Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle is a comedy series created by Stewart Lee

Stewart Lee

Stewart Lee is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director known for being one half of the 1990s comedy duo Lee and Herring, and for co-writing and directing the critically acclaimed and controversial stage show Jerry Springer - The Opera...

.

The BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 series debuted on 16 March 2009, and featured stand-up routines and sketches performed by Simon Munnery

Simon Munnery

Simon Munnery, also known by his stagenames of Alan Parker: Urban Warrior and The League Against Tedium, is an English comedy writer and experimental standup comedian...

, Kevin Eldon and Paul Putner

Paul Putner

-Life and career:He was born in East Grinstead. He studied at LAMDA where he won, amongst other prizes, the Kenneth More prize for comedy acting.His first significant TV role saw Putner as numerous characters in The Glam Metal Detectives shown on BBC2. His real break in comedy came after he set up...

 amongst others. Peter Serafinowicz

Peter Serafinowicz

Peter Szymon Serafinowicz is an English actor, comedian, writer, composer, voice artist and occasional director.-Early life:Serafinowicz was born in Liverpool, England. He attended Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Primary School and St Francis Xavier Secondary School...

 recorded voice-over parts. The series is produced by Richard Webb

Richard Webb

Richard Webb may refer to:*Richard D. Webb , Irish publisher and abolitionist*Sir Richard Webb , British admiral*Richard Webb , American film, television and radio actor...

 and directed by Tim Kirkby

Tim Kirkby

Tim Kirkby is an English film, television and commercials director. He directed both spoof science parody series Look Around You and the 2011 BBC 2 show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle....

. The programme is executive-produced by Armando Iannucci

Armando Iannucci

Armando Giovanni Iannucci is a Scottish comedian, satirist, writer, director, performer and radio producer. Born in Glasgow, he studied at Oxford University and left graduate work on a PhD about John Milton to pursue a career in comedy....

 and script-edited by Chris Morris

Chris Morris (satirist)

Christopher Morris is an English satirist, writer, director and actor. A former radio DJ, he is best known for anchoring the spoof news and current affairs television programmes The Day Today and Brass Eye, as well as his frequent engagement with controversial subject matter.In 2010 Morris...

, marking a rare reformation of their creative double-act.

Each episode focuses on a theme. The first week's show looked at books, and the second week's show focused on television. The material for the series combined rewritten routines from his previous shows '90s Comedian' and '41st Best Stand-up Ever', with new material written during his 'Scrambled Egg' tour of 2008.

Lee has stated that this is exactly the sort of show he has been wanting to do, saying:
The opening theme tune is "Tom Hark" by Elias & His Zig-Zag Jive Flutes

Jack Lerole

Aaron "Big Voice" Jack Lerole was a South African penny whistle player and singer, a leading performer in the kwela style of music in the 1950s, and best remembered in the UK as the leader of 'Elias and His Zig Zag Jive Flutes', who had an international hit in 1958 with "Tom...

.

On 9 February 2010, Armando Iannucci tweeted

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

 "There'll be a 2nd series of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle. Huzzah! Huzzah!"
This was filmed between 11 and 14 January 2011, and, like the first series, was filmed at The Mildmay Club in Newington Green, North London. The first episode was shown on 4 May on BBC Two.

Episode 1: "Toilet Books"

References included Asher D from the So Solid Crew

So Solid Crew

So Solid Crew is an electronic and urban musical collective from South London, England, whose hits include "Oh No " and "21 Seconds", the latter reaching number one in the UK Singles Chart in August 2001. Another hit, "They Don't Know", reached number three in November 2001 and "Haters" got to...

 (and his appearance in Grange Hill

Grange Hill

Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...

), BBC Radio 1 disc jockey Chris Moyles

Chris Moyles

Christopher David Moyles is an English radio and television presenter and author, who currently presents The Chris Moyles Show on BBC Radio 1 and Chris Moyles' Quiz Night on Channel 4....

, comedian Russell Brand

Russell Brand

Russell Edward Brand is an English comedian, actor, columnist, singer, author and radio/television presenter.Brand achieved mainstream fame in the UK in 2004 for his role as host of Big Brother spin-off, Big Brother's Big Mouth. His first major film role was in the 2007 film St Trinians...

 and Dan Brown

Dan Brown

Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...

, author of The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery-detective novel written by Dan Brown. It follows symbologist Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu as they investigate a murder in Paris's Louvre Museum and discover a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus having been married to...

. This episode also included two lines borrowed - with permission - from Simon Munnery, because Lee wanted the first episode to have some one-liners to make it more accessible.

Episode 2: "Television"

References included The March of the Penguins, David Attenborough

David Attenborough

Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...

, Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses

Only Fools and Horses is a British sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003...

 and various British television channels, but particularly Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 and E4. Also, Joy Division

Joy Division

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...

's "Love Will Tear Us Apart

Love Will Tear Us Apart

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by the British post-punk band Joy Division. It was written in August and September 1979, and debuted when the band supported Buzzcocks on their UK tour in September and October 1979. It is one of the few songs in which singer Ian Curtis played guitar...

", Dick and Dom

Dick and Dom

Dick and Dom are a children's comic double act consisting of the presenters Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood. They are primarily known for presenting children's television, such as Dick and Dom in da Bungalow for 5 series between 2002 - 2006...

, Adrian Chiles

Adrian Chiles

Adrian Chiles is a British television and radio presenter, currently working for ITV Sport presenting football coverage....

, Lord Reith

John Reith, 1st Baron Reith

John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom...

, the mallard duck, Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...

, Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett

Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...

, Robert Kilroy-Silk

Robert Kilroy-Silk

Robert Michael Kilroy-Silk is an English former politician, former independent Member of the European Parliament, and former television presenter, best known for his daytime talk show Kilroy. He has been a university lecturer and Labour Party Member of Parliament...

's berry-brown face, Ant and Dec and Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton PRS was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived."...

. It was also revealed during the red button extras for this episode that future episodes will be performed by way of Stewart miming the script to a recording of impressionist John Culshaw

John Culshaw

John Royds Culshaw OBE was a pioneering English classical record producer for Decca Records. He recorded a wide range of music, but is best known for masterminding the first studio recording of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, begun in 1958.Largely self-educated musically, Culshaw worked for...

's voice.

Episode 3: "Political Correctness"

The third episode was far shorter on popular cultural references but The Village People were used in a sketch. Much of the material in this episode first appeared in '41st Best Stand-up Ever'. The few references included; Animal Farm

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is an allegorical novella by George Orwell published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to and during the Stalin era before World War II...

, Weightwatchers, Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan

Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...

 and Nazism

Nazism

Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...

.

Episode 4: "Global Financial Crisis"

There were references to the retailers Woolworths

Woolworths Group

Woolworths Group plc was a listed British company that owned the high-street retail chain, Woolworths, as well as other brands such as the entertainment distributor Entertainment UK and book and resource distributor Bertram Books...

, Zavvi and MFI.

Episode 5: "Comedy"

The primary reference was to Franklyn Ajaye

Franklyn Ajaye

Franklyn Ajaye is an American stand-up comedian. His nickname is "The Jazz Comedian" as he also played jazz for a time earlier in his entertainment career. His name is sometimes alternatively spelled Franklin Ajaye.-Biography:...

 but Jack Dee

Jack Dee

James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...

 was mentioned and his sitcom Lead Balloon

Lead Balloon

Lead Balloon is a British television series produced by Open Mike Productions for BBC Four. The series was created and is co-written by comedian Jack Dee and...

 was alluded to.
(NOTE: This episode was intended as the last in the series of 6 but was transmitted as the 5th episode, moving the original 5th episode titled "Religion" to the last position. This change of order relates to the original date for broadcast of the "Religion" episode falling on Easter Bank holiday Monday.)

Episode 6: "Religion"

References included The Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard

The Jesus Lizard was an American alternative rock and noise rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial...

, The Jesus and Mary Chain

The Jesus and Mary Chain

The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...

, Jim'll Fix It

Jim'll Fix It

Jim'll Fix It was a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1994. It was presented by Jimmy Savile. It was produced by Roger Ordish, who also worked on other BBC shows, including A Bit of Fry & Laurie...

, Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...

, Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X

Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X

Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X is a 1953 painting by the Irish artist Francis Bacon. The work shows a distorted version of the Portrait of Innocent X painted by the Spanish artist Diego Velázquez in 1650. The work is one of a series of variants of the Velázquez painting which...

 and Abu Hamza al-Masri

Abu Hamza al-Masri

Abu Hamza al-Masri is an Egyptian Sunni activist known for his preaching of a violent and politicised interpretation of Islam, also known as militant Islamism or jihadism...

. The name '[Reverend] Arch Stanton' mentioned in this episode, is derived from the movie The Good The Bad And The Ugly, the name of which holds no significant relevance to the sketch it was featured in. The episode featured a developed version of a routine about Catholicism from Lee's controversial 90s Comedian (2005). The opening line was lifted from Lee's original early '90s stand-up act. Paul Merton

Paul Merton

Paul Merton is a British comedian, writer, actor and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, his humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and sometimes dark comedy...

 made a self-deprecating cameo appearance. This episode also marked the first television appearance of controversial comedian/magician, Jerry Sadowitz

Jerry Sadowitz

Jerry Sadowitz is an American-born Scottish stand-up comic and card magician, known for his frequently controversial "sick humour". An accomplished practitioner of sleight of hand, he has written several books on magic and invented many conjuring innovations. He is widely acclaimed as one of the...

 in over 5 years, making a cameo in guise of Jimmy Savile

Jimmy Savile

Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile, OBE, KCSG was an English disc jockey, television presenter and media personality, best known for his BBC television show Jim'll Fix It, and for being the first and last presenter of the long-running BBC music chart show Top of the Pops...

.

Episode 1: "Charity"

Sets out to explore some ideas about charity, but instead gets sidetracked and ends up talking mostly about crisps.

Episode 2: "London"

Looks at what happens to the poor souls who move to the countryside from London.

Episode 3: "Charity"

The comedian returns to the theme of charity, after failing to address it during the first episode of the series. He ponders whether people have a moral obligation to contribute, and how much money millionaires should give.

Episode 4: "Stand-Up"

Stewart Lee talks about stand-up comedy while sitting down and threatens to play a guitar to accompany his routine.

Episode 5: "Identity"

Stewart Lee looks at the notion of identity and how different nations define themselves.

Episode 6: "Democracy"

Stewart Lee moves on to the subject of democracy, revealing an extraordinary story from his time at Oxford in the mid-1980s.

Reception

Andrew Billen of The Times

The Times

The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

 said it was "the most intelligent half hour of stand-up you will see on television this year" and that Lee "has become the master of deadpan stand-up". The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

 Guide said "Lee's Vehicle feels well overdue, with his brand of bone-dry, spot-on scepticism a refreshing change from the perky, ambitious tones of the Mock the Week

Mock the Week

Mock the Week is a British topical celebrity panel game hosted by Dara Ó Briain that launched in 2005. The game is influenced by improvised topical stand-up comedy, with several rounds requiring players to deliver answers on unexpected subjects on the spur of the moment.It is made by independent...

 brigade [...] it's brilliant." Brian Viner of The Independent

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

 said "In my front room, Lee was preaching not so much to the converted, as to an ayatollah. He did so brilliantly, though."

The Guardian named Comedy Vehicle as one of its top ten television highlights of 2009, commenting that it "was 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". One of the show's few negative reviews came in the Sunday Mercury, which stated: "His whole tone is one of complete, smug condescension". Lee subsequently used this line to advertise his next stand-up tour.

In May 2010, the series was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award

British Academy Television Awards

The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...

 for best comedy programme, which was won by The Armstrong and Miller Show

The Armstrong and Miller Show

The Armstrong and Miller Show is a British sketch comedy television show produced by Hat Trick Productions for BBC One. It features the double act Armstrong and Miller and a number of notable scriptwriters including Andy Hamilton and The League of Gentlemen's Jeremy Dyson.The series followed four...

.

External links

• The barnacle of British comedy - The Guardian
  The Guardian
  The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
  
  , 14 March 2009. Lee interviews himself for the paper shortly before broadcast of the first show.