Britain has a huge comedy scene which caters for every taste: from the banal Al Murray, aka The Pub Landlord, to more subtle (and surreal) fare such as Britain’s main comedy export product, Eddie Izzard. Upcoming names on their way to fame include Stephen K Amos (see this post) and the Irish stand-up Ed Byrne who lives in London. But there is one comedian that will never fill the Apollo or Wembley but has been a constant part of the scene in the past 20 years and everybody should know him: Stewart Lee.

Lee is to comedy what Pere Ubu is to rock music: an artist with a loyal and dedicated following, someone you love or hate, someone who is never complacent in his work but continues to push boundaries, not for the sake of it but simply because there is no other way for him. Lee is a genius in his trade. Rarely does a comedian manage to combine razor-sharp wit and biting social commentary with such subtlety and gentleness in a unique trademark style. Indeed, his deceptively soothing voice is an essential part of his art, creating a tension between form and content to maximal comic effect.

Apart from his stand-up shows he is also known as the writer of  Jerry Springer – The Opera and his recent BBC series Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle. Currently on tour in the UK he will soon be playing The Leicester Square Theatre for 6 weeks with his latest show, “If You Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One”.

I saw a preview of the show in the basement of the same theatre. Actually, if you are ever in London in June/July you will have the great opportunity to see many comedians playing small comedy clubs all over London with try-outs of their upcoming Edinburgh Fringe festival show, a great chance to see them in a much more intimate setting than you normally would. But back to Lee; during the preview he also tried out his meanwhile infamous routine on Topgear’s Richard Hammond using the latter’s car accident and recovery in 2006 as a means to comment on the British media’s obsession with celebrities. Unsurprisingly in this tabloid country, an outraged Daily Mail came to Hammond’s defense while this Guardian reviewer realised what Lee was really after.

One of his shows, 90s Comedian, almost did not make it on DVD but was saved for posterity by the good people from Go Faster Stripe (check out the clips also).

Go and see him and until then enjoy this bit from his show 41st Best Standup Ever called the Big Brother Racism Scandal:

I am a big fan of British comedian Stephen K. Amos. He is currently on tour with his new show The Feelgood Factor and will also soon release his first DVD, Find The Funny (don’t forget to watch the clip). Until then you will have to make due with this performance in the London Apollo in 2008:

Stephen K Amos Live At The Apollo – Part 1

Stephen K Amos Live At The Apollo – Part 2