Editing Stewart Lee

{{Short description|British stand-up comedian, screenwriter and television director}}
{{For|the English cricketer|Stewart Lee (cricketer)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox comedian <!-- for individuals - see Template:Infobox comedian for usage -->
| pre-nominals         = 
| name                 = Stewart Lee
| post-nominals        = 
| image                = StewartLeeCliffs090320-3 (49647487691) (cropped).jpg
| image_size           = 
| alt                  = Stewart Lee performing in March 2020
| caption              = Lee performing in 2020
| pseudonym            = 
| birth_name           = Stewart Graham Lee
| native_name          = 
| native_name_lang     = 
| birth_date           = {{Birth date and age|1968|4|5|df=y}}
| birth_place          = [[Wellington, Shropshire]], England
| death_date           = 
| death_place          = 
| resting_place        = 
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| medium               = [[Stand-up comedy]], [[television]], [[screenwriting]]
| nationality          = <!-- use only when necessary per [[WP:INFONAT]] -->
| education            = [[Solihull School]]
| alma_mater           = [[St Edmund Hall, Oxford]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| years_active         = 1989–present
| employer             = 
| genre                = 
| subjects             = [[Observational comedy]], [[satire]]
| spouse               = {{marriage|[[Bridget Christie]]|2006|2021|end=separated}}
| domestic_partner     = 
| children             = 2
| parents              = 
| relatives            = 
| notable_works        = 
| memorials            = 
| signature            = 
| website              = {{URL|https://stewartlee.co.uk}}
| footnotes            = 
| module               = 
}}

'''Stewart Graham Lee''' (born 5 April 1968) is an English comedian. His stand-up routine is characterised by repetition, internal reference, and deadpan delivery.

Lee began his career in 1989 and formed the comedy duo [[Lee and Herring]] with [[Richard Herring]]. In 2001, he co-wrote and co-directed the West End hit musical ''[[Jerry Springer: The Opera]]'', a critical success that sparked a backlash from [[Christian right]] groups who staged a series of protests outside its early stagings. In 2011, he won [[British Comedy Awards]] for Best Male Television Comic and Best Comedy Entertainment Programme for his series ''[[Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle]]''. He has written music reviews for publications including ''[[The Sunday Times]]''.<ref name="Pearce">{{cite news|url=http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/5850-i-don-t-feel-a-pressure-to-be-funny-offstage-or-onstage|title=I don't feel a pressure to be funny offstage or onstage|first=Rebeckah|last=Pearce|work=[[Drowned in Sound]]|date=19 January 2003|access-date=20 May 2010|archive-date=23 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223094219/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/5850-i-don-t-feel-a-pressure-to-be-funny-offstage-or-onstage|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2009 ''[[The Times]]'' referred to Lee as "the comedian's comedian, and for good reason" and named him "face of the decade". In 2012, he was placed at No. 9 on a poll of the 100 most influential people in UK comedy.<ref name="Clark">{{cite news|url=http://www.suchsmallportions.com/feature/top-100-most-influential-people-comedy-20-1 |title=The Top 100 most influential people in comedy: 20 – 1|last=Clark|first=Tim|date=22 June 2012|publisher=Such Small Portions|access-date=24 June 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815232659/http://www.suchsmallportions.com/feature/top-100-most-influential-people-comedy-20-1|archive-date=15 August 2017}}</ref> In 2018, ''The Times'' named him as the best current English-language comedian.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Steve|title=Stewart Lee is named the best comedian working today : News 2018 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2018/07/21/40530/stewart_lee_is_named_the_best_comedian_working_today|access-date=9 May 2021|website=Chortle.co.uk|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Maxwell|first=Dominic|title=From Hannah Gadsby to Sacha Baron Cohen: the 30 best living comedians|newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/from-hannah-gadsby-to-sacha-baron-cohen-the-30-best-living-comedians-t3x0wxltp|access-date=9 May 2021|issn=0140-0460}}{{subscription required}}</ref>

==Early life==
Stewart Graham Lee was born on 5 April 1968 in [[Wellington, Shropshire]].<ref name="Richardson">{{cite news|url=http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/press/mildercomedian/2009-10-21-shropshire_star.pdf|title=Getting a laugh out of disappointments|last=Richardson|first=Andy|date=21 October 2009|work=[[Shropshire Star]]|publisher=[[MNA Media]]|page=8|access-date=5 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101130141128/http://stewartlee.co.uk/press/mildercomedian/2009-10-21-shropshire_star.pdf|archive-date=30 November 2010}}</ref> He was adopted as a child and grew up in [[Solihull|Solihull, West Midlands]].<ref name="Popular culture">{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article6849512.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615100122/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article6849512.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 June 2011|title=Stewart Lee: 'hate all popular culture'|work=[[The Times]]|first=Dominic|last=Maxwell|date=28 September 2009|access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> His adoptive parents separated when he was four, and he was raised by his mother.<ref name="Hanning"/> He attended the [[Solihull School]] on a part scholarship,<ref name="Hall">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-saturday-profile-stewart-lee-king-of-the-fringe-461108.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205100219/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-saturday-profile-stewart-lee-king-of-the-fringe-461108.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 February 2011|title=The Saturday Profile: Stewart Lee, King of the Fringe|last=Hall|first=Julian|date=11 August 2007|work=The Independent|access-date=5 May 2010|location=London}}</ref> and received what he calls a "waifs and strays bursary" because he was adopted.<ref name="Hanning"/> He participated in the school's mountain-walking club, which went on regular excursions to [[Snowdonia]]; the original members of the [[grindcore]] band [[Napalm Death]] also took part.<ref name="Graham"/> As a teenager, Lee suffered from [[ulcerative colitis]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Billen |first1=Andrew |author-link1=Andrew Billen |title=How I Escaped My Certain Fate |work=The Times |date=28 July 2010}}</ref> which he has said caused significant weight loss and made him look "cadaverously thin".<ref name="Graham">{{cite magazine |last=Graham |first=Jane |date=1 November 2019 |title=Stewart Lee's advice for his 16 year old self: don't trust Morrissey |url=https://www.bigissue.com/latest/stewart-lees-advice-for-his-16-year-old-self-dont-trust-morrissey/ |magazine=[[The Big Issue]] |access-date=2 February 2020 }}</ref> He has described how at the age of 16, he was "doing a lot of reading, going to gigs, buying records and listening to the [[John Peel]] show".<ref name="Graham"/> He later read English at [[St Edmund Hall, Oxford]], graduating with a [[2:1]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=How I Escaped My Certain Fate|last=Lee|first=Stewart|publisher=[[Faber and Faber|Faber & Faber]]|year=2011|isbn=978-0571254811|location=London|pages=11}}</ref>

==Career==
===1989–1999: stand-up, radio and TV===
{{BLP unsourced section|date=July 2022}}
While a student at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] in the 1980s, he wrote and performed comedy in a revue group called [[The Seven Raymonds]] with [[Richard Herring]], [[Emma Kennedy]] and [[Tim Richardson (writer)|Tim Richardson]] but did not perform in the well-known [[The Oxford Revue|Oxford Revue]], though he did write for and direct the 1989 production. Having moved to [[London]] and begun performing [[stand-up comedy]] after university, he rose to greater prominence in 1990, winning the prestigious [[Hackney Empire New Act of the Year]] competition.

With Herring, Lee wrote material for [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[On the Hour]]'' (1991), which was anchored by [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]] and was notable for the first appearance of [[Steve Coogan]]'s celebrated character, [[Alan Partridge]], for which Lee and Herring wrote early material. Owing to creative differences with the rest of the cast, Lee and Herring did not remain with the group when ''On The Hour'' moved to television as ''[[The Day Today]].''

In 1992 and 1993, he and Herring wrote and performed ''[[Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World]]'' for BBC Radio 4, before moving to [[BBC Radio 1]], for one series of ''[[Fist of Fun]]'' (1993), followed by three series of ''[[Lee and Herring (radio series)|Lee and Herring]]''.  In 1995-6 two series of a television version of ''Fist of Fun'' were broadcast by BBC2, followed in 1998-89 by two series of ''[[This Morning with Richard Not Judy]]''.   Throughout the late nineties he continued performing solo stand-up (even whilst in the double act Lee and Herring) and collaborated with, amongst others, [[Julian Barratt]] and [[Noel Fielding]] of ''[[The Mighty Boosh]]''. Indeed, though Barratt and Fielding had worked together in the past, the first seeds of the Boosh were sown while working as part of Lee's Edinburgh show ''King Dong vs Moby Dick'' in which Barratt and Fielding played a giant penis and a whale, respectively. Lee returned the favour by going on to direct their 1999 Edinburgh show, ''[[Arctic Boosh]]'', which remains the template for their live work.

===2000–2004: quitting stand-up===
In 2001 Lee published his first novel, ''The Perfect Fool''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/02/03/10457/book_deal_for_stewart_lee|title=Book deal for Stewart Lee: Writing about his stand-up|work=[[Chortle]]|date=3 February 2010|access-date=23 August 2010}}</ref> In the same year he performed ''Pea Green Boat'', a stand-up show which revolved around the deconstruction of the [[Edward Lear]] poem "[[The Owl and the Pussy-Cat]]" and a tale of his own broken toilet. This would later be condensed to focus mainly on the poem itself, and a 15-minute version aired on Radio 4. In 2007, Go Faster Stripe released a 25-minute edit on CD and 10" Vinyl.

During late 2000 and early 2001, Lee retired from stand-up comedy.<ref name="Escaped">{{cite book|title=How I Escaped My Certain Fate: The Life and Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian|first=Stewart|last=Lee|year=2010|location=London|publisher=Faber and Faber|isbn=978-0-571-25480-4|page=2}}</ref> 2001 became the first year since 1987 that he did not perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.{{sfn|Lee|2010|p=28}} While Lee found himself gradually performing less stand-up and moving away from the stage, he continued his directorial duties on television. Two pilots were made for [[Channel 4]], ''[[Cluub Zarathustra]]'' and ''Head Farm'', but neither was developed into a series. The former featured all the ingredients that would later appear in ''[[Attention Scum]]'', a [[BBC Two]] series fronted by [[Simon Munnery]]'s "League Against Tedium" character, which also featured [[Kevin Eldon]], [[Johnny Vegas]] and Roger Mann, as well as [[Richard Thomas (musician)|Richard Thomas]] and opera singer [[Lore Lixenberg]].

At the 2003 [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe]], Lee directed Johnny Vegas's first DVD, ''Who's Ready For Ice Cream?''. In 2004, he returned to stand-up comedy<ref name="Armstrong">{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5896362.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615142114/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5896362.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 June 2011|title=Stewart Lee on his Comedy Vehicle|first=Stephen|last=Armstrong|work=The Sunday Times|date=15 March 2009|access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> with the show ''Standup Comedian''.<ref name="Maxwell">{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article6964139.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615092831/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/stage/comedy/article6964139.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 June 2011|title=The decade in comedy|last=Maxwell|first=Dominic|date=22 December 2009|work=[[The Times]]|access-date=5 May 2010|location=London}}</ref> Lee is a regular music critic for ''The Guardian''. In 2003, he said that his favourite bands include [[The Fall (band)|The Fall]], [[Giant Sand]] and [[Calexico (band)|Calexico]] and that he listens to "a lot of [[jazz]], [[1960s in music|60s]] and [[folk music]] but I really like [[Ms. Dynamite]] and [[The Streets]]".<ref name="Pearce"/>

===2005–2008: ''Jerry Springer: The Opera''===
[[File:Stewart Lee.jpg|thumb|Lee performing in August 2006]]
In January 2005, ''[[Jerry Springer: The Opera]]'', a [[Satire|satirical]] musical/opera written by Lee and Richard Thomas and based upon ''[[The Jerry Springer Show]]'', was broadcast on BBC Two, following a highly successful [[West End theatre|West End]] run for several years, and as a prelude to the show's UK Tour. [[Christian Voice (UK)|Christian Voice]] led a number of protest groups who claimed that the show was blasphemous and highly offensive. In particular, they were angered by the portrayal of Jesus. Disputes arose, with supporters claiming that most of the protesters had neither seen the show nor knew of its content. Others supported the right to freedom of speech. Several Christian groups protested at some of the venues used during the UK Tour. The show was broadcast with a record number of complaints prior to its transmission. In total, the BBC received 55,000 complaints.<ref name=Akbar>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/edinburgh-cradle-of-shows-that-conquered-the-world-2041216.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/edinburgh-cradle-of-shows-that-conquered-the-world-2041216.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Edinburgh: Cradle of shows that conquered the world|first1=Arifa|last1=Akbar|first2=Harry|last2=Morgan|work=The Independent|date=2 August 2010|access-date=2 August 2010}}</ref> A private court case brought by Christian Voice against Lee and others involved with the production for blasphemy was rejected by a [[magistrates' court (England and Wales)|magistrates' court]].

At around the time of the ''Jerry Springer: The Opera'' broadcast, Lee, Thomas and translator Hermann Bräuer developed ''Stand Up'', a German-language opera set in a fictional London comedy club and performed in Hannover, after an adaptation of ''Jerry Springer'' proved impossible for legal reasons.<ref>{{cite web |last=Irler |first=Klaus |date=26 January 2005 |title=Die Tragik des Comedians |url=https://taz.de/!649525/ |trans-title=The Tragedy of the Comedian |website=[[taz.de]] |language=German |access-date=11 April 2025}}</ref><ref name=hannover>{{cite web |last=Lee |first=Stewart |date=23 May 2006 |title=Lost in translation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/may/23/germany.features11 |website=[[theguardian.com]]|access-date=11 April 2025}}</ref>

In 2006, finding himself "really broke" he appeared as a guest on three comedy panel shows. The first was ''[[Never Mind The Buzzcocks]]'', where [[Simon Amstell]] made frequent mock-offended references to the controversy over ''Jerry Springer: The Opera''.<ref>{{cite AV media | people = Owen Jones
 | title = Stewart Lee meets Owen Jones: Brexit, his new film, "woke" and being arrested just for being English
 | medium = YouTube
 | publisher = Owen Jones
 | date = 25 January 2021
| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9DzdaDfAb0 }}</ref> This was followed by appearances on ''[[Have I Got News For You]]'' and ''[[8 Out of 10 Cats]]'', before Lee decided to quit them altogether. A profile in the ''[[Financial Times]]'' in 2011 stated Lee did not want to alienate his audience in exchange for quick money by such appearances, as working as a stand-up had been the only thing that had generated reliable income for him.<ref name="Lunch FT">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/bea2c458-14fd-11e1-a2a6-00144feabdc0 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/bea2c458-14fd-11e1-a2a6-00144feabdc0 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-status=live|title=Lunch with the FT: Stewart Lee|website=Financial Times|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

===2009–2010: ''Comedy Vehicle''===
''[[Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle]]'', a comedy series featuring standup and sketches, began a six-episode run on 16 March 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16229511|title=Stewart Lee and Victoria Wood among 2011 comedy winners|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=17 December 2010}}</ref> The executive producer was [[Armando Iannucci]] and the script editor was Chris Morris.<ref>{{cite web|title=Toilet Books |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jd8gp… |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130419184819/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jd8gp%E2%80%A6 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 April 2013 |access-date=18 March 2009 }}</ref> The first episode received positive reviews from ''[[The Independent]]'' and the ''[[Daily Mirror]]''.<ref>{{cite news
|last=Viner
|first=Brian
|title=Last Night's Television – Keep taking the mic
|work=The Independent
|date=17 March 2009
|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--stewart-lees-comedy-vehicle-bbc2-grow-your-own-drugs-bbc2-in-search-of-wabi-sabi-bbc4-1646333.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--stewart-lees-comedy-vehicle-bbc2-grow-your-own-drugs-bbc2-in-search-of-wabi-sabi-bbc4-1646333.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live
|access-date=18 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|last=Simon
|first=Jane
|title=Pick of the Day: ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' – BBC2, 10:00 p.m.
|work=[[Daily Mirror]]
|date=17 March 2009
|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/tv/todays-tv/2009/03/16/pick-of-the-day-stewart-lee-s-comedy-vehicle-bbc2-10pm-115875-21202276/
|access-date=18 March 2009}}</ref> Lee wrote a negative review of the show in ''[[Time Out (company)|Time Out]]'' in which he described himself as "fat" and his performance as "positively Neanderthal, suggesting a jungle-dwelling pygmy, struggling to coax notes out of a clarinet that has fallen from a passing aircraft". ''[[The Guardian]]'' described it as "the kind of TV that makes you feel like you're not the only one wondering how we came to be surrounded by so much unquestioned mediocrity".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2009/dec/19/best-television-of-2009|title=Pop culture 2009: The year in lists|last1=Dean|first1=Will|last2=Meer|first2=Malik|last3=Vine|first3=Richard|date=19 December 2009|work=The Guardian|access-date=5 May 2010|location=London}}</ref> One of the show's few negative reviews came in the ''[[Sunday Mercury]]'', "His whole tone is one of complete, smug condescension".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.sundaymercury.net/entertainment-news/tv-news/2009/03/29/stewart-lee-is-a-condescending-snob-66331-23250841/|title=Stewart Lee is a condescending snob|last=Laws|first=Roz|date=29 March 2009|work=[[Sunday Mercury]]|access-date=5 May 2010}}</ref> Lee used the line to advertise his next stand-up tour.<ref name="Sommers">{{cite news|url=http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/entertainment/s/2058560_stewart_lee_protests_cost_me_millionaire_status|title=Stewart Lee: Protests cost me millionaire status|last=Sommers|first=Jack|date=8 October 2009|publisher=Get Hampshire|access-date=5 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809203914/http://www.gethampshire.co.uk/entertainment/s/2058560_stewart_lee_protests_cost_me_millionaire_status|archive-date=9 August 2011}}</ref> Lee frequently uses negative reviews on his posters in order to put off potential audience members who are unlikely to be fans of his comedy style.<ref name="Lunch FT" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/aug/26/fringe-poster-edinburgh|title=Paste masters: the art of the Edinburgh fringe poster|first=James|last=Kettle|work=The Guardian|date=26 August 2010|access-date=26 August 2010}}</ref> The first episode was watched by approximately one million viewers.<ref>{{cite news
|last=Dowell|first=Ben|title=TV ratings: ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' draws just 1 million|work=The Guardian|date=17 March 2009|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/mar/17/stewart-lee-comedy-vehicle-tv-ratings|access-date=18 March 2009}}</ref> The series was the BBC's second most downloaded broadcast during its run. In May 2010, the series was nominated for a [[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award]] for best comedy programme.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10104256.stm|title=John Hurt gets Bafta nod for Quentin Crisp role|work=BBC News|date=10 May 2010|access-date=20 May 2010}}</ref> The series won a BAFTA for best comedy programme in 2012.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/uxuZRGHYv08 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120621142204/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxuZRGHYv08&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxuZRGHYv08|title=Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle – Comedy Programme Winner |publisher=BAFTA|date=27 May 2012|access-date=11 May 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The show was cancelled after four seasons on BBC Two.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/05/06/stewart-lees-comedy-vehicle-canceled-by-the-bbc/|title= Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle cancelled by the BBC|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=7 May 2016|access-date=11 May 2016}}</ref>

===2011–2019: ''The Alternative Comedy Experience''===
Although Lee had been supported by less established acts on his comedy tours before (including [[Josie Long]] and [[Tony Law]]), 2011 marked a shift in his career towards doing a lot to promote other creative comedy talents. He produced ''At Last! The 1981 Show'', featuring veteran alternative comedians including [[Alexei Sayle]] and [[Norman Lovett]] at the Royal Festival Hall in May 2011 and by 2013 he was fronting a comedy showcase on [[Comedy Central]] called ''[[The Alternative Comedy Experience]]'' which featured 38 comedians who identified with [[alternative comedy]], including [[Robin Ince]], [[Sam Simmons (comedian)|Sam Simmons]] and [[Eleanor Tiernan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2808348/fullcredits|title=The Alternative Comedy Experience (TV Series 2013– ) |website=IMDb.com}}</ref> The show ran for 25 episodes 2013–14, but in 2015 Lee confirmed that Comedy Central were not commissioning a third series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2015/03/09/22002/alternative_comedy_experience_axed |title=Alternative Comedy Experience axed : News 2015 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide |website=Chortle.co.uk}}</ref>

===2020s: recent work===
In September 2020, [[Asian Dub Foundation]] (a political band from London who had a Top 40 hit with "Buzzin'" in 1998) released a song called "Comin' Over Here", which was based on a sketch from ''Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' about the UKIP party leader [[Paul Nuttall]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/34052/asian-dub-foundation/|title=ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref> In December 2020, Lee teamed up with Asian Dub Foundation to release a video for the song, which was at that time part of an internet campaign (in the style of [[LadBaby]], Rage Against The Machine et al.) to get the record to number one in time for the chart published by the Official Charts Company on 31 December 2020, thereby making the record the 'Brexit Day Number One'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/campaign-launched-for-asian-dub-foundation-and-stewart-lees-comin-over-here-to-be-brexit-number-one-2838633|title=Campaign launched for Asian Dub Foundation and Stewart Lee's song to be Brexit Number One|website=[[NME]] |date=29 December 2020}}</ref> On 1 December 2020, the song debuted at number 65, making it the week's highest new entry and the best selling single of the week (though "Comin' Over Here" was absent from the Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/|title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-sales-chart/|title=Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/audio-streaming-chart/|title=Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100 &#124; Official Charts Company|website=Officialcharts.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/whams-last-christmas-finally-reaches-number-1-and-sets-official-uk-chart-record__32041/|title=Wham's Last Christmas finally reaches Number 1, sets Official Chart record|website=Officialcharts.com|date=January 2021 }}</ref> In 2020, Lee wrote the documentary film ''[[King Rocker]]'' about singer [[Robert Lloyd (Nightingales)|Robert Lloyd]] and the band [[The Nightingales]]. The film featured [[Frank Skinner]], [[Marc Riley]], [[Robin Askwith]], Duran Duran's [[John Taylor (bass guitarist)|John Taylor]] and [[Samira Ahmed]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/stewart-lee-film-king-rocker-lands-february-premiere-date-2859260 |title=Stewart Lee film 'King Rocker' lands February premiere date |work=NME |date=18 January 2021 |access-date=5 February 2021}}</ref> In 2022, Lee removed his material from [[Spotify]] because it refused to stop ''[[The Joe Rogan Experience]]'' spreading [[COVID-19 misinformation]] on its platform.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Ella |title=Stewart Lee also leaves Spotify in Joe Rogan boycott |url=https://www.nme.com/news/tv/stewart-lee-spotify-leaves-joe-rogan-boycott-covid-misinformation-3152186 |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=NME |date=2 February 2022}}</ref>

Lee took part in "A Show for [[Gareth Richards]]" at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023, which was staged by fellow comedians [[Mark Simmons (comedian)|Mark Simmons]] and Danny Ward to honour Richards life after he died in a car-crash in April 2023. The show won the first Victoria Wood award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2023<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedyawards.co.uk/winners|title=2023 Winners}}</ref> and raised almost £20,000 for Gareth's family.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-08-26 |title=Crash tragedy comedian honoured with Fringe award |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66627254 |access-date=2024-06-14 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2023 Lee wrote a contemporary version of the Porter scene for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] production of ''[[Macbeth]]''. Director Wils Wilson said "The Porter is dark, funny, edgy, political, clever, a truth teller - Stewart is all of these things, and straight away I knew I wanted to ask him to write to. He has a really deep understanding of how comedy works. The Porter scene is a strange meta moment in Macbeth and I knew Stewart would enjoy playing with that."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rsc.org.uk/news/comedian-stewart-lee-rewrites-macbeth-porter-scene |title=COMEDIAN STEWART LEE REWRITES MACBETH PORTER SCENE |publisher=Royal Shakespeare Company |access-date=7 January 2024}}</ref>

In 2024 Lee performed his latest tour show "Basic Lee" at ''[[The Lowry]]'' in Salford, which was filmed and broadcast on 20 July by [[Sky Comedy]], as ''Stewart Lee, Basic Lee: Live at the Lowry''. The film was produced by Drum Studios in association with Awkward Films, with producer director Colin Dench.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://louderthanwar.com/stewart-lee-announces-tv-special/|title=Stewart Lee announces TV special|date=13 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/stewart-lee-basic-lee/|title=Stewart Lee: Basic Lee - Sky Comedy Stand-Up|first=British Comedy|last=Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>

==Style and material==
[[File:StewartLee.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Lee in June 2008]]

Lee's influences include [[Ted Chippington]], [[Arnold Brown (comedian)|Arnold Brown]], [[Norman Lovett]], [[Jerry Sadowitz]], [[Simon Munnery]], [[Kevin McAleer]] and [[Johnny Vegas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.leftlion.co.uk/read/2010/october/stewart-lee-interview-3136/|title=Stewart Lee Interview|website=LeftLion|access-date=22 June 2019|archive-date=22 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622132147/https://www.leftlion.co.uk/read/2010/october/stewart-lee-interview-3136/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/press/other-stuff/openwidemagazine.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707234556/http://www.stewartlee.co.uk/press/other-stuff/openwidemagazine.htm|url-status=dead|title=Stewart Lee website, July 2005|archive-date=7 July 2007}}</ref>

His comedy covers a wide range of forms and subject material. It is often [[World news|topical]], [[Observational comedy|observational]], [[self-deprecating]] and [[Surreal humour|absurd]]. Notable routines have focused on topics like [[religion]], [[political correctness]] and artistic integrity. He also employs [[Meta-joke|meta-humour]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beyondthejoke.co.uk/content/opinion-whats-meta-stewart-lee|title=Opinion: What's The Meta With Stewart Lee?|work=Beyond The Joke|date=10 November 2013 }}</ref> openly describing the structure and intent of the set while onstage, and [[Fourth wall|abolishing the illusion]] of his routines as spontaneous acts.<ref name="McAlpine">{{cite news|url=http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/emma-422/stewart-lee-live-review-if-you-prefer-a-milder-comedian-please-ask-for-one-1838/|title=Stewart Lee live review: If You Prefer A Milder Comedian Please Ask For One|last=McAlpine|first=Emma|date=10 December 2009|publisher=Spoonfed|access-date=5 May 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101201233637/http://www.spoonfed.co.uk/spooners/emma-422/stewart-lee-live-review-if-you-prefer-a-milder-comedian-please-ask-for-one-1838/|archive-date=1 December 2010}}</ref>

In a 2006 ''Guardian'' article, Lee wrote that the then recent experience of developing the German language opera ''Stand Up'' made him realise that much [[British humour]] is dependent on the [[English grammar|linguistic structures]] and vocabulary of English allowing for confusion among multiple possible meanings of statements or [[Homonyms|words]]. He particularly highlighted the technique of concealing the true subject of a joke until the last possible moment, a method he labelled "pull back and reveal", which is usually much more difficult to achieve in German. As a result he said that he had abandoned writing jokes in a traditional sense, instead focusing on writing humorous material about ideas which would be more easily translatable, and stated that felt he was "a better stand-up because of it... Germany kicked away my comedy crutches and taught me to walk unaided".<ref name=hannover/>

Lee's delivery uses various onstage [[persona]]e, frequently alternating between that of an outspoken [[Left-wing politics|left-wing]] hero and that of a [[Depression (mood)|depressed]] failure and [[champagne socialist]]. In an ironic manner, he often criticises the audience for not being intelligent enough to understand his jokes, saying they would prefer more simplistic material, or enjoy the work of more mainstream "arena" comedians such as [[Michael McIntyre]] or [[Lee Mack]];<ref name="Hanning" /> He will also scold them as a [[Confirmation bias|bias-seeking]] "[[Liberalism in the United Kingdom|liberal]] intelligentsia".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LSNIoSezUEcC&q=stewart%20lee%20liberal%20%22intelligentsia%22&pg=PT62|title=Stewart Lee! The 'If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One' EP|last=Lee|first=Stewart|date=3 January 2012|publisher=Faber & Faber|isbn=9780571279852|language=en}}</ref> His routines often culminate in feigned [[Major depressive episode#Feelings of guilt or worthlessness|depressive episodes]] and [[Mental disorder|nervous breakdowns]].

Lee caused controversy on his ''If You Prefer a Milder Comedian'' tour with a routine about ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' presenter [[Richard Hammond]]. Referring to Hammond's accident while filming in 2006, in which he was almost killed, Lee joked, "I wish he had been decapitated". When he was [[Doorstepping|doorstepped]] by a ''[[Daily Mail]]'' journalist, Lee quoted the routine by replying "It's a joke, just like on ''Top Gear'' when they do their jokes".<ref name="Donaldson">{{cite news|url=http://www.list.co.uk/article/23922-if-you-prefer-a-milder-comedian-please-ask-for-one-stewart-lee-interview/|title=If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask for One – Stewart Lee interview|last=Donaldson|first=Brian|date=25 February 2010|work=The List|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021214549/http://www.list.co.uk/article/23922-if-you-prefer-a-milder-comedian-please-ask-for-one-stewart-lee-interview/ |access-date=5 May 2010|archive-date=21 October 2020 }}</ref> He said, "People who read things like that in the ''Mail on Sunday'' and who think Clarkson is funny aren't going to come and see me, so it doesn't matter".<ref name="Donaldson"/> Explaining the joke, Lee said:

{{cquote|The idea of what's acceptable and what's shocking, that's where I investigate. I mean, you can't be on ''Top Gear'', where your only argument is that it's all just a joke and anyone who takes offence is an example of political correctness gone mad, and then not accept the counterbalance to that. Put simply, if [[Jeremy Clarkson|Clarkson]] can say [[Gordon Brown|the prime minister]] is a one-eyed Scottish idiot, then I can say that I hope his children go blind.<ref name="O'Hagan"/>}}

In an ''Observer'' interview, [[Sean O'Hagan (journalist)|Sean O'Hagan]] says of the Hammond joke that Lee "operates out in that dangerous hinterland between moral provocation and outright offence, often adopting, as in this instance, the tactics of those he targets in order to highlight their hypocrisy".<ref name="O'Hagan"/>

After accepting an honorary fellowship from St Edmund Hall, Oxford, Lee gave a lecture to aspiring writers in which he discussed the fact that performers such as [[Frankie Boyle]], Michael McIntyre, [[Jack Whitehall]] and [[Andi Osho]] used writers who were not credited.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.seh.ox.ac.uk/news/comedian-stewart-lee-accepts-honorary-fellowship|title=Comedian Stewart Lee accepts Honorary Fellowship|website=St Edmund Hall|access-date=29 July 2018|archive-date=16 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716030208/https://www.seh.ox.ac.uk/news/comedian-stewart-lee-accepts-honorary-fellowship|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/stewart-lee-accuses-high-profile-comedians-michael-mcintrye-jack-whitehall-and-frankie-boyle-of-8718101.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/news/stewart-lee-accuses-high-profile-comedians-michael-mcintrye-jack-whitehall-and-frankie-boyle-of-8718101.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Stewart Lee accuses high-profile comedians Michael McIntrye, Jack|website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |date=18 July 2013 |access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> He compared the practice to athletes using performance-enhancing drugs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/shortcuts/2013/jul/19/standup-comedians-write-own-jokes-stewart-lee|title=Should standup comedians write all their own jokes?|first=Bruce|last=Dessau|date=19 July 2013|website=The Guardian|access-date=29 July 2018}}</ref> Along with [[plagiarism]] and extremism, Lee has brought moral issues surrounding stand-up to the public's attention.<ref>{{cite web |last1=MacInnes |first1=Paul |title=Stewart Lee, Jack Whitehall and the trouble with copycat comedians |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2009/sep/11/stewart-lee-jack-whitehall-comedians |website=The Guardian |access-date=22 July 2019 |date=11 September 2009}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Lee married comedian [[Bridget Christie]] in 2006;<ref name="Hanning">{{cite news|last1=Hanning|first1=James|title=Stewart Lee: Beware – this man may be only joking|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/stewart-lee-beware--this-man-may-be-only-joking-9179085.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/comedy/features/stewart-lee-beware--this-man-may-be-only-joking-9179085.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=[[The Independent on Sunday]]|date=9 March 2014}}</ref><ref name=guardian2010>[https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/mar/26/comedy-bridget-christie "Comedy profile: Bridget Christie"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 26 March 2010. Accessed 15 April 2013</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Logan|first1=Brian|title=Take my husband: Stewart Lee, Bridget Christie and the rise of comedy couples|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/19/stewart-lee-bridget-christie-comedy-couples-standup-sarah-millican-edinburgh|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=19 August 2014}}</ref> they separated amicably in 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2023/08/05/53739/stewart_lee_and_bridget_christie_have_split | title=Stewart Lee and Bridget Christie have split : News 2023 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide }}</ref> He lives in [[Stoke Newington]] and has two children.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chacko|first=Roy|title='I was first in - I'll be last out'|newspaper=Hackney Gazette|date=27 June 2019|location=Stoke Newington, London|url=https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/stoke-newington-s-independent-bookshop-owners-speak-for-independent-bookshop-week-1-6114981|page=20|access-date=2 July 2019|archive-date=2 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702140216/https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/stoke-newington-s-independent-bookshop-owners-speak-for-independent-bookshop-week-1-6114981|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Hanning"/><ref name="O'Hagan">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/dec/06/stewart-lee-comedy-interview|title=Interview: Stewart Lee|last=O'Hagan|first=Sean|work=The Observer|date=6 December 2009|access-date=5 May 2010}}</ref><ref name=Saner>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2011/jun/23/stewart-lee-things-going-badly|title=Stewart Lee: 'Things going badly is a big part of what I do'|first=Emine|last=Saner|work=The Guardian|date=23 June 2011|access-date=2 July 2011}}</ref> He is a patron of [[Humanists UK]], a member of [[Arts Emergency]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.humanism.org.uk/about/people/distinguished-supporters/Stewart-Lee|title=Stewart Lee|publisher=British Humanist Association|access-date=5 May 2010|archive-date=14 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214094107/http://www.humanism.org.uk/about/people/distinguished-supporters/Stewart-Lee|url-status=dead}}</ref> and an Honorary Associate of the [[National Secular Society]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secularism.org.uk/stewartlee.html|title=Stewart Lee|publisher=National Secular Society|access-date=1 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.secularism.org.uk/honoraryassociates.html|title=Honorary Associates|website=Secularism.org.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=1 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1789&ea.campaign.id=23045|title=Media Diversity UK|publisher=E-activist.com|access-date=25 October 2013|archive-date=23 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223011339/http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1789&ea.campaign.id=23045|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Lee has stated that he had an unofficial [[autism]] diagnosis from his [[General practitioner|GP]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/theatre-dance/article/stewart-lee-interview-macbeth-rsc-royal-shakespeare-company-porter-scene-30dxljqcw | title=Stewart Lee: 'My GP said I might be autistic . . . It's now hilariously obvious' | last1=Maxwell | first1=Dominic }}</ref>

As of 2024, Lee is in a relationship with fellow comedian [[Rosie Holt]].<ref name="guardian2024">{{cite web |last1=Aroesti |first1=Rachel |title='People think I'm a real MP': satirist Rosie Holt on life as a fake viral politician |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/apr/08/rosie-holt-fake-viral-politician-interview |website=[[The Guardian]] |date= 8 April 2024 |access-date=15 April 2024}}</ref>

==Selected works==
===Books===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Publisher
!Released
!ISBN
!OCLC
!Notes
|-
| ''Fist of Fun''
| [[BBC Books]]
| 1995
| {{ISBNT|0-563-37185-4|978-0-563-37185-4}}
|
| with Richard Herring
|-
| ''The Perfect Fool''
| Fourth Estate
| 2001
| {{ISBNT|1-84115-365-6|978-1-84115-365-0}}
|
| novel
|-
| ''How I Escaped My Certain Fate – The Life and Deaths of a Stand-Up Comedian''
| [[Faber and Faber]]
| 2010
| {{ISBNT|9780571273126}}
| {{OCLC|712913144}}
|
|-
| ''The 'If You Prefer a Milder Comedian Please Ask For One' EP''
| Faber and Faber
| 2012
| {{ISBNT|9780571279845}}
| {{OCLC|755071819}}
|
|-
| ''Content Provider: Selected Short Prose Pieces, 2011–2016''
| Faber and Faber
| 2016
| {{ISBNT|9780571329021}}
| {{OCLC|955202799}}
|
|-
| ''March of the Lemmings: Brexit in Print and Performance 2016–2019''
| Faber and Faber
| 2019
| {{ISBNT|9780571357024}}
| {{OCLC|1130766718}}
|
|-
|}

====Other contributions====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Publisher
!Released
!ISBN
!OCLC
!Notes
|-
| ''Sit-Down Comedy''
| Ebury Press/Random House
| 2003
| {{ISBNT|0-09-188924-3|978-0-09-188924-1}}
|
| contributor to anthology, ed [[Malcolm Hardee]] & John Fleming
|-
| ''More Trees to Climb''
| [[Granta#Granta Books|Granta Books]]
| 2009
| {{ISBNT|978-1846271984}}
|
| by [[Ben Moor (writer)|Ben Moor]] (foreword)
|-
| ''Death To Trad Rock''
| [[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]]
| 2009
| {{ISBNT|978-1-901447-36-1}}
|
| by [[John Robb (musician)|John Robb]] (foreword)
|-
| ''The Wire Primers: A Guide to Modern Music''
| [[Verso Books]]
| 2009
| {{ISBNT|978-1844674275}}
|
| chapter on [[The Fall (band)|The Fall]]
|-
| ''I'm a Joke and So Are You: Reflections on Humour and Humanity''
| [[Atlantic Books]]
| 2018
| {{ISBNT|9781786492616}}
|
| by [[Robin Ince]] (foreword)
|-
| ''The Bloater''
| [[Vintage Classics]]
| 2022 (reprint)
| {{ISBNT|9781784877804}}
|
| by [[Rosemary Tonks]] (foreword)
|-
| ''Melt It! The Book of the Iceman''
| [[Go Faster Stripe]]
| 2023
| {{ISBNT|978-1-8384571-5-0}}
|
| by Anthony Irvine and Robert Wringham (afterword)
|-
|}

===Stand-up DVD releases===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Released
!Publisher
|-
| ''Stand Up Comedian''
| 17 October 2005
| [[2 entertain]]
|-
| ''90s Comedian''
| 15 November 2006
| [[Go Faster Stripe]]
|-
| ''41st Best Stand Up Ever''
| 28 July 2008
| [[Real Talent]]
|-
| ''If You Prefer a Milder Comedian, Please Ask for One''
| 11 October 2010
| [[Comedy Central]]
|-
| ''Carpet Remnant World''
| 12 November 2012
| Comedy Central
|-
| ''Stewart Lee: Content Provider''
| 24 September 2019
| [[BBC]]
|}

===Television DVD releases===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Released
!Publisher
|-
| ''[[Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle]] – Series One''
| 7 September 2009
| 2 entertain
|-
| ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle – Series Two''
| 20 June 2011
| 2 entertain
|-
| ''[[Fist of Fun]] – Series One''
| 2011
| Go Faster Stripe
|-
| ''Fist of Fun – Series Two''
| 2012
| Go Faster Stripe
|-
| ''[[The Alternative Comedy Experience]] – Season One''
| 18 November 2013
| Comedy Central
|-
| ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle – Series Three''
| 10 November 2014
| 2 entertain
|-
| ''The Alternative Comedy Experience – Season Two''
| 10 November 2014
| Comedy Central
|-
| ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle – Series Four''
| 10 October 2016
| 2 entertain
|}

===Documentary film releases===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Title
!Released
!Publisher
|-
| ''[[King Rocker]]''
| 6 February 2021
| Sky Arts
|}

===Audio releases===
* ''90s Comedian'' [2007] (Go Faster Stripe, download)
* ''Pea Green Boat'' [2007] (Go Faster Stripe, CD and 10" vinyl)
* ''41st Best Stand Up Ever'' [2008] (Real Talent, CD)
* ''What Would Judas Do?'' [2009] (Go Faster Stripe, CD)
* ''The Jazz Cellar Tape'' [2011] (Go Faster Stripe, CD)
* [[Evans The Death]] featuring Stewart Lee [2012] – Crying Song (B-side to Catch Your Cold)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slumberlandrecords.com/catalog/show/234 |title=Evans The Death : Catch Your Cold |publisher=Slumberland Records |access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref>
* [[John Cage]] – Indeterminacy – Steve Beresford, Tania Chen, and Stewart Lee [2012] (Knitted Records, CD)

===Stand-up tours===
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Title
!Year
!Notes
|-
|''Stewart Lee''
|1994
|
|-
|''King Dong vs Moby Dick''
|1997
|
|-
|''American Comedy Sucks, And Here's Why''
|1998
|One off lecture at Edinburgh Fringe
|-
|''Stewart Lee's Standup Show''
|1998
|
|-
|''Stewart Lee's Badly Mapped World''
|2000
|
|-
|''Pea Green Boat''
|2002–03
|
|-
|''Stand Up Comedian''
|2004
|DVD Release
|-
|''90s Comedian''
|2005
|DVD Release
|-
|''What Would Judas Do?''
|2007
|
|-
|''41st Best Stand Up Ever''
|2007
|DVD Release, work in progress title: ''March of the Mallards''
|-
|''Scrambled Egg''
|2008
|Work in Progress – notes toward ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' Series 1
|-
|''If You Prefer A Milder Comedian, Please Ask For One''
|2009
|DVD Release
|-
|''Vegetable Stew''
|2010
|Work in Progress – notes toward ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' Series 2
|-
|''Flickwerk 2011''
|2011
|Work in Progress – notes toward ''Carpet Remnant World''
|-
|''Carpet Remnant World''
|2011–12
|DVD Release
|-
|''Much A Stew About Nothing''
|2013–14
|Work in Progress – notes toward ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' Series 3
|-
|''A Room with a Stew''
|2015–16
|Work in Progress – notes toward ''Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle'' Series 4
|-
|''Content Provider''
|2016–18
|Recorded for BBC2 and released on DVD.
|-
|''Snowflake/Tornado''
|2019–22
|Shown on BBC2 in 2022.
|-
|''Basic Lee''
|2022–24
|Recorded for Sky
|-
|''Stewart Lee vs the Man-Wulf''
|2024-
|
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb name}}

{{Lee and Herring}}

{{Authority control}}

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