he gave it to us straight, like a pear cider, made from 100% pear

"Whether you think of the people behind me as hilarious bigots or well intentioned fools, they are none the less, divs." Hahaha!

I find it pretty offensive when I am told that I am a wicked sinner who deserves eternal punishment.

It's about time we in Britain told our politicians to make our country a secular one. Remove charitable status from all faith groups.

Blasphemy: speech that has been outlawed to prevent your religion from losing arguments.

"They are, nonetheless, divs!" Oh Stewart, I fucking love you!

Oh shit. "Presumably because it isn't 1508" :D too good.

Blasphemy is a victimless crime

I consider myself educated (and still quite ignorant), but I always learn and have something new to think about when I listen to Stewart Lee - Stewart is a very clever bloke - keep it coming Stewart!

This should be required viewing in all RE classes.

I can remember when I first questioned the Catholic church. I was 12 years old sat in church with my mum shaking hands in peace with members of the congregation and I thought that's all well and good inside a house of worship, but what about outside in the real world? I like the quiet reflection you can have in the more ancient parochial buildings, when you are left alone with your thoughts without the intrusion of the 'Mass', but I can get that from looking out to sea. I believe in people, and love.

It's scary how this documentary is far more relevant now, 10 years after its release.

The Goodness Gracious Me sketch being banned because 300 people out of 5 MILLION complained is fucking ridiculous.Letting the minority dictate what others can see is worrying

Stewart is the quintessential Brit, and I mean that in every positive way

How do you blaspheme against something you can't actually demonstrate to exist???

Utterly compelling and I agree with everything stated here. Why can we not have Stewart Lee do a tour of schools? His personality and complete ease with any subject coupled with a beautiful use of language would enlighten any classroom.

Unbelievable ....excellent, calm, reasoned argument against outrageous rants by silly folk, who don't even understand what they are ranting about

An excellent , reasoned and informative programme. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it again and, frankly, I am quite amused at the idea that some people really believe that a Pan dimensional ,Omnipotent Super Being would actually need them to stick up for it.

Mocking religion? And so it should be mocked, ridiculed, not only for the stupidity of believing in something for which there is not a single shred of evidence but mainly for the personal and mass hatred, misery, wars and death carried out in it's name. As Richard Dawkins said in an interview "When was the last time an atheist flew an aeroplane into a skyscraper" (paraphrased). Religion is not only primitive it is divisive, disgusting and kills.

God this man is extremely smart. Understand him and you understand how smart his humour is.

Satan has let himself go.

It's Health & Safety gone mad.

@12:40 "Even bastions of free speech, like the guardian " is probably the funniest line I've heard come out of Stewart's mouth.

I love the sarcastic humour of Stuart Lee's comedy yet his intelligence when doing these documentaries

religions let itself go

All these people are so well-spoken. Comparing the discourse seen here with an average American political issue interview just, well, it gives me conniptions.

By far the most intelligent and relevant stand-up comic on the planet. Can't wait to see him in Liverpool next month.

Alan Moore, talking about America rejecting science and devolving due to religious fundamentalism is so prescient!

28:25 aged like fine wine. This was filmed ten years ago and we're here now in 2022.

What I love most is these religious people bashing science while they drive a new car, probably the most advanced scientific conglomeration of scientific invention the average person will own.

Lovely post. God bless you, Stew. On a religious note, the statement 'God Is Not Mocked' is simply that. It's on a par with 'the Sun heats up the Earth'. Simple fact, which you may or may not agree with. But it does mean that protestors asking that God be not mocked are not understanding that simple statement.

Blasphemy cannot exist unless you believe in that religion which I don't, therefore it doesn't exist. So christians must be blaspheming to Jews and Muslims for saying Jesus is the son of God. It's complete and utter bollocks, how can a religion be offended, it's not conscious. Don't get me fucking started on freedom of speech, it's a matter opinion which nobody has a monopoly on. Isn't it ironic that if I condemn religions for actually mutilating baby and older boys penises that I'm the one doing something wrong. We have to have a proper secular society. If you don't like something on the tele SWITCH CHANNELS. They're part of the offended brigade marching up and down the street waiting for something or someone to offend them.

"Whether you think of the people behind me as hysterical bigots or well intentioned fools, they are none the less...divs"

There is rarely a wise man shouting in the street.

When I hear someone say,' as a Christian' a small part of me dies.

More documentaries from the peerless Mr Lee please world

I remember when "The Last Temptation of Christ" was released and I went to see it in Raleigh NC. I was VERY excited about the movie. My parents were Methodists (and, hence, pretty harmless, really) and they never ONCE said, "You should behave this way and believe this way blah blah blah". If anything, I think we went to church and Sunday school because THEIR folks had done it, and their folks etc., and it was basically just a social construct. Later in their lives, they pretty much stopped going altogether. But anyway .... that is my background. (And I'm an atheist.) When I got to the theatre, there were about 12-15 people outside PROTESTING. For them, depicting Christ (who was MADE to be played by Willem Defoe BTW) as possibly living a "human" life, loving a woman, having a wife and child - that was the highest form of blasphemy ever suggested! Oh NO! We can't have THAT! They actually were carrying signs saying stuff like, "Close this theatre!", "This whole cast will be thrown into hell!" or "The devil possesses Martin Scorsese!" (I am not joking. Who could forget THAT one?) They looked 100% ridiculous. Of course, this made peeps like me even MORE determined to see the film and I came out of it going, "Wow!" I'd never been exposed to thinking like that before. The movie was nothing short of (pardon the word) miraculous for me because, besides being a completely BEAUTIFUL film, it made me start thinking in so many other ways. I decided that the film made Christ MORE divine because HE HAD been a human man, dealing with basic life things and trying to teach people elementary tenants of good behavior in a terribly dangerous time and who, for all the good he did, got killed by the political machine that was Roman rule. Why? Because he challenged established government and law. People like him couldn't be allowed to go around or else the entire Roman way of life would collapse because .... people would start thinking for themselves. Christians say you have to have a "personal relationship" with Christ to be a good Christian. Well, how much more "personal" can you get than to identify with another human being pushed to his limits and still managing to be a gentle, kind and caring individual who - when pushed, like the story of him in the temple with the moneylenders - recognizes injustice and speaks UP? That is - or should be - universal.

"Welcome to this avenue of trees where i have all my most profound thoughts" - love Stu xD

Glad to see, even with all the hate his play got by these people, that he takes an open-minded, wide ranging view on religion, even as an atheist. A breath of fresh air in a sphere so often infested with lazy bigotry.

Such a brave man is Stewart, he only goes for the low-hanging fruit of the kumbaya happy-clappy christians, but doesn't dare say shit to the followers of a certain other Abrahamic religion because that would involve the very real possibility of him receiving physical violence.

The Prophet Mohammed has let himself go...bless his name

I love Stewart Lee, but focusing on whether the Danish cartoons were funny or "clumsy" is completely missing the point. The response (death threats, riots etc) to them was inexcusable.

28:40. The selection of Mike Johnson, a self-admitted fundamentalist Southern Baptist Christian, as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, with medieval opinions on almost every current major issue, proves Mr. Lee's view that we are regressing back to the Dark Ages. I'm expecting a rerun of the Salem Witch Trials to begin any day soon.

I think only Stewart Lee could do this. It’s a combination of weird satire (of course) and very serious comment about the absurdity of religious extremism.

Stewart Lee is brilliant. Great film.

I was brought up a Catholic and taught by nuns and I thought Jerry Springer The Opera was hilarious. I saw it five times.

I can't wait for Stuart Lees show on islam! It'll be a hoot. Who agrees?

I thought this was brilliant. A relevant documentary that manages to be both serious and funny . Gotta love Alan Moore too: I met him once, and he was just as witty, interesting, intelligent and warm (and quirky) as he seems on screen.

“Jerry Springer The Opera” is more relevant in 2020 than it was then to be honest.

A great little documentary by Lee. Its mental that 300 complaints has more power than 5 million viewers .

To answer the question - There is nothing wrong with blasphemy. I don't accept the notion of blasphemy because I don't accept that it is possible to offend non-existent "beings" or to offend people by talking about or portraying the non-existent "beings" they believe in.

In the entire first Christian century Jesus is not mentioned by a single Greek or Roman historian, religion scholar, politician, philosopher or poet. His name never occurs in a single inscription, and it is never found in a single piece of private correspondence. Zero! Zip references! Bart D. Ehrman

Beautifully observed narrative. Thank you, Stewart Lee, I've just added you to my pantheon of heroes. I hope you do shows in Dublin because I would camp out to get a ticket. I loved your monologue on Richard Hammond and thanks also for turning me on to Mr Funny himself Henning Wehn. I'm off to check your tour dates to see if you're coming to Ireland. That was a brilliant documentary. Please do more...

I was on a long coach journey recently and the man I was sitting next to informed me that he believes Jesus was perfect, the only perfect human being. So why didn't he found a better religion, if he was? If he was so perfect, why are his followers STILL contradicting each other about what he said and what we are meant to believe - and why do so many people not follow him at all? In fat, why did he found a religion whose central tenets have always been routinely lambasted by its own followers? Situations like that coach journey are terrible temptations...... tempting to quietly accept, because of the painful embarrassment of thinking out loud, utter crap, posing as goodness and moral fortitude. Praises be to Stewart Lee ! - for speaking out, barefacedly.

Enjoyable and informing viewing. A touch on the unbalaced side in terms of the number of those representing religious viewpoints vs else, but that's probably what Lee was going for. These sorts of programs make you wonder 'just how many people have their worlds flipped on their heads after watching programs like these?' Hopefully that number is exponentially increasing, because it is freedom of thought (if such a thing exists) which is pretty crucial (one imagines) if a society is to move toward enlightened times.

Can't believe this was on channel 5. A reasonable look at something with no hyperbole or ridiculousness.

Thats the first time Ive ever seen Alan Moore crack a smile. Its beautiful seeing two of my heroes in the same room, clearly liking each others company. If you are truly religious and intelligent, isnt the only logical conclusion that the universe is run by a vain, jeallous, worship needy, vengeful smiter of a beast that you just better get onside with? I think most religious folk are just trying to buy insurance for the soul, and behave no more moraly than an athiest.

You have the choice to follow which ever religion you please. But it is a choice and therefore should be held up for the same discussion as any other choice, be that political or philosophical.

i'd like to see stu and polly toynbee talk more... i''ven heard loads of stu and allen moore before, but i get the feeling an extended section iwth PT would be quite rewarding viewing.

To quote Hitchens. "Offence is taken, not given. "

Problem with the Stewart Lee types is its all fair game when it comes to the kinder and softer faiths, that at most their followers will protest you with acoustic guitars and cardboard sounds But it's not OK to mock or satirize Islam, with its followers bringing knives and terrorism to the equation. Funny that huh

Hard to watch this in 2023 and see the commentators who would shut you down if you suggested a woman is exclusively an adult human female.

I love Stewart, he is brilliantly intelligent .....

It DOES feel like 1508 sometimes....

Does that minister's yellow shirt and jeans combo count as blasphemy?

Alan Moore ... brilliant!! (as was the whole programme)

my stance is, if you decide to go to war against somebody, you better be ready to fight in that war to the bitter end.

Wait, surely if they're Christians they're a forgiving lot?

Very thought provoking :) I remember being very surprised by the outcry about those shitty characatures, when most people I spoke to had such a level headed lack of response to such petty antagonism. We have much to fear from paranoid religious conservatives everywhere.

I love you Stewart Lee and Alan Moore. Thank you for talking sense.

This video has popped the balloon on how I see religion. I see how much effort I was putting toward a 'god'. In 2024.

Alan Moore - Worshipper of Glycon. Seems like a nutter but no more crazy than Christians who believe that virgins have babies and that Dead people come back to life or Muslims who believe in flying horses. All religions are mad, it's just that some more established religions have been around for longer and are therefore regarded as respectable even though they're all completely loony.

Count Duckula has let himself go

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has let himself go

Concerns about religious fundamentalism in the US has not aged well.

An aunt of mine died and was revived after a few minutes. She had the wits scared out of her because she thought she had gone to hell and talked for months about how bad her near death experience in hell had been. In her words, insufferably hot and uncomfortable. Eventually, in an attempt to shut her up she was challenged to say something positive. Her response was "the catering was excellent, the devilled eggs were delicious"

You had me at 'divs'.

Christianity has really let itself go

Ten years on, and this is even more relevant. I find it obscene that people, with absolutely zero evidence that there is any substance behind their religion, should be allowed to impose their beliefs on others, whether that be through religious indoctrination of children, or by crying foul and persecuting anyone who speaks out about them. If you want to criticise us for besmirching your deity, or your religious organisation, you need to first show us evidence of the existence of your deity, and then show us that the perceived slander was untruthful. I frequently get into discussions with Christian fundamentalists, who proclaim that the Bible is proof of God's existence. When asked how they know that the Bible is the word of God, they say "it says so in the Bible". Clearly these people have had a religious lobotomy. They are incapable of logical thought. They couldn't spot a circular argument if it were tied around their necks. Even if they managed to produce some incontrovertible evidence that God exists, I would still campaign against his worship. According to his own book, he's instigated mass genocide, both by his own hand, and by commanding his followers to commit it. He's fine with slavery, raping and pillaging, kidnapping enemies' girls for sex slaves, and treating women as property. He's capricious, unreliable, jealous, contradictory, and insecure. He ruined every aspect of Job's life, including killing his wife, all for a bet with the Devil. He sent plagues on the Egyptians, including famine, and killing their first born children, not because the Pharaoh wouldn't let the Israelites leave, but because God himself "hardened the heart" of the Pharaoh so that he wouldn't (not that there's any evidence of Israelites ever being slaves in Egypt). It's not just the Old Testament. Jesus himself cursed a tree for not bearing fruit out of season. The guy who supposedly rewrote the covenant with God is just like a petulant, spoiled brat. The god of the Bible is utterly despicable, and does not deserve to be worshipped any more than any other megalomaniacal tyrant. If you consider that blasphemous, show me the evidence to prove your god exists, and that what I wrote is incorrect (you might want to read Exodus and Job first), or shut up.

2:38 paradise lost 5:43 isn't 1508 7:30 god's no 8:00 life of Brian Christian 8:39 rashdi Muslim 9:15 Behzti Sikh 9:32 against free speech 10:33 race to be offended. Fatwa joke 11:24 manufactured protest 12:07 Danish cartoon cycling helmet 13:40 against religious protection 14:40 no right to be not offended 14:52 exception 16:07 Islam push for protection 18:40 BBC protection of religion 19:15 religious school division 20:15 divine right rather than electorate 21:19 jokes about beliefs democratic truth 22:15 protestants Vs Catholic 22:30 offense Vs provocation for the sake of it 22:53 new communities should adapt 23:10 24:12 legitimate religions 23:58 Iraq war 26:25 Paris Hilton 27:55 religious fundamentalism from religious revivalism 80 years ago 28:26 USA religion politics 29:52 faith schools - selection bias 31:35 34:08 religion taught as facts in school 32:50 USA George Bush religious loony 33:00 no secular school 33:40 politics use religion 34:45 Christian against Hinduism 35:16 36:05 religious taught in schools good Vs bad 35:32 accused of blasphemy 36:40 open debate free speech 38:00 beliefs not obstruction to dialogue Monty python

We only need a blasphemy law cos god has really let himself go...

The point of the Danish Cartoons was to expose the intolerance of Islam. The point is the question of whether it is desirable or even safe to have such people in your country, in the West. The response by some Christians that they, too, ought to be allowed to be outraged and attack such people and groups as might lampoon their silly religions, is outstanding proof of the sort of retrograde effect of religious belief on civilization.

Surely having faith involves listening to all view points, experiencing everything and still believing? Sheltering from, or censoring, anything that you fear might question belief is exactly that - fear - not faith. The truly faithful do not need to be sheltered, can be open to the opinions of others and also enjoy a good laugh without felling threatened in their faith - because that is true faith. I loved the comment that God does not need to be protected and totally agree - faith should be exactly the same. I am, of course, not condoning prejudice or any form of racial or spiritual bigotry but that's not what this debate was about.

"Whether you think of the people behind me as hysterical bigots, or well-intentioned fools, they are none the less, divs"

Mr Renfrew is excellent.

Stewart is one of my favourite 'content providers' along with Wes Anderson and PT Anderson. My favourite of all the Anderson twins. I like that Stewart has featured Alan Moore and Chris Morris in his shows as well. It's a shame Bridget Christie isn't more prominent but I guess comedy is a difficult game for women and talent doesn't seem to count.

A sensitive subject handled well here, with a compassion and intellect I didn't expect from Ratko Mladic. Thank you Ratko.

Welcome to this avenue of trees, where I have all of my most profound thoughts! Fucking love it!

"Bastions of free speech, The Guardian". Funniest part of the whole thing 🤣😂

28:34 - Alan Moore had a valid serious point here in terms of the way things have gone. The recent good news is it didn't work.

I understand the difficulty finding gainful employment very well, Adam. It's been rough, but I am working full time teaching in Beijing. That's right, Beijing. And my anxiety was every bit as bad if not worse than yours. Back in 2004 my panic disorder got so bad I couldn't even leave my home. Hiding my Asperger's can be a burden at times. I'm a known oddball who doesn't like to go out and socialise. But overall I'm handling it ok. Let me share you my trick. Like you now, I couldn't handle constant change. The way I got a grip on it was to to make constant change my normal. I know that sounds daft, but I swear it worked. I haven't had a panic attack in over 10 years.

I'd give my left crucifix to be a fly on the wall in that Alan Moore and Stuart Lee chat.

Thank you...that was lovely ....and frightening. Sometime in the 60's ( I think ) someone wrote a play about the lifeboat rescues from a sinking ship of Whitby. The lifeboat crew , going back into the storm for about the 4th or 5th time were drunk and most drowned when the lifeboat overturned. 150 years after the event ( about ) and the playwright was driven from Whitby by death threats....... just saying that it isn't only religion that inspires irrational hatred.

"When religions embody immorality and irrationality, they must be open to criticism" ^^^THIS^^^

Great episode, thanks for sharing it!

I love Stewart Lee and find all this right-wing, fundamentalist garbage impossible to take seriously. But I realize that it IS serious and that these folks are seriously dangerous to functional democratic societies.

Lol I was watching The Day Today and this came on after an episode, and I thought I was still watching it. Holy fuckz

It’s up to the lawmakers to abolish religion, but lawmakers don’t want a society that sifts out confusion, otherwise logical thinking would enter, leaving no room for anything but straight forward thinking, which would never do as confusion is a tool for lawmakers to blind people, to introduce behaviour that denies understanding. When understanding is paramount in society, stupid behaviour has no refuge.

It was so great to see Alan Moore appear in this. Hes such a brilliant effing writer.

Somewhat later, less angry: schools should teach ethics, - a history of all religions and philosophy. All schools, all pupils.