The sat-nav is off (Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle)

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle
Date:	17/04/09 (272 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well written material

Disadvantages: Sketches aren't funny most of the time

Until recently, I didn't know who Stewart Lee was. I had heard of his collaborative show with fellow comedian Richard Herring, but had never stopped to watch it - nor did I realise that Lee was part responsible for writing the controversial 'Jerry Springer: the Opera', which caused a stir when it was televised in 2005.

I probably wouldn't have watched Lee's new show either, entitled 'Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle', had a couple of friends not told me how funny it was.

The programme is filmed in front of a small audience at an intimate venue, and takes the form of a straight-forward stand-up routine with an added twist... every so often, a comedy sketch is thrown into the mix for good measure, which relates to one of the points Lee has raised.

Found on BBC2, each episode addresses a specific issue - for example, one show focuses on the financial crisis, whilst another deals with the theme of political correctness. Lee's comic style would have to be described as 'deadpan', although he does often burst into an energetic rant which normally takes place towards the end of the thirty-minute episode.

The broad subjects or themes that are the basis for each show give the comedian a chance to have a go at the banalities of modern society, and I like the way he isn't afraid to take the p** out of popular celebs such as Jeremy Clarkson, and Chris Moyles - he described 'The One Show' with Adrian Chiles as like "being trapped in the buffet car of a slow-moving express train with a Toby jug".

Comic timing is one of Stewart Lee's main weapons - he seems to have perfected the art during his lengthy career as a stand-up, and he also has an intelligence which he uses to critically engage with the subject matter on which he speaks.

If there is a downside to the show in general, it probably comes in the form of the intermitent sketch scenes which I mentioned earlier. They are on the whole a little tedious, and certainly not on a par with Lee's witty and often satirical stand-up ramblings.

Throughout his routines, Stewart Lee often revisits subjects which he has mentioned at the beginning of the programme, and sporadically pops them back into the act when you're least expecting it. Personally, I find these bits funny, but I know some people view it as annoying and use it as a point of criticism. Also there are certain times when he goes on about something for slightly too long, which starts to grate a little.

All in all, Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is an entertaining show which is thoughtfully written, and a great tonic to some of the awful comedy which is around at the moment - Horne & Corden's show to name just one example. Lee isn't outrageous or controversial, just (for the most part) a good old-skool stand-up who offers a thought-provoking set. It is a shame about the 'sketches' though, as they do let the programme down.

Summary: On the whole entertaining show