The Fall and Rise of Stewart Lee

Posted by Steven Cookson Mar 25, 2009

When I was younger I remember watching This Morning With Richard Not Judy every Sunday, written by and starring Stewart Lee and Richard Herring. Although I didn’t get all the jokes it was still a welcome change to the usual boring line-up of religion and antiques and since then here hasn’t been a daytime programme that has been as edgy or hilarious, possibly due to complaints from the Points of View crowd. After TMWRNJ ended I didn’t see much of either of them.

It was years later when I rediscovered Stewart Lee's stand-up - I can’t remember how - and I liked his deadpan delivery and often agreed with the targets he chose, plus I’ve always preferred miserable comics to cheery ones possibly because it mirrors my own outlook on life. It was also different to what most comedians were doing as an almost championing of political correctness is even more radical than making racist or sexist jokes in an ironic way, like Jimmy Carr (funny guy but terrible stand-up comedian).

Despite this Lee is no stranger to controversy as the televised version of Jerry Springer: The Opera, which he co-wrote with Richard Thomas, in 2005 was immediately jumped on by Christian groups and received tens of thousands of complaints before it was broadcast on the BBC by people who hadn’t even seen the stage show. Much was made in the tabloid press about the number of swear words contained in it even though the figures were largely exaggerated and demonstrated that when it comes to mass hysteria in the media there’s no time for fact checking and balance.

I watched the televised version and I wasn’t offended by the content, but maybe that has something to do with me not being a reactionary bigot. What I saw was a fun and over-the-top production that wasn’t perfect but kept me entertained nonetheless. I was more offended by Christian Voice’s opposition to a proposed donation by the cast towards cancer charity Maggie's Centres that was rejected because of morals or something. People have a right to protest but that was just ridiculous.

After that setback it’s good that he’s been given a chance to showcase his talent on Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle, a new stand-up/sketch show that follows a different theme each week (so far toilet books and TV). It's a welcome return to the box and a great way for him to reach the wider audience he deserves.

The only bitter pill for Lee is timing, as his new show started about the same time as BBC Three launched a new series called Horne and Corden - a sketch show by two average comedy actors that has obviously been pushed through production very quickly without quality control just to capitalise on their current fame. I promised myself I wouldn’t resort to slagging off H&C as just about everyone is giving them a kicking but it does demonstrate the idiocy of TV executives.

It’s another case of the BBC fast-tracking young stars that clearly haven’t paid their dues and is an insult to those who can’t get anything commissioned. Stewart Lee has been refining his act for the last 20 years where his audience know what to expect and are familiar with the topics he covers. Horne and Corden make sketches about one being fat and the other being a bit camp, and that’s it. It’s the type of lazy, lowest common denominator comedy that Lee has spent much of his time lambasting all these years.

One of the criticisms aimed Lee’s way is that his long-winded jokes and repetition of the same line is dull but he is quite clearly using it for comic effect and not to disguise any lack of improvisational ability. During one of his tours he told a story about interviewing Ang Lee about his Hulk film and that he decided to open it with the line: “Don’t make me Ang Lee, you wouldn’t like me when I’m Ang Lee” which is a bad Sun-like pun but the fact that he repeats it over and over in a monotonous manner makes it really funny. Especially when the punchline hits.

On Comedy Vehicle – and in some of his stand-up tours - he did a similar routine when he talked, rather loudly disapproved, about Del Boy falling through the bar in Only Fools and Horses as being the nation’s funniest TV moment. Never has a man lying on the floor, grumbling into a microphone been so funny.

The problem is though if his new series turns out to be a success will he lose the self-deprecating edge that makes his stand-up so compelling? A lot of his material is based around being out of the mainstream and his outside looking in act might be compromised if he becomes apart of the TV establishment (hyperbole intended). Either way, the chances are he’ll be refused a second series while Horne and Corden will run for a further five years. I’d love to be proven wrong.