Stewart Lee Interview
April 20, 2008 – 4:45 pm | by Peekay
Starting this Friday (25th April 2008) Stewart Lee begins a run of 5 stand-up shows presenting his “Ten Best Stand-ups in the World Ever!” While there is a certain amount of tongue-in-cheek from Lee, this is still a very good line-up. We caught up with Stewart before the run began to find out what it is all about.
“There was a Channel Four programme on last year called the ‘100 best stand-ups of all time’ and the more you think about it, it is a really mad thing. It is arrived at by a weird mix of public vote, and asking critics, and various other things. I just thought, you know what, what about me just choosing my ten best comics and putting them on and calling it ‘The Ten Best Comics of all time’ because it’s as valid as anything.
“And in programming it what I tried to put on was people that are really good, the people that I think are the best but are not necessarily known. Everyone knows that Billy Connolly is good, but there are people on that list who have been really overlooked who are in my season. Or people who are really brilliant but people don’t realise what brilliant stand-ups they are. Like Harry Hill for example who first and foremost was a really great stand-up.”
But is this his dream line-up?
“Nearly. There are a couple of people I couldn’t get and some people that are dead, but some of the nights are near as damn it. There is one night which is Will Adamsdale and Kevin McAleer and I just can’t believe I have got them on together. I am so excited about seeing it and couldn’t be happier – so that for me, if you go to one show that would be the one to go to. The shows they are doing are both superb shows. I think that the show Kevin McAleer is doing is probably the best piece of stand-up that I have ever seen. Truly fantastic.
“Most of the people on my list of 10 best stand-ups weren’t even in the Channel Four 100 best stand-ups list – John Hegley, Simon Munnery, Kevin McAleer – they are overlooked. And if you ask comedians who they think the best comics are they’d always come up with people like that. I’m striking a blow for the comedians comedian I suppose.”
But what about the ‘mystery star’ is apparently too famous to name?
“The mystery star is someone who started off doing stand-up and was superb and hasn’t really done it for ten years. He didn’t want the pressure of being named, and also if we had named him a load of pillocks would come and see him. I am really looking forward to it.”
So what about the 41st Best Stand-up (Lee himself), what’s his role in these shows?
“Well I’m gonna do about twenty minutes every week of different stuff from over the years and new stuff. I basically programmed it and persuaded people to do it. I’ve been lucky enough to get these people together. I’ve been doing stand-up for a long time and have never really gone away, or been so famous that I’ve become out of touch and not known who the new comics are. I am still doing those dives around the country so I am still in the thick of it I suppose.”
Bloomsbury Theatre – Booking Information
April 26: Mystery Star and Simon Munnery
May 2: Harry Hill, Boothby Graffoe
May 9: Kevin McAleer, Will Adamasdale (in Jackson’s Way)
May 16: John Hegley, Stephen Carlin
May 23: Greg Fleet, Josie Long
Tickets – £17.50
