Showing @ Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 10 Oct only @ 19:30

After playing 25 nights at the Fringe festival, Stewart Lee returns to Edinburgh to play one more evening of his Much A-Stew About Nothing tour. The show consists of four (three and a half) 30-minute sets that he’s testing the water with before having them filmed for a new series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle.

Not many comics could get away with what Lee puts in his stand up. His style of frequently repeating phrases or frames of jokes is a trait that would usually become tiresome, but enhanced by his slow, deadpan delivery, it instead builds the humour turning that section into one long sprawling gag. The confrontational content also helps. Observational comedy is nowhere to be seen as Lee pulls apart UKIP’s immigration policy, makes jibes at politicians and discusses canine excrement. Though Lee’s manner of vulgarity occasionally produces a cheap laugh, the majority of his material satirise the political or social landscape, producing a surreal and exaggerated commentary of contemporary life. When jokes fall limp, his approach of deconstructing and explaining it goes against the grain, but his approach is so persistent, as if he doesn’t care about the audience, it only increases the comedy. Highly skilled in his writing and delivery, what ever content is saved for the telly is sure to be equally enjoyable.

Follow Callum on Twitter @CWMadge