Stewart Lee discusses his career at length in a new podcast interview with Rob Brydon to promote the BBC airings of his most recent shows Snowflake and Tornado.
In a wide ranging chat Lee talks about John Cleese, Simon Munnery, memory, Noel Fielding, the 'Stewart Lee character', working with a young Steve Coogan, punching up/down, woke comedy, his writing process and his audience among other things. At one point he chats to Rob Brydon about Ricky Gervais.
Talking about comedy Lee said: "Without John Cleese none of us have a career. He's part of a generation that changed everything...but I do think that he's becoming increasingly one of these reactionary old men complaining about young people. And that's what I'm talking about in my show."
On the subject of Ricky Gervais Lee had mixed feelings: "I think The Office is brilliant. I think Ricky's comedy drama work is of diminishing returns to the point where it's now abysmal. I think it must be very sad. If you're teaching drama or creative writing how can you make a case for the things that make drama and Creative Writing good when After Life is a success? You know, because your kids could just go, but none of those things happen in this and yet, millions people watching. I think it's one of the worst things that's ever been made by a human."
Rob Brydon suggested that Gervais has said that Lee is an influence him. To which Lee laughed and replied: "Well I don't suppose Robert Oppenheimer felt great about having created the atomic bomb."
Listen to the full Rob Brydon/Stewart Lee interview for free here.
Stewart Lee's Snowflake is currently on iPlayer. Tornado airs on BBC2 on Friday, September 16 and will be on iPlayer afterwards.
The picture of Stewart Lee on this page was taken by photographer Steve Ullathorne.
