Stewart Lee Talks to Armando Iannucci - Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle - BBC Two

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Stewart Lee talks to Armando Iannucci about books. Originally featured as part of the BBC's red button interactive service.
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[@winstonsmith09]

"post-chilesian" is really the best turn of phrase produced in the last decade.

[@Rob6990]

5 years later, at the end of the decade; it still is.

[@TurtleMC1993]

Please explain

[@Thunderwolf666]

Iannucci and Lee together. Speechless. This entire clip reeks of genius.

[@Drummer1000George]

the funny man is not a nice man, he is a bad man. He said badness about the famous writer, he made the famous writer sad - Dan Brown

[@commentingpausedtoprotectus]

Love Armando Ianucci, always think of him as a more gentle, childlike version of Chris Morris :)

[@herbert9241]

+Amiga For Life I reckon he's a more sinister, byzantine version if anything but that just makes him all the more loveable, aye.

[@YOyo-jj1ks]

Amiga For Life 👍

[@Kukashkin]

This is the best TV-interview I have ever seen. And I have seen almost 6 TV-interviews, so I know what I'm talking about.

[@Isleofskye]

Have you seen any since or is it still the "6"...??

[@gonufc]

I have never seen Stewart Lee almost cracking up, but during the So Solid Crew's message he is blatantly trying to look down to stop laughing...With Armando Ianucci trying his best to catch his eye. Fucking hilarious.

[@AlphonseWeebay]

Trains don’t have legs

[@gloverelaxis]

That zoom + eyebrow furrow + gulp and 8:54 is combined genius

[@Chezzers.]

Stewart trying so hard not to laugh when the voicemail is played is just wonderful.

[@merdufer]

"The funny man is not a nice man he is a bad man he said badness about a famous writer he made the famous writer sad" Genius.

[@WhiteSleevedStu]

6:09 A Stewart Lee joke has turned into an actual thing that Michael Gove believes.

[@shelterit]

I don't care anymore, this segment is just the most awesome, funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life! Man, I love this!

[@Isleofskye]

12 long years have passed since your statement. Has it changed in any way?

[@number94]

'People are suspicious of experts now...' Ahead of his time there

[@agdgdgwngo]

Was just about to make that very comment.... Guess you were ahead of your time too!

[@bigfan1041]

People have always been

[@matthewmooney8063]

Pfft. Said like some kind of expert.

[@kieranwilcox7739]

People were suspicious of experts even back in ancient Greece.

[@kieranwilcox7739]

@Tobias Wayne no one cares

[@T800System]

i love how armando undermines stewart "oh here we go"

[@RabiLavi]

Stewart Lee like Gil Scott Heron? Wow, he gives me more reasons to love him every day. So excited to see him in march!

[@darz_k.]

How was it?

[@Isleofskye]

It will be 13 long years later since you made that comment, in 2 years time, so How was it?

[@dfreed007]

Awesome stuff, I'm so happy that Stew is back on TV and back in the public eye, he really deserves it!

[@b00i00d]

watching and listening to these two, dead-panning against each other: magical!

[@BigGreenTimeMachine]

How do they not explode with laughter at that So Solid Crew recording?

[@shelterit]

"... or dance." (unison) Amazing, simply amazing. This is just so refreshing and giggely funny.

[@martygoose]

One of the funniest 12 minutes on KZbin. The look on their faces when they're talking.

[@calluma8472]

These two are so brilliant, and just making this look so easy.

[@Isleofskye]

Gud Mawnin Yu mek wurlappa sense, mi bredda..

[@Jearbearjenkins]

Love stew. These videos with armando are one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen 😂😂😂

[@domrowland]

7:28 Armando's face as he tries not to laugh is genius.

[@hypernation2007]

These boys are almost 90% of the greatness in "Great Britain"

[@MissMaddyMads]

This made me google ‘world’s tallest dwarf’ and I was not disappointed

[@jasonfeingold2314]

How do these guys keep straight faces?

[@Isleofskye]

9 years on and I still don't know. Have you given it further consideration?

[@politure]

I remember the chaotic days of 28 BC [Before Chiles]

[@stuna91]

I love how he can just troll people so smoothly.

[@kurisensei]

Iannucci was the best at this role

[@tbonewilson]

The bit with Asha-d had me in stitches.

[@Doca]

This is great and the guy at 9:50 on the voicemail has to be Adam Buxton from Adam & Joe. He's a big Iannucci fan.

[@MrsPopeJohnPaul]

two of the world's best satirists in a battle of wits, what a treat!

[@Hoobtastic]

I love Armando Iannucci, he has the most deadpan delivery and it's always such utter absurdity that comes out of his mouth best line: He's a know-a-bit-of-it.

[@Isleofskye]

Why u say dat ?

[@no1funkydude]

Kings of dead-pan, I could watch these two talking for hours

[@petercordwell2258]

Love it.

[@joshyfowler1997]

"Well, there were three intentions to this programme: reach out to Russell Brand in a covert way to communicate an incoherent message; secondly, to somehow invoke some essence of Adrian Chiles - I don't know what or how; and thirdly, to annihilate the Amazon chart position of Dan Brown." beautiful

[@FrancisCWolfe]

I like the way he initially can't decide if he wants to have read many books or a great width of book.

[@PurushaDesa]

Armando's assured nodding to the tape recording cracks me up.

[@Jeremyramone]

love how stewart references chuck d, brilliant.

[@Isleofskye]

Who is chuck d ?

[@ZValenT]

"There runs a train. Trains don't have legs"

[@skullsaintdead]

Oh my goodness, Lee: "Well, what I've learned from you doing this to me, is that it's easy to take any section of text and read it in a slightly sarcastic voice" in response to the opening lines of his book being read, slightly sarcastically, by Iannucci (that is, "London. Long after midnight, the street people agree there runs a train..." Iannucci quips "London? It's hardly original is it."). Brilliantly deadpan sarcasm from the both of them.

[@vvintermute]

"When should we expect to hear if we have a second series?" "well...you should have heard by now..." I cracked up there. BBC needs to bring back the Friday Night Armistice.

[@TheDiamond2009]

"Oh, here we go....yeah." Ha ha ha!! These two plus Chris Morris. Who needs anything more?

[@tmcthree]

These sections are so much funnier when you know the history between Iannucci/Morris and Lee/Herring over the rights to On the Hour.

[@Gordon.Pinkerton]

What is the history?

[@tmcthree]

+Jacob Taylor When On The Hour was being made into an audio cassette. There was an argument between Lee and Herring on one side and Iannucci, Morris and Marber on the other, over the rights to the characters, particularly Alan Partridge. So what Iannucci, Morris and Marber did was cut out all of the lines that had been written by Lee and Herring. (In the process ruining a lot of the jokes). So Lee and Herrings material didn't feature in the audio cassette or any further works and IMM retained ownership. It all got very bitter, particularly so with Marber. Fast forward 20 years and Partridge is one of the UKs most successful comedy characters, making millions for the owners. For me that makes these scenes, where Lee is portraying himself as a failed/failing comedian being lorded over by Morris and Iannucci, incredibly brave and funny. If Marber, is in the chair for the next series, that would be great.

[@Gordon.Pinkerton]

+tmcthree thanks for the explanation mate. That was really interesting. Great that hey can work together all these years later despite previous acrimony

[@hypernation2007]

What a combo. Well spotted!

[@mistaben2k]

Armando Iannucci did write some of Alan Partidge so he's a very talented guy.

[@professormoog]

Five stars! this was even funnier than the broadcast on BBC2

[@RealityCheck6T9]

I loved the stuff about Adrian Chiles

[@nightfly33]

Brilliant

[@planetyes]

More Charm Offensive, please, Armando! And put Dr. Buckles and Mr. Lee as regulars on said show. Ooh, ta!

[@jonnyrmsy]

"So we're in a post-Chilesean world..."

[@HahaMunich58WasFunny]

I wish So Solid Crew would come back and "drive around a bit"

[@starkRECORDINGS]

Genius!!!

[@maxdembo2029]

Applicable to Stewart Lee talking badness to Armando back in the 90's. Very clever.

[@TheXitone]

2:20 always gets me .

[@AlCasu1888]

@biopsychosocio agreed, i must be honest i hadn't seen much of his stuff before i saw his show recorded in glasgow. the single funniest thing i've ever seen. HIcks Pryor Carlin and Bruce are legends but that show stood out for me it was absolute genius on lots of levels. Armando is also amazing probably the best comedy writer around with jesse armstrong and lennihan and mathews in his slipstream

[@TheDarksterZane]

I got the message just when i first saw it I kinda fell for the seriousness at the start. Shows how sarcastic stewart is almost decived to the end

[@graveey]

im pressing the red button more in the future if you get stuff like this

[@dazpatreg]

I'd love if after he said 'you've pressed the red button, now here is something of no value' it just went to a scene of david dickonson reading aloud russell brand's 'my bookie wook'.

[@DCSIGNR]

Clever chaps, and the cutting edge is the mind.

[@pietzsche]

I lol'd, Yossarian lives!

[@unearnedreservations]

6:08 Prophetic.

[@hakanozelguitarist]

love how at 09:10 he has to pull back a smile..

[@TheIkaraCult]

So Solid Crew actually have a new single out. Stewart Lee should demand some kind of promotional royalties or alternatively appear onstage as their hypeman

[@Isleofskye]

What's it called?

[@Isleofskye]

What's it called?

[@sonofliberty1]

This!!!!

[@tonyclifton265]

stewart lee is a genius

[@fatherted79]

Trains don't have legs!

[@kezadrone]

Yeah and foot note, I thought he was going to say " Why would a note on a foot be any good?"

[@benjula2008]

definately, what a great forgotton show

[@COL321]

You're just giving the So Solid Crew the oxygen of publicity with this kind of programme.

[@Isleofskye]

Yu mek wurlappa sense, mi bredrin..

[@Isleofskye]

Tru Say,Mi Bredda. Preach those words,Bredrin. Zeeennnn

[@musician4776]

Sounds like it was Richard Herring, not Adam Buxton as the So Solid Crew person. Could be wrong

[@beefstroganoff1108]

The book on his shelf has really let itself go

[@meu02136]

It's up to Chiles to bring it up, he was probably afraid to bring it up because it's obviously true. WHy would would Armando say "Did you see Stew Lee's comedy vehicle, he slagged you off. It was funny, wasn't it?".

[@collectivesartori]

Dry as a chip. Brilliant

[@tenkhut]

Brilliant!!! "Post-Chilesian Britain" - I thought they were both going to crack then...

[@57WillysCJ]

I can't tell if Adrian Chiles is Ray Mears or Ray Mears is Adrian Chiles.

[@Matt7895]

"Trains don't have legs!"

[@MrJ2theC]

This is genius.

[@Simple_Slmon]

It would be Adrian Chiles.....Hahahahaha

[@Isleofskye]

I saw him in The Bull Ring the other day, looking particularly Post Chilesian..

[@anotherciaranmcgarry]

simon munnely's book line was actually better delivered by stewart than simon in my opinion. i always loved that line and it's nice to see it get a big laugh.

[@rallfrey1]

This is how we manage to keep our British celebrities from getting above themselves.

[@mrbenoit5018]

You’re not a wordsmith, you’re a word Lee. “Tallest dwarf”… a reference to the Kiwi indie rock band Tall Dwarfs? If so, hilarious.

[@1interesting2]

@biopsychosocio Stewart has a consistent viewpoint through all of his routines. None of the material he's produced over the last twenty plus years contradicts its self. He is a loud voice in my internal dialogue but a quiet one in mainstream media, of necessity since the corporate machine in practice runs in the opposite direction to Stewart Lee and he knows it all too well.

[@Isleofskye]

12 years ago, you wrote: " contradicts its self. "where, indeed, when,"itself" is one word. Have you had the chance to reflect on this?

[@ryanmcavoy]

Gilbert & George have let themselves go.

[@davidfgranger]

Was that Adam Buxton?

[@WhiteSleevedStu]

+Chris Devine Good shout!

[@biopsychosocio]

Newsflash. What you're watching here is a genuine comedy genius. He's up there with Bill Hicks and George Carlin. It's a bit of a gamble for him to do TV again, I suppose, as he isn't really 'mainstream'. He is a stand-up master. But I'm glad he's done it. Not everyone will like it. Good. They can run off back to Alan Carr.

[@henridobbs2423]

March 2009 "I don't think people like experts." hmph.

[@JBurd3n]

@ScotlandMaleGlasgow hes like part italian i think

[@PrincepsAve]

"So Solid Crew... They were taking British hip-hop in an interesting direction, what happened to them? Let's have a whip-round, see if we can't get them to come out again and drive around."

[@Isleofskye]

10 tears later and STILL no sign of those little rascals. It's been 22 years now and I am beginning to fear the worst...

[@Burguois]

Were these improved? Because if so they're genius.

[@Isleofskye]

They were improved. You should have seen their first attempt...

[@TNJX]

i think this'd be pretty much inpenetrable to anyone not already intune with armando and stewart's style of humour

[@pootpoot13]

Asher D is voiced by Adam Buxton. And that is actually true

[@Wolfie99]

The lack of consideration in terms of the thickness of paper which would dictate the length of Stewart's shelf was actually quite perplexing. In fact, for me, the whole interview was marred by this erroneous omission. Nonetheless I felt the need to indulge myself in participating in this revealing insight into comedic valour. I leave this content satisfied yet devoid of wisdom courtesy of the comments regarding the Adrian Childs paradox, well for 21 seconds at least. PS Has not sufficient time past that the famous London rap artists should now question their authenticity and make a come back as the 'So Sorry Crew'?

[@WillTheHoff]

You aren't funny or clever.

[@samhall100]

Long after midnight

[@dave623]

“Reach out to Russell Brand in a covert way to communicate an incoherent message.”

[@phillipbailey70]

Yeah, that's the bit where I lost it and couldn't stop laughing - when he listed his '3 main reasons' 😁😂

[@doublepick]

“Or dance…”

[@findingphunc]

Brought to you by Cinco.

[@thenigotoffthebus]

Many would disagree. I actually think he is funnier than he himself realises.

[@luke-alex]

On a serious note, I think Psy (of dancing fame) looks identical to Jong-Un, which leads me to think it is his alter-ego.

[@StobzillaYT]

No, the comment previous to mine was asking why Armando didn't compare him to a toby jug full of hot piss to his face while on the one show. The one show is at 7, so I said that Armando would probably show more tact, as would the program makers themselves. No where did I complain about the word Piss being used before watershed, as mater of fact I encourage it. And this little interactive bonus feature was shown around 9, so it wouldn't be a problem. Learn to read.

[@Isleofskye]

Which comment are you relating to as 14 years later it is less than clear. Any further thoughts??

[@enriquepelenato4956]

British comedy is next level layer of irony

[@TheDarksterZane]

I was confused on what the message of this was. At first it seamed really serious as if stewart was being acused of really hating people and these were open attacks but then u turns and tries to be funny? Either way glad to see Stewart finally getting a bit of airtime