Stewart Lee's comedy vehicle is, not so much a Porsche, but more a reliable Volkswagen.

Stewart Lee has returned to T.V. This is a good thing. Stand up doesn't have a prominent place on terrestrial schedules anymore, which is a shame as most peoples experience of stand up comedians now come from Mock the Week, and if Andy Parsosn is your first introduction to the art form, that's probably enough to put you off comedy for life. It's quite a surprise to see the BBC give Stewart Lee such a prominent slot, especially considering the conservative nature of their scheduling following the Ross/Brand affair, and especially baffling when you realise that Lee is the man behind Jerry Springer the Opera. Still, one mustn't quibble, it's a brave decision by the BBC and that must be applauded. The show itself is a bit hit and miss, at times Lee can be very funny, but all too often he lapses into self indulgence, basically if you're a fan of Lee's you will like this show, if not you're unlikely to be won over, which is, probably, just the way Lee would like it. The show starts well, with a spot-on deconstruction of Chris Moyles latest opus and a withering dismissal of Russell Brand's "My Booky Wook", which is doubly pleasing as Lee seems to be the only comedian not kissing his skinny jean clad arse. The opening of the show is undoubtedly the strongest segment as the rest of Lee's set is a bit too smug and self satisfied. It's strange to see that, for a comedian so lauded, his style has not developed at all in the ten years he's been away. Lee is still guilty of confusing pretension for intellectualism, and seems of the believe that merely name dropping authors is proof of his own superior intellect. At one point he sneers "I've read the complete works of the poet and visionary William Blake" while dismissing every Harry Potter book, I'm sure there are thousands of people who enjoy both Blake and Rowling, so to dismiss everyone who has read Harry Potter as a neanderthal is a bit short sighted. You could also pick out a simple sentence from Blake, as Lee does with Dan Brown to prove his inadequacies as a writer, and make it sound weak, as quoting anything devoid of context can make it sound contrite, but this doesn't bother Lee, and in doing so makes his criticisms of Brown simply sound bitter. Theres also a weird bit about rappers that goes nowhere and almost completely kills the mid section of the set, with Lee's deadpan, deliberate delivery more of a hindrance than a help, and the lack of pacing, and the general weakness of the joke, see the segment fall completely flat. There is a lot to admire about Lee as a stand up comedian and he is clearly very intelligent and erudite man, who is also very witty, but for all the good points of the set, Lee's snobbish delivery and desperate need to prove how clever he is, will be off putting for some. Although one question persists, for a man so clever, why can't he buy a suit that fits?