Apparently before the show he asked John Humphrys to give the questions to him straight, like a pear cider that's made from 100% pears.

A lot of commentators seem to have missed the point of this which is that by going on a serious quiz show and answering questions about an obscure experimental jazz musician, Stewart Lee has finally produced a routine that Joe Pasquale won’t steal

Humphreys: "And you've scored an impressive 17!" Other contestants: "Yeah well... you can win any quiz show with facts...."

These days, if you say you like Derek Bailey, you will be arrested and thrown in jail.

That was hilarious. Stewart Lee is getting so dead pan, he's actually starting to look like a dead pan. I was almost convinced that it really was an episode of celebrity Mastermind until I realized that it was a subtle commentary about the complete futility of all knowledge.

You've seen him. You've seen him, haven't you? On the Masterminds... You've seen him. On the Masterminds, on the BBC. He goes on the Masterminds, doesn't he? He goes on the Masterminds and he sits down... He's on the Masterminds, sat down, and he answers questions, doesn't he? On the Masterminds... The Comedy Vehicles, as well. You'll have seen him. He's on the BBC, isn't he? On the Masterminds and in his Comedy Vehicles, on the BBC... He stands up, doesn't he, on the Comedy Vehicles? He stands up and, on that one, he doesn't do anything. He does nothing on that one, doesn't​ he? You've seen him, though. Doing nothing on the BBC. Stood up in his Comedy Vehicles... Sometimes he's sat down. Sometimes he's sat down with a guitar in his Comedy Vehicles, isn't he? Doing nothing, sat down with his guitar, in his Comedy Vehicles. And on Screenwipes. On the BBC, you'll see him. On Screenwipes, talking about Skins, on the Screenwipes on the BBC. You'll have seen him. Daily Politics... He's everywhere, isn't he now? He used to do things and say things about things that mattered, standing up and making points about Christianity, didn't he? He wasn't on the BBC then, was he? He was nowhere then. He used to do jokes, didn't he, while he was nowhere? Didn't he used to do jokes? Remember jokes? You all remember jokes. He used to do them, didn't he? Jokes and talking about things that mattered. Not now, though... Sitting down, doing nothing... Talking about Skins and jazz. Everywhere, on the BBC. You'll have seen him... Let himself go, hasn't he, as well?

I thought his chosen specialised subject would’ve been Jungle Canyon Rope Bridges!

I never realised how knowledgeable Ratko Mladic is with avant-garde guitarists. Seems like a nice guy.

It says a lot about his comedy that I can't actually tell if this is real or not

I was expecting him to ask the same question 18 times, getting increasingly funnier, then boring and then funny again.

At the end John Hunphries ‘I’ve started so I’ll finish.’ Stewart Lee (to himself) ‘He’s finished asking that. I wonder if he’ll ask anything else’.

Oh, he's finished saying that

Stuart. On your mark Get set Let yourself go...

"So John, did i win? Just give it to me straight..."

His second choice specialist subject was crisps

Stewart didn't know which jazz standard the 2002 album "Ballads" contained two versions of. It didn't matter though. To him it was just a child's urine off an old man's face.

I checked out Derek Bailey after watching this. He’s playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order - I’ll give him that 👍

I hope this makes Lee the 41st best Mastermind contestant.

the damp white/grey cloth that dinner ladies used to use to to wipe down the tables after lunch at school has let himself go

My favourite comedian talking (surprisingly) about my favourite avant-garde jazz guitarist (seriously). That is not something I expected to see but it brightened an otherwise already quite bright day ...

Sure, he's good at knowing stuff, but he couldn't cut the mustard on a panel show.

They allow you to pick your own subject. Stewart seems to be one of the few who have understood what this means.

Is this a war criminals episode?

what an absolute hero for choosing the MND association. My respect for stu has gone up tenfold

I've let myself go.

You’ve seen them...in that chair, the masterminders.

Oh look. Mastermind's let itself go

Never seen Lee looking so nervous! Nice to know he's human. Albeit a high calibre human.

I prefer his early work.

An offensive 1950's cartoon of a Chinaman has let itself go.

Lee improvised his answers.

Derek Bailey (29 January 1930 - 25 December 2005) was an English avant-garde guitarist and leading figure in the free improvisation movement.

Stew was fast answering those questions, wasn’t he? Like lightning? As soon as John asked a question, he saw the window of opportunity and bodily hurled himself through

Awww I wanna see him answer the general knowledge questions too! How come nobody has uploaded that? Waaaaaaaaaah

I watched this by mistake on a friend's recommendation.

Very good, I think that is the funniest Stewart Lee routine I have ever seen!

Morrisey knows his stuff.

Who's the Jazz comedian now?

I think the real problem there was that it was a mixed room. The front rows of the audience were getting it but not so the friends they had brought along. And Stu didn't have time to bring them along.

Stewart playing the questions as they are dealt

"Oh look he's finished that sentence" "No I haven't, however I've started so I'll finish"

I heard that this sketch was written by ledgendary author and mystic Alan Moore, while in the throes of a jimsonweed frenzy.

I just don't get his latest stuff...

He is, but you have to have seen a lot of other 'Mastermind' contestants to get what he's doing.

I've seen lots of interviews that Stewart Lee has done, read a fair amount of his newspaper columns and seen hundreds of his shows. and not once do I recall him even mentioning Derek Bailey and yet here he demonstrates and almost encyclopedic knowledge of him. it's almost unnerving in a way

I'll never let go Jack, I promise.

thanks for posting this up!

For those thinking this was a routine, it wasn't. It was in 2010 and he won.

I bloody knew he wouldn’t choose pirates. Knew it.

My favourite bit of this was when he said "Incus", hahaha classic!

Stunning

@nbachmann He was the greatest innovator on the electric guitar since Hendrix (he died in 2005). I saw him play live once in 2000. He was an elderly English guy with just a guitar and an amp and he blew the roof off the club.

I have only just seen this as an admirer of both Lee and Bailey. I have many albums featuring Bailey, have seen many of his collaborators live, but not him. Wait a minute; Derek Bailey played live in the ABC Theatre pit for The Morecambe and Wise Show? I was there; I have heard him live.

Stewart lee: wins with 26 points Richard herring: 2nd place with 32 points. No justice in the world is there :-p

Derek Bailey (29 January 1930 - 25 December 2005) was an English avant-garde guitarist and leading figure in the free improvisation movement. I can definitely see why Stewart Lee would be interested in him; he even shared Stewart Lee's love of short, pithy comebacks when interviewed.

41st best Mastermind contestant.

He did really well. I was surprised. I knew a few of the answers, and he knocked it out of the park!

John Humphries thought ‘these answers aren’t funny but I agree the fuck out of them’

Impressive stuff. 11 years later and on Celebrity Mastermind one contestants specialist subject was the movie Pretty Woman. Talk about lowering the bar.

My hero.

I think shortly after this the need to love Derek Bailey was added to the values of the Carphone Warehouse...

Amazing!

Derek Bailey's let himself go

Fantastic guy

you up there wouldn’t really understand what he’s done. “Oh look there he is, making noises with his mouth.” Down here, they understand that I was answering questions concerning Derek Bailey deceased Yorkshire born jazz and improvisational guitar innovator, it’s clear to them. Up there, they’re saying, “now he’s finished making those noises….I wonder if he’ll make some more noises next.”

Fun fact ...Derek Bailey died in London on Christmas Day in 2005. He had been suffering from motor neurone disease.

Unfortunately for Stew the specialist subject of The Complete Lifes Work of Asher D had already been taken by the eventual series winner and Mastermind Grand Champion.. Tom O'Connor. The irony of losing to Tom by one point on the question "Which is the second largest island off the coast of Italy?" was a bit much.

i went to see derek live with jon the postman in manchester in '91.

Stewart Lee = Top bloke

The focused out other competitors have let themselves go.

I thought he'd choose the literary works of Asher D

apparently I heard he does around 85-90 of these charity events a year.

hes a clever boy wish i watched this when it was on

The only other person who knows about Derek Bailey, Stewart continues to be a man of many surprises which sounds like a school report?

So basically Stewart Lee was Derek Bailey in his previous life. Incredible knowledge 😯

Very well done👏. Can he cut the mustard on a panel show, though? I think not.

these comments about the comments about stewart lee having let himself go having let themselves go have let themselves go

Well done, Stewart :)

A cliched saucy-postcard cartoon rendering of a classic British butcher of the kind that might chase a sausage-stealing dog down the road whilst shaking his fist in anger has let himself go.

Stewart Lee certainly knew his specialist subject.

Im surprised he didnt take 10 minutes dissecting the first answer.

he did really well

Stew can answer the question ‘the album ‘ballads’ contains two versions of which Jazz standard?’. He just chooses not to

Nailed it !!

Stellar

@chrisofnottingham Derek Bailey was a guitar player from Sheffield who completely reinvented the way that the guitar is played. I saw him play live in Dublin, a few years before he died. A 70-year-old Yorkshireman sat with a Gibson ES-175 and blew the fucking roof off the joint. He was amazing.

Yeah would've been good to see his general knowledge questions.

The ability to remember stuff. Marvelous.

Derek Bailey - he's like Ian Huntley to me

You can tell he was very Ang Lee when he got one wrong.

His specialist subject should have been Del Boy falling through the bar........ "He was vertical, stu, then he was horizontal, stu...."

Nice one Stewart, also made me look up David Bailey, I'm now a fan. any links to general knowledge.

A just off-duty Croydon council CCTV monitoring hub security officer who still pines for the halcyon days of the teddy boys has just released himself without charge.

John Humphrys has let himself go.

Thought he would have had it all written on the back of his hand like usual.

I just LOVE how so many commenters show excellent wit in the SL comedy vein. I was truly expecting a spoof -- it's so hard to take ANYTHING Stu says or does as serious. And at the end, still not sure if it was a spoof. Many say not, but we can never be sure with Stu.

he owned that

I don't know anything about Derek Bailey, avant garde guitarists, guitars, jazz musicians, jazz music, musical notation, the music industry, musical chairs, Mastermind, or Stewart Lee.... But I think:

The length of the questions 😂 He could have answered twice the amount.

The most impressive thing in this clip is the idea that hair belonged anywhere near his eyebrows.