Stewart Lee is returning to the BBC with his most recent live show, Content Provider.

Recorded at the Palace Theatre in Southend in April, the special is set to air late at night this summer on BBC Two.

The two-hour stand-up show will be interspersed with analytical interview sections, as was the format for his Comedy Vehicle series.

It is not known who will be asking the questions, but it will not be Armando Iannucci or Chris Morris.

The special is once again directed by Tim Kirkby and produced by Richard Webb. It will also have a DVD and download release.

The Bafta-winning Comedy Vehicle was cancelled in 2016 after four series. However, Lee has continued to work for the BBC on radio, most recently sharing his cultural influences across a week of Ian Skelly's Radio 3 show in April.

He has also contributed to two new books. Hometown Tales: Birmingham, which Lee co-authors with Maria Whatton, features his account 'In The Ape's Shadow', a fictional exploration of the local music scene that inspired him growing up. Published on June 28, the book is available for pre-order here.

He is also the subject of a lengthy interview in Stewart Lee: Where Are The Thinkers by Neal Jackson, in which he discusses his stand-up and writing career and the formative influence of figures like Alan Moore, Derek Bailey and Mark E Smith. Out now, it can be ordered here.

Lee performed Content Provider at 214 dates between November 2016 and April of this year, his longest tour ever. Here is Chortle's review.

The comic, who is also currently developing a Brexit-themed comedy film with Fleabag production company Two Brothers, announced he would take a sabbatical from stand-up in January, the longest break he's had since his ‘four-year disappearance at the start of the century’.

- by Jay Richardson

Published: 6 Jun 2018