Stewart Lee, Genius

BBC2 have commissioned a second series of Dave Gorman's Genius, the quasi-"comedy gameshow" where the public pitch Dave their "genius" brainwaves (i.e. harebrained inventions and ideas) and Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, the standup/sketch show hybrid that inspired an online campaign to get a second series commissioned...

I saw most of the first six-part series of Genius (basically an idiot version of Dragons' Den, done for laughs), but to be honest the concept wasn't as strong or as amusing as I expected it to be. I think one problem is that too many of the submitted "genius" ideas were either fairly poor, limited in scope for discussion ("make the Isle Of Wight symmetrical"), or just not as funny as those written suggestions Dave would read out during an interval period (perhaps signifying why this idea worked better on radio?) In TV, the ideas need to be more visual and have enough depth to inspire a five-minute investigation -- usually involving a working prototype to trial in the studio.

I guess I'm saying the show was of mixed success, for me. But I still remember that guy with the extra hood zipped into his sleeve (so you could hug someone under the pretense of keeping them dry from rain), the double-bed with a "conveyor belt" duvet that wrapped around the underside (to prevent couples ever having the "stolen bedcovers" argument), or the idea of coming first in the 100m sprint by wearing 100m tall shoes and just falling over at the start line.

Hopefully they'll iron out some of the kinks for series 2, which really boils down to selecting more imaginative pitches that justify the time spent discussing them. I mean, it's the kind of show that tempts you to surf channels if someone comes on with an unfunny idea, because they can spend nearly 10 minutes dissecting it. So, maybe more pitches per episode would help, too.

~

I probably only caught half of Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle, mainly because I can appreciate Lee's skill and sharpness but he just comes across as insufferably smug to me. And I like miserabalist, cynical comedy. I also wasn't a fan of the way brief sketches featuring Kevin Eldon, Paul Putner and Simon Munnery would interrupt Lee's standup, often to pointlessly visualize a punchline or joke. It's unnecessary and, personally, I believe it goes against what makes stand-up work -- destroying that ephemeral mindspace between comedian and audience. The beauty that allows someone telling a joke to have it interpreted and visualized in a million different ways inside the heads of those who hear it. I don't need, or want, sketches that ram home the point of Lee's words.

Anyway, while it's not a show that leaves me feeling satisfied and laughing heartily throughout, it undoubtedly has a weight of intelligence behind it, so if you're attuned to Lee's deadpan style and tendency to milk phrases dry for comic effect, then you're probably very glad it's coming back.