Stewart Lee (born April 5, 1968 in Solihull) is an English stand-up comedian, writer and director probably best 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. Lee studied at Oxford where he met Richard Herring. Throughout the late nineties he continued performing solo stand-up (something that has always been a mainstay of his career, even whilst in the double act with Herring) and has collaborated with, amongst others, Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding of The Mighty Boosh. He is noted for his diverse musical taste. He once said that the only band he liked that anyone else has heard of was R.E.M.. He has written music reviews a number of outlets including since 1995 The Sunday Times. He is also a regular presenter on Resonance FM 104.4. In January 2005, Jerry Springer - The Opera, a satirical musical/opera based upon The Jerry Springer Show, was broadcast on BBC Two, following a highly acclaimed West End run for several years, and as a prelude to the show's successful UK Tour. There was an outcry from many Christians, who tried to prevent it from being aired. As well as objecting to the constant strong language, they believed it to be blasphemous and claimed it ridiculed Jesus Christ, despite most of their numbers having not seen the show, heard the recording, or read a script. Their campaign allegedly forced some BBC executives into hiding temporarily. Some Christians protested at several of the venues where the UK Tour was playing, but often were disagreed in protest by the show's audiences, as well as counter-protest groups protesting for freedom of speech and art. Lee has also just recently curated a CD for the Sonic Arts Network called The Topography of Chance. Lee explores different artists, writers and musician’s experiments with randomness and chance and has brought together an eclectic mix of artists including tracks by; Simon Munnery, Arthur Smith, The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Jem Finer, Kombat Opera, Jon Rose and more.
