentialist's black polo neck and appearing on Newsnight.

The British Comedy Awards 2014 review

It's easy to be cynical whilst watching such a grandiose display of wealth and status, and there were times throughout the production where I did feel like the spirit of British Comedy was being exploited, but, unlike Stewart Lee, I chose to ignore that this year.

Stewart Lee: I've had it with comedy awards

Vanity and ambition drove me to attend my first British Comedy Awards in 20 years. I'm sorry, it won't happen again.

I have been enjoying Grace Dent's Saturday morning series on the history of radio comedy, The Frequency of Laughter. She's worked her way from 1975 to 2005, just by talking to two people who were involved in each five-year era. Her questions are insightful, and she creates a relaxed, slightly naughty atmosphere that brings out the best in her interviewees. A couple of them have been quite indiscreet, and what's made those indiscretions more enjoyable is that the producers have tracked down whoever they've been rude about and asked them what they remember. So, in the show that covered 1995-2000, radio producer Paul Schlesinger recalled Sean Lock and Bill Bailey being forced to read out episodes from 15 Storeys High to a reluctant commissioner, who said "I don't understand why this is funny", but grudgingly gave them a few episodes. And then we heard from that very commissioner, who insisted that this was "one of the most joyful moments" he'd ever had in his career, when Bill Bailey read for him. No mention of Lock, whose show it was. Hmm.

In the previous programme, covering 1990-95, Sarah Smith, another Radio 4 producer, admitted that she used to favour certain writers for the satirical sketch show Week Ending: new talent such as Richard Herring and Stewart Lee. Other producers didn't, and lo, we heard from one, Diane Messias. She explained clearly that she believed that topical satire should make a political point and that Lee and Herring didn't do this, creating their jokes by laughing at a situation. "Both methods are valid," she said firmly. "Except I'm right."