Talking head on clip show? Tick.
Panelist on prime-time ‘afters’ show. Tick. (BBC only)
Extra bloke on edgy news quiz? Tick.

He does it all! Relentlessly!

Anyone else find him incredibly irritating, or is it just me?

When I see him on TV he appears to play the same part every time but I’ve enjoyed seeing his act live a couple of times.

Answer to your question: I don’t find him irritating.

Stewart Lee, I’d say he is a right knob after he got the hump at a show at the Hammersmith Apollo.

Stewart Lee gets the hump at every show… it’s part of the act.

I don’t find him that funny

The constantly pissed off and ready for an argument thing soon gets boring

t’s part of the act.

Time for a new act.

The constantly pissed off and ready for an argument thing soon gets boring

Who?

Seen Romesh live, and he’s very good.. If you want to learn more about him you could do worse than listen to the podcast peacock and gamble did interviewing him before he got the high profile.

Stewart Lee isn’t for everyone and doesn’t want to be. Very good live in smaller venues, if a bit meta.

Lots of comedians become the thing of the month, Katherine Ryan for instance, also clever and very good live. but might seem a bit overexposed at the moment.

I thought Romesh Ranganathan was funny when I first saw him, but he’s pretty one-dimensional and the appeal faded quickly. Stewart Lee on the other hand is an utter genius and anyone who doesn’t find him funny should be banned from watching any more comedy.

Stewart Lee on the other hand is an utter genius and anyone who doesn’t find him funny should be banned from watching any more comedy.

That would suggest they were watching comedy in the first place, which seeing as they were at a Stewart Lee performance they clearly weren’t.

I ll happily be banned from watching Stewart Lee

edit. Says more about me than him, but he remains …….

Stewart lee is a cockwomble of the highest order.

I’m so glad to hear this of Stewart Lee. Yes I get its part of the act, no it isn’t funny, no I don’t feel stupid for not liking him. Complete cockwomble, and I’m sure he gets off on people “like me” calling him that.

Stewart who?

I saw Stewart Lee at the Bristol Comedy Garden back in July – genuinely the best laugh I’ve had in ages. I don’t really care if you get him or not – I do and I got my money’s worth – but that’s comedy for you. (Nor do I think folk are stupid for not getting him.)

Quite liked Romesh when he first appeared, but yes, he’s getting a bit one-dimensional and I don’t find him so funny anymore.

I guess what this (and other praise/abuse comedian threads show is that there’s (probably) a comedy act for everyone and that you don’t have to like this month’s flavour. With all the panel shows on radio and TV, comedians know that they may lose their popularity at any point and so they have to milk it for all it’s worth while it’s there. Of course this has the consequence of exposing any one-dimensional acts a lot more quickly but I guess they gotta do what they gotta do to make their money and run.

Occasionally I’ll catch a few years old episode of MTW on Dave and I’ll see a face that was very popular at the time and whose name I can’t even remember now – so we’re all a bit guilty of joining in with the instant gratification of “Yeah, have you seen this guy, won a Perrier* award, he’s the best thing to hit comedy in a generation…” and then a few years later…”Who…?”).

*insert comedy award name here

There are very few comedians in it for the long run these days but I congratulate any of them who have stayed the course, diversified (eg. Dara O’Briain) or lost their popularity and come back again (eg. Ed Byrne…though thought the road trip with DO’B was pretty weak…but he should have some kind of special award for destroying Piers Morgan that time on 5L). FWIW, Stewart Lee has been around for a long old time and still fills venues and (AFAIK) hasn’t really done any of the panel show stuff (but he’s not really a snappy one-liner type).

I’m warming to him, bit of a slow burner for me. Do enjoy his participation of Taskmaster, think the programme a little odd but enjoyable when Mock The Week isn’t on.

Not many comedians I don’t like, anyone who makes me smirk (never mind laugh) these days is welcome in my world.

Katharine Ryan? Isn’t she the kooky Canadian occasionally on MtW? I like her, smart, pretty, she’d be on my dinner guest list, just me & her…

Saw Katherine Ryan at the Fringe, with the Horne Section and she certainly wasn’t smart! Imagine it was all part of the act, but she came across as thick as the proverbial poo.

I like Romesh Ranganathan, but it’s all based around the self deprecating casual racism. I don’t think I’d enjoy a show of him all that much, but he’s a fantastic addition to a panel show IMO.

I’ve banned myself from watching Stewart Lee, or reading any of the smug, self-satisfied claptrap he regularly writes in the Guardian, due to the fact that he’s an utter ****!!!

I’ll see a face that was very popular at the time and whose name I can’t even remember now – so we’re all a bit guilty of joining in with the instant gratification of “Yeah, have you seen this guy, won a Perrier* award, he’s the best thing to hit comedy in a generation…” and then a few years later…”Who…?

A case in point – the first ever comedian to sell out Wembley. Anyone?

I’ve not seen him live, but I like Romesh Ranganathan.

FWIW, Stewart Lee has been around for a long old time and still fills venues and (AFAIK) hasn’t really done any of the panel show stuff (but he’s not really a snappy one-liner type).

I think he deliberately avoids panel shows because they make new people come to see him.

Saw a really interesting interview he did where he talked about his current way of making a living; he can make as much money playing Arts Centres when he keeps his costs down as he can playing larger venues, which necessarily bring greater costs and involve more people. Richard Herring realised the same when he got canned from his radio show; he makes the same cash charging people a small amount to attend the recording of his podcast but has far more editorial control.

When people slag off Stewart Lee’s act, I’m never sure whether they’ve not got it or they’ve totally got it and are joining in. His live shows are quite possibly the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

(eg. Ed Byrne…though thought the road trip with DO’B was pretty weak…but he should have some kind of special award for destroying Piers Morgan that time on 5L)

I first saw Ed Byrne at uni in 1997, back when he was Alanis Morisette.

Stewart Lee is a comedian? 😕

A case in point – the first ever comedian to sell out Wembley. Anyone?

Rob Newman. IIRC, he had a bit of a breakdown after all that. 50% of Newman and Baddiel, and 25% of the Mary Whitehouse Experience.

His recent stuff is absolutely brilliant. He had a TV series 8 years ago, The History of The World Backwards, which is well worth catching. Looks like he has a book out soon, to coincide with his new Radio 4 series.

When people slag off Stewart Lee’s act, I’m never sure whether they’ve not got it or they’ve totally got it and are joining in.

In my case for the first half of the act it was fine, second half something else distracted the audience and he didn’t get another laugh (though the distraction got a few). Maybe I didn’t understand his act but I had liked everything I’d seen by him previously. Luckily Stewart Lee was only the third of five acts that evening.

I can imagine Lee not working well as part of a larger line-up. I think the audience need to be in on the joke for it to work

Not everyone has to like every comedian. And their dislike does not mean the comedian isn’t funny. He/her is just not for them.

I find Peter Kay smug, lazy and full of hack material. Lots love him.
Michael McIntyre – over exposed and not my favourite, but obviously hugely skilled and very good at what he does.

Off to see Stewart Lee again in 8 days. His wife is often better though… 🙂

Michael McIntyre – over exposed and not my favourite, but obviously hugely skilled and very good at what he does.

At one point, Stewart Lee was threatening to do a Michael McIntyre cover show 🙂

I only ever watch old Jim Davidson DVDs these days, but that’s mainly because they have proper jokes in them. If these so-called comedians start thinking entertainment involves things like pretending to have telephone conversations with imaginary people trying to buy manure in their preferred choice of quantity, then frankly I think the entire fabric of society is falling apart around us and you’ve all been drinking too much pear cider.

@Bez, loving the irony in your work…

Occupying the same panelist shows as Romesh is.. Josh Widdicombe. Comes over as fairly amusing in small doses and with someone to bounce one liners off.. but having you seen his standup? It’s just so awful and unfunny – Makes Michael McIntyre look like the new Bill Hicks.
How the hell did he get to be on TV so much?

Stewart Lee’s sketch on Graham Norton’s “theft” of the BAFTA (IIRC, they were both nominated in the same category) was pure gold. 😆

Another comedian that you don’t see on TV much, but who is brilliant, is Robin Ince. I hope his self-imposed retirement doesn’t last long.

Thanks Bez for giving it to me straight, like a pear cider that’s made from 100% pears.

That’s a perry.

Pear cider is apple cider flavoured with pear juice concentrate.

I think he deliberately avoids panel shows because they make new people come to see him.

I’ve seen Lee about half a dozen times now; once he ranted at the audience members who hadn’t seen him before saying he was “not for them” and that they would quietly leave after the interval 🙂 There is a performance-art element to his shows & I can totally see why someone wouldn’t “get it” especially if they take him at face value or were just expecting a man to stand on a stage and tell jokes for 90 mins. I find his shows hilarious although I’ve seen him enough times to have sat through a few less funny bits too (he’s not perfect!)

Ahh.. Rob Newman.. now theres a blast from the past 😕

And yes I see Josh Widdecombe as a little grating too, why shout so much (he does, just watch him)

How the hell did he get to be on TV so much? (Widdecombe)

On the back of being well received during the Paralympics, then continuing in his niche with people he worked well with (Last Leg)? Can’t say I was conscious of him before the Paralympics

Can somebody explain the in joke to appreciating Stewart Lee as I’d like to view his act ‘in the know’ to see if I find him as funny as his fans obviously do. Very marmite it seems.

I like Romesh Ranganathan, but it’s all based around the self deprecating casual racism.

Never had any time for that sort of comedy, with the exception of Dave Chapelle, who is funny as ****.

There’s quite a fee comedians who I’ve not had much time for but really warned to when they’ve been on Richard Herring’s RHLSTP (RHLSTP!) – I think he really does get the best out of people. Really enjoyed Ranganathan recently.

I’ve even started listening to his snooker podcast while I’m pottering.