Stewart Lee: Edinburgh & Beyond 2005. The Joe Pasquale Bit.

Stewart Lee on Paramount Comedy's "Edinburgh & Beyond" show in 2005, performing at London's Bloomsbury Theatre.
Buy the DVD of "90s Comedian", the full show that this excerpt is from, at www.gofasterstripe.com and find out more about what Stew is up to at www.stewartlee.co.uk

[@paulpesci1]

"Even though your home... lacks the most rudimentary of brewing facilities" Such a savage insult 😂

[@ronnygill]

The all time greatest. There’s nobody near him and he’s alive while we are.

[@tynebar]

That's not true.

[@aidanmcglennon]

One of the best crafted slams I've ever witnessed and probably my favourite ten minutes of comedy ever.

[@mizofan]

My own favourite with Lee is his black imaginary wife and gay imaginary husband. Dave Allen was brilliant too.

[@degsbabe]

I've just caught it. The guy is a comedic craftsman.

[@forgive7449]

@@mizofan stewart lee has let himself go.

[@moobslikejagger5653]

The Top Gear bit was my favourite. Absolutely fucking piss myself

[@chrisdavis9056]

@@mizofan do you know "Lee"?

[@DaveRelph001]

113 dislikes from Joe Pasquale and his 'writers'.

[@mUbase]

its 118 now. Maybe in 6 months it'll be 160!!

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

In case anyone doesn’t know who Michael Redmond is, he was the boring priest in Father Ted who got struck by lightning on the crazy golf course.

[@attentionaddicts]

Father Stone

[@matteoj226]

I think this is the dictionary definition of 'top of your game'. Inch perfect.

[@rnw2739]

Sunday league maybe.... Your description indicates Peter Cook - a comedian Stewart Lee is nowhere near as good, funny or literate as.

[@royemembury6324]

​@@rnw2739 zzzzzzzzzzz (Stewart Lee would probably agree with you though).

[@rnw2739]

@@royemembury6324 Zzzzzzzzzzz Fact isn't a question of 'agreement' but carry on lol.

[@captaincat1743]

One of the most lyrically gifted comedians alive today.

[@whatshisname3304]

nice of Joe Pasquale to give an opinion. or should I say Stuart lee?

[@haggler]

@@whatshisname3304 no-one does it like Lee

[@huzizach]

the internet is the home of superlatives

[@julielevinge266]

He’s just so, so very good at stand up! His use of English language is awe inspiringly hilarious what a gem 💎 Find myself worrying bout his health, really hope he’s ok👍♥️💎🌈💃🏿✊♥️♥️ worried bout his health now

[@TheMarkhampson]

I've never heard of him

[@chrisofnottingham]

His craft is taking certain lines that are quite good and which would get maybe one OK laugh, and delivering them so slowly and deliberately that they achieve three or four increasingly big laughs and move into a level of meta comedy. I think the confidence and reading of the audience to get that right is a credit to his stage experience.

[@stevewynnearts]

Its called the slug punch.in the trade.

[@stupidtreehugger]

Fascinating. So the bit is in the timing the rhythm the resonance the having of a resilient ping pong cricket bat

[@Daized2009]

I think once you start to read into people’s performances to this degree the comedy implodes & your left with philosophical theories. Which are boring.

[@saharsharora3912]

@@Daized2009 its good for learning, and if you're interested in breaking down why you really really like something

[@Torthrodhel]

@@Daized2009 you can have a good laugh at a thing, and then find intrigue in picking it apart afterwards. The one thing doesn't magically erase the other thing from time, they both still happen.

[@silkysilk1578]

This is why he is considered the comedian's comedian. The timing is perfect.

[@forgive7449]

apparently he steals material from joe pasquale.

[@rnw2739]

Wrong...that was Peter Cook. This waffling fool is not worthy of wiping Cooks arsehole.

[@frankieaglow]

Lee's cadence and timing here are basically perfect

[@tiarnan76]

thats subjective

[@LKeet6]

It's really not that subjective, to be fair...

[@ykkrasaoz9748]

"here"?

[@forgive7449]

stewart lee has let himself go

[@pauloconnor5850]

@@ykkrasaoz9748 'The liberal intelligencia'.

[@Kie77]

Quite possibly my favourite routine in comedy history. It's a poetic put down sung from a comedy Laureate

[@LordmonkeyTRM]

You can prove anything with facts

[@ToolManDan82]

i like that you can literally rediscover a Stewart Lee routine in the same we you can discover a piece of art, which is obviously how he treats comedy. I can watch a routine numerous times and see something I didn't see the last time. Genius.

[@doctorfunkshock]

I just had the same thought - the knowledge of his work and style makes seeing this again even funnier - I see you wrote this 8 years ago - but he is the best!

[@yessanknow302]

9 years ago

[@LASHH9669]

11 years ago

[@ProdByPalmarius]

@@LASHH966911 years and 2 weeks ago

[@RockBottomRiser21]

"Even though your home lacks the most rudimentary of brewing facilities."

[@totaltotalmonkey]

"Your hospital gown lacks the most rudimentary of genital covering facilities"

[@chattycathydoll]

"Even though Joe Pasquale lacks the most rudimentary joke writing abilities"

[@videolad3057]

@@chattycathydoll Well done, I wonder if Stewart realized his joke could be interpreted that way.

[@ngc-fo5te]

@@videolad3057 That was the whole purpose of the joke. He wrote it with that in mind obviously.

[@videolad3057]

​@@ngc-fo5te I assume you're a Stewart Lee fan? That being the case, I'm astounded at your failure to grasp such a simple example of sarcasm.

[@johnnorth1961]

Stewart Lee is absolutely brilliant, I'd love to see him live if he came to Ireland

[@robdee6316]

Went to see him in Liverpool a couple of years ago. Possibly the most gifted wordsmith on the comedy circuit I've ever heard. Wonderful 👏

[@theeelsman]

Michael Redmond was Father Stone from Father Ted.

[@hexonatapeloop]

No I'm fine

[@oelthewarrior]

oh shit!

[@specialpatrolgroup92]

Are you sure you wouldn't like a cup of tea Father Stone?

[@pukeyourguts]

no way!

[@timothygraham4304]

Honestly, if it wasn't for Stewart Lee, I wouldn't have known the man did stand up. His stuff isn't really my cup of tea but it's odd that he only came to my attention from Father Ted.

[@tonyclifton265]

and Joe Pasquale was never heard from again.. beautiful... chapeau à Stewart Lee

[@forgive7449]

i heard pasquale became a gardener.

[@FranssensM]

@@forgive7449 I’m responding to you 2 years after you posed this question. As I type it’s occurring to me, that during the intervening years, you may not have retained your interest in Joe, and his career. Or, maybe, you found your answer. I’ll probably never know. Still, I thought I’d tell you what I do know. And that is, A lady I work with called Lesley, is accompanying her husband to the Joe Pasquale summer show 2023.

[@ngc-fo5te]

​@@FranssensMSo they were the two that actually showed up.

[@FranssensM]

@@ngc-fo5te 🤣

[@Soundwave1of9]

This never gets old.

[@sagarshah6170]

The new show shreds this routine to pieces, in the most magnificent way.

[@CraigsWorkshop]

Do you mean the Snowflake/Tornado shows? Or something else? I'm keen to understand what you mean.

[@ChuckieMcHaggis]

@@CraigsWorkshop Might mean the 'Basic Lee' show that's just finished at Leicester Square? He'll be touring it this year.

[@CraigsWorkshop]

@@ChuckieMcHaggis thanks 👍

[@chrisburn7178]

If you mean "Basic Lee" I concur. Just seen it in Canterbury and it was the funniest two hours of my life. He's got better and better at audience destruction. It was glorious.

[@nikirose5996]

My favourite stand-up comedian. Wonderful

[@techstate2863]

yet again proving he's one of the funniest and cleverest people around. Brilliant

[@derekyeaman5833]

i bloody love stewart Lee . all his work is gold

[@chrisofnottingham]

Interesting that by the standards of Stewart Lee today, this is a veritable torrent of one-liners :-)

[@jakezywek6852]

An absolute master.

[@forgive7449]

bater.

[@GG-ml3vr]

@@forgive7449 No further comment needed🤷‍♂️

[@trippinonbud]

Stewart Lee is one of the best comics ever in my opinion saw this show live and it is frikkin awesome thanks for posting.

[@thomasvanderploeg6010]

There is one guy who is absolutely loving it

[@theunifiedfield.]

Loving all the mouthbreathers in the audience who thought they were watching Joe Pasquale.

[@rnw2739]

Is that you, Frank?

[@michaeligoe3935]

Never came across him until today. He's totally hilarious. Haven't guffawed so uncontrollably for a long time.

[@MrJules1977]

Stewart is head and shoulders above most comics, love the man.

[@AA-hg5fk]

Not a patch on all the 'Russels' though!

[@LordmonkeyTRM]

Oh you mean metaphorically, didn't remember him being that tall...

[@paulbradford8240]

Brilliant! I must get to see him.

[@shaunmorritt-cc4mw]

Timeless excellence.

[@johnanthonycafe2993]

For me this is Stewart Lee at his best. Comedy gold in that matter of fact style that is often the hallmark of good comedians.

[@PaulBerryisTall]

He gives it to you straight, like a pear cider made from 100% pears

[@tomonetruth]

don't you just love the close-ups of disappointed audience members?

[@CARLIN4737]

They look a tough crowd. They would love jim Davidson by the look of them or bernard manning perhaps.

[@rossdonachie9800]

@@crispindry2815 If you don't think Stewart Lee is funny why are you watching a video titled "Stewart Lee: Edinburgh and Beyond 2005" ?

[@otterhero6229]

@@crispindry2815 commissioned for TV work? His TV show had four series lmao

[@SuchaDoofus]

@@rossdonachie9800 In the fruit world, Ogri is a plum.

[@LKeet6]

@@crispindry2815 he doesn't like arena gigs. His run in Leicester Square that he did over SIX months completely sold out and added up to selling out 5 arenas if he'd chosen to do it that way. Plus he's done numerous TV things. Despite being quite a niche comedian. For his type of comedy, he's been amazingly successful, and is pretty successful by any metric. So yeah, you're talking shite...

[@mooseyman74]

I love this, on a par with his Graham Norton BAFTA routine

[@AA-hg5fk]

If I end up having a colonoscopy, I'll inevitably end up thinking about Joe Pasquale...

[@robertjsmith]

the worst thing about a colonoscopy is that you have one when you dont need to,and the fluid they give you to clean out the bowel,also not eating anything for 24 hours,be prepared to get a letter when you are about 60.

[@AA-hg5fk]

Cheers Rob...

[@jeppaconsulting]

best burn ever

[@hexonatapeloop]

Three guys are walking through the woods when they find a lamp. One of them picks it up, rubs it, and out pops a Genie. It booms "You have finally freed me after all these years, so I'll grant each one of you 3 wishes." The first guy immediately blurts out "I want a billion dollars." POOF, he's holding a printout that shows his account balance is now in fact 1,000,000,003.50 The second man thinks for a bit, then says "I want to be the richest man alive." POOF, he's holding papers showing his net worth is now well over 100 billion. The third guy thinks even longer about his wish, then says "I want my left arm to rotate clockwise for the rest of my life." POOF, his arm starts rotating. The Genie tells them it's time for their second wish. The first guy says: "I want to be married to the most beautiful woman on earth." POOF, a stunning beauty wraps herself around his arm. The second guy says "I want to be good-looking and charismatic, so I can have every girl I want." POOF, his looks change and the first guy's wife immediately starts flirting with him. The third guy says "I want my right arm to rotate counter-clockwise until I die." POOF, now both his arms are rotating, in opposite directions. The genie tells them to think very carefully about their third wish. The first guy does, and after a while says "I never want to become sick or injured, I want to stay healthy until I die." POOF, his complexion improves, his acne is gone and his knees don't bother him anymore. The second guy says "I never want to grow old. I want to stay 29 forever." POOF, he looks younger already. The third guy smiles triumphantly and says "My last wish is for my head to nod back and forth." POOF, he's now nodding his head and still flailing his arms around. The genie wishes them good luck, disappears, and the men soon go their separate ways. Many years later they meet again and chat about how things have been going. The first guy is ecstatic: "I've invested the money and multiplied it many times over, so me and my family will be among the richest of the rich pretty much forever. My wife is a freak in the sheets, and I've never gotten so much as a cold in all these years." The second guy smiles and says "Well, I built charities worldwide with a fraction of my wealth, I'm still the richest guy alive and also revered for my good deeds. I haven't aged a day since we last met, and yes, your wife is pretty wild in bed." The third guy walks in, flailing his arms around and nodding his head, and says: "Guys, I think I fucked up."

[@hexonatapeloop]

It's not mine, I got it off someone on facebook... who knows where any jokes come from. I thought I would post it here because a) this video is a very good example of a very long drawn out and very good joke by stewart lee, and b) my joke above is a meta-joke, ie it's only funny because of other jokes using a similar structure: it's not funny at all in itself. This is the sort of thing stewart lee does. Normal jokes set up one expectation then subvert it. Once you have heard enough jokes, you expect this to happen, so meta-jokes subvert this new expectation. This depends on the audience having heard a certain amount of similar stuff the comedian has, which is what attracts a lot of flak from his critics for being a culture snob. Anyway I hope you liked it and weren't being sarcastic :)

[@tomonetruth]

brilliant, thanks for that! :D

[@thomaspeacock9375]

hexonatapeloop superb joke 😂😂😂

[@LettersAndNumbers300]

Not funny.

[@jimskea224]

You might be able to sell that one to Joe Pasquale for a pint of bitter.

[@stevenmcfarlane8831]

Superb

[@chrisofnottingham]

There will come a time, just like with Phil Daoust, when this gag is the top search result for Joe Pasquale

[@mmmdananananone]

The only thing that could improve that video would be the digital removal of that guy who's laughing like he gets the joke more than everyone else.

[@stevedoolan1540]

I think that's Joe Pasquale. He has a lower voice when he isn't on stage telling other people's jokes.

[@walterz77]

I didn’t notice that until I read this comment. Thanks.

[@AA-hg5fk]

@@walterz77 you didn't notice?! Do you notice things like fire alarms or Sirens?

[@walterz77]

Richard Richmond No, I have an inner ear disorder that tunes those sounds out. I’ve been rescued by firemen and collided with police cars on numerous occasions.

[@gringochucha]

As a very loud laugher myself, I can only say that's just the way we are. We're not trying to draw attention to ourselves and are often embarrassed. Sorry.

[@trippymchippy8586]

I'm 50 years old and I've never seent the inside of a hospital. Shows how bad my eyes are.

[@arizonabay15]

copyright Bernard Manning.

[@quazmangle]

Cake is a made up drug

[@josephedwards4325]

That coconut I won on the coconut shy at my school fete 25 years ago has let itself go.

[@eekdestroy5329]

Bloody legend

[@Samlowry27B-6]

In the subsequent 16 years since this was filmed. Stuart Lee has really let himself go.

[@ozzythecats]

He looks fat and depressed

[@rnw2739]

@@ozzythecats Not surprising....he must have finally been told a comedian should get more than one laugh every 20 minutes..

[@urmumsbaps]

@@rnw2739 show me on the doll where Stewart Lee molested your fragile right wing sensibilities

[@googleisgay3289]

"He was Irish, he was Pakistani, he was . . ." What a beauty Stewart Lee is, hands shaking, voice solid, as he delivers his Truth To Power. Joe Pasquale, though. We choose our villains, but "who da hell is dat"?

[@TomDavidMcCauley]

In his book, That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate, he explains why he uses "endoscopy" rather than "colonoscopy": namely, he thought "colonoscopy" would give away the joke too quickly. So, it's a bit grating, but he made the error on purpose.

[@guyhoughton7523]

Got you...

[@Correctrix]

I now feel better about it.

[@honeychurchgipsy6]

Tom McCauley - the use of the word endoscopy by Lee is not incorrect, just less specific, than colonoscopy. An endoscopy may be of the colon, stomach, oesophagus and many other areas of the body - it is the name of the procedure using a fibre optic tube and camera to investigate the inside of the body. As you say, he uses this word in order not to spoil the surprise when he says 'anus' - but it is not medically incorrect.

[@darrenjones3784]

I heard no error.

[@Correctrix]

@@honeychurchgipsy6 But he didn't just say he had an endoscopy. He explained that an endoscopy is when they stick a camera up your bum. That's not what the word means. He deliberately misdefined the word for reasons of comic timing.

[@garethpossinlylawless4928]

Excellent

[@Bromley68]

Jim Davidson also nicked one of Rob Newman's jokes / routines where he (Newman, that is) gets annoyed with footage of starving children in charity appeal TV ads ("Just wipe those flies out of your eyes you c---t!) Davidson, being Davidson of course, missed the preamble where Newman was discussing how we run out of "the milk of human kindness" eventually. But then subtlety was never Davidson's strong suit

[@1292liam]

9.51 - I think its the guy in the red England top (the crazy laugh man)!!

[@johnnytenjobs]

I'm not sure that it is.

[@ThePapsforshort]

....pure gold!

[@royfr8136]

This is the first time in about 20 years, since I first saw this guy in the mid 90's that i have actually laughed.....Well done S Lee!

[@emdiar6588]

Dude, that is tragic. 20 years without laughing once? Nice to know that Stew book-ended your 20 year mirth dearth, but you should have tried some other comics.

[@mizofan]

so Stewart Lee is the only person to make you laugh in 20 long years since you first saw him? Amazing

[@jtb666]

took you long enough to raise your game

[@danielcropp8553]

Going to see "a comedy show" and it turned out to be Stewart Lee is like going to see "a movie and it turned out to be My Dinner With Andre. WTF was that? But I like it!

[@MrStevekendra]

If you dont get this I feel very sorry for you.

[@unclepizza2000]

The video clip of Stuart Lee's stand up comedy or your comment?

[@forgive7449]

@@unclepizza2000 or his apparent empathy.

[@desbrittain9952]

So nice of you to care.

[@hexonatapeloop]

Well I won't be nicking any of Stewart Lee's jokes any time soon.

[@rnw2739]

An impossible task.... certainly for this segment, about as funny as Syd Little.

[@jambutty2218]

I’ve got the Brad Pitts as I’m watching this. Can’t stray too far from the throne. He’s literally sacrificing his health for our amusement.

[@ericjourdain892]

"In a coquettish fashion" is Humour High.

[@wobbers99]

The moral of this story is have Rudimentary Brewing Facilities.

[@martialfestus3352]

from Twitter guys 🙌

[@vantheman1238]

Clever funny man

[@stevedixon8567]

yeah! Stew can always be relied on to speak truth to power

[@MegaSKAGGS]

Genius

[@therub2191]

i went to school with joe pasquale, he always used to do this elk noise impression, i mean all the time... it was annoying as hell. also he used to pretend to be scared of mole hills, he used to walk around the playing field screaming and jumping about whenever he saw one. he was an idiot

[@Virolaxion]

not sure how relevant his childhood fancies are to modern day Pasquale... although i'm sure you were a flawless child

[@simonmoore2380]

@@Virolaxion You're "not sure" how relevant it is? Well, if you're not sure then I wouldn't bother to comment.

[@Virolaxion]

@@simonmoore2380 ​ Let me rectify my original reply, as you don't seem _sure_ "His childhood fancies aren't relevant" and "i'm sure you weren't a flawless child". There you go.

[@therub2191]

@@Virolaxion i saw him years later, he was eating a walnut whip at the traffic lights by the crossing up where budgens used to be, i said hello, but he didn't recognize me.

[@BboyCorrosive]

Just sounds a bit auts tbh

[@ElPayasoMalo]

It's a shame that this man is unknown in the United States.

[@deankeith830]

Yes it is , why should we have to put up with him ?

[@forgive7449]

@@deankeith830 apparently he is a comedian (although he doesn't look like one)

[@desbrittain9952]

He's unknown here as well. Not funny.

[@GG-ml3vr]

@@desbrittain9952 Not nearly as good a all the Russells is he

[@matthewstone1362]

Hes barely known in his own home.

[@martinburrows6844]

Smashed it

[@jamesleiper6399]

That Moose in Skeggy had the exact same thought

[@mrbtapir]

funnily enough I do actually have some rudimentary brewing facilities at my home.

[@unclepizza2000]

So can you write your own jokes?

[@j-boogiebrown9961]

I remember laughing really hard when I first heard Lee say the thing about Pasquale in the garden, years ago.

[@richjones7313]

me too. made my face hurt from laughing

[@neilcrowesongs9768]

He is a genius

[@johnkennedy5799]

He's a genius.

[@philt6934]

You could leave your house unlocked….because it didn’t exist 😆

[@hexonatapeloop]

I like his jeans.

[@eyemoeba]

fucking brilliant. you either get it, or you don't.

[@57worldwide]

eyemoeba I think everyone gets it, you find it funny or you don't

[@jamesyorkshire6106]

+eyemoeba I don't think it's too hard to understand mate lol. Just might not be some peoples cup of tea, i like it personally.

[@hexonatapeloop]

I think everyone finds it funny, either you laugh or you don't.

[@TheXitone]

that's Father Stone from Father Ted he's on about.

[@joecraven2712]

Genius.

[@TW4TFACE]

Legend!! This clip is 2nd only to 'vomited into the gaping anus of Christ' routine in my all time Stewart Lee great routines.

[@el3xg373]

playing the room as it's dealt is right up there too

[@TeethSink]

Michael redman is father stone?

[@selbalamir]

As perfectly brewed as a pear cider

[@novembrine29]

That was amazing. I don't understand why there were so many blank faces in the crowd, especially near the end.

[@epictetus9221]

They don't understand what they just witnessed

[@royemembury6324]

Perhaps they we brought along by a friend.

[@highdownmartin]

Cut aways aren’t that moment in time. The editing isn’t that scrupulous

[@oldgit4260]

Such a smart arse, love it

[@jamesbowen5353]

Good to heat that his laughing stalker is in the crowd.

[@eleanorgames2857]

👌🤐🤐

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... hear* ...

[@BLINDTUBEMARES]

I work at the Whittington Hospital where this happened but I do not work in Endoscopy. So don't blame me

[@Georgieastra]

Are you jaded?

[@khoyrulislam]

Has anyone got the link to Joe Pasquale telling that joke? 🤣

[@collcolin]

Is that George Costanza in the audience

[@eyemoeba]

which i would never do

[@LovelyYTRocks]

AW HAU HAU HAU HAU HAU Man, that guy laughing has one of the most irritating laughs.

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

8:28 is that the guy you mean

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

8:28 9:21 9:45 etc ?

[@tombartram6842]

FYI Jim Davidson slightly edges Stewart Lee in terms of pulling in huge prime time TV audiences over a long career span.

[@johnnykennedy4669]

Unfortunately, those audiences are mainly made up of complete morons.

[@zerb9461]

OK

[@boskee]

And dog shit attracts flies

[@Cruithneach]

9:51 Someone's having fun...

[@matthewstone1362]

he was great in Goodfellas.

[@StalwartShinobi]

joe pasquale is ripped to F now! i can believe it at his age

[@deeshie1]

Endoscopy is having the procedure through any opening, it's the blanket term. Mouth, throat or anus are all forms of endoscopy. I work in the field, trust me! :D

[@hexonatapeloop]

+Ayesha Goodall Are you a vet?

[@stevedoolan1540]

Or a priest?

[@emdiar6588]

Or a sardine?

[@trip2themoon]

It's called Endoscopy because it goes up your rear-end.

[@mizofan]

do you drive a tractor or pick potatoes?

[@SuchaDoofus]

Joe Pasquales really let himself go

[@winstonwolfe2537]

Ouch😮!

[@gerx18]

👏👏👏

[@davidfox1983]

Some members in the audience look amazingly bored. Not a smirk. It's just not his type of crowd. Awesome set though...

[@darrenjones3784]

I saw one or two laugh.

[@tonyjofenig6833]

FUCK, now I have to look up who Joe Pasquale is.

[@ProjectFlashlight612]

Kidnapped racehorse Shergar has let himself go.

[@Enthos2]

Joe Pasquale fan at 9:51

[@moodtalk_]

Is it just me or does it sound like Armando iannuci is laughing the loudest?

[@fasttrack70]

terry christian has let himself go!!!

[@TheXitone]

yea ...i dunno man.

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

Michael Redmond played the boring priest who got struck by lightning when visiting Father Ted.

[@forgive7449]

was he struck by lightening in father teds garden ?

[@JoeRivermanSongwriter]

@@forgive7449 No it was on a crazy golf course.