Stewart Lee: Unreliable Narrator

Comedian and writer Stewart Lee draws on a lifetime of professional untruths to consider the disorienting and apparently all-encompassing world of the unreliable narrator.

Why, if we appreciate truth, objectivity and authenticity so much, do we also love the distortions of almost all narrative art?

Does the basic human desire to tell stories mean that none of us are ever really telling the truth?

What happens when the idea of manipulating the narrative leaves the world of entertainment and enters the world of politics?

From the British Library to the middle of a Victorian graveyard, in novels and poems, documentaries, the songs of Bob Dylan and stand-up comedy, Stewart picks through the archives,

He encounters a host of more or less reliable voices including:

Mediaevalist, Dr Hetta Howes
Writer and critic, Jennifer Hodgson
Political commentator, Nesrine Malik
Poet, Rob Auton
Filmmaker, Ben Rivers
Dylanologist, Nish Kumar,
Comedian, Russell Kane

Plus: one or two devious special guests.

Be on your guard, expect the unexpected and suspend your disbelief as we head out in search for something to rely on.

Presenter: Stewart Lee

Producer: Michael Umney

Executive Producer: Max O'Brien

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in June 2021.