Former TV personality Iain Lee prompted safety concerns on Sunday after choosing to perform a condensed version of his stand-up show in the homes of complete strangers.
Lee, who began his TV career with Ricky Gervais and Mackenzie Crook on Channel 4 satire The 11 O’Clock Show, has returned to his comedy roots with Imposter Syndrome, in which he reflects on spending the better part of 30 years in showbusiness.
But he has inadvertently raised legitimate questions about his personal safety by making the unconventional decision to perform a truncated version of the show in people’s living rooms for a flat £350 fee.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday evening, Lee, 52, shared photos from his first intimate gig, performed in front of four strangers.
Captioning the post, he wrote: ‘Did my first living room show last night on Bristol to 4 lovely people. Once we got over the initial weirdness, it was a really beautiful and special night.
‘Lots of laughs from all of us. Show lasted 50 minutes, a chat for another 45 or so and then it was over. Feel very lucky to have been welcomed in by such lovely people. Thank you!
Former TV personality Iain Lee prompted safety concerns on Sunday by choosing to perform a condensed version of his stand-up show in the homes of complete strangers
‘If you want to book me, it’s £350 plus £25 petrol if you’re over 50 miles from Aylesbury.’
Responding to the post, one concerned follower suggested the decision to capitalise on the show by taking it into people’s homes was a clear risk to his safety.
‘I’m really worried you’re going to end up in the boot of a Citroen Saxo, Iain,’ she wrote. ‘Do you have security?’
Others were more positive, with one commenting: ‘This is amazing. Always been a pioneer.’
While a second added: ‘You are such a legend for doing this.’
Lee had previously announced plans to perform a 60 minute version of Imposter Syndrome ‘in your living room, in your dining room, but not in your bedroom’ while sharing a video with Instagram followers in April.
He added: ‘You can invite some friends around, make an evening of it, or it could just be you. It would be weird, but I’d do it. £350, a little bit more if you’re fifty miles away from where I live.
‘I’ve got a few booked in, so it’s proving very popular.’
The writer and comedian finished in third place on the 2017 series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, which also featured Dennis Wise, Rebekah Vardy, Georgia Toffolo, Jamie Lomas and Stanley Johnson.
But Lee recently claimed the stress of being on the show caused his drug addiction to return as he discussed his ‘challenging’ campmates.
Lee has returned to his comedy roots with Imposter Syndrome, in which he reflects on spending the better part of 30 years in showbusiness
But he has raised legitimate questions about his personal safety by making the unconventional decision to perform a truncated version of the show in people’s living rooms for a flat £350 fee
The comedian revealed he found recovery through Narcotics Anonymous but had stopped going to meetings after 11 years so had ‘already set the wheels in motion’.
‘I went in 13 years clean, but not long after coming out, the stress of the show got to me,’ he told the Daily Star while discussing the show.
Lee said the pressure of being on the high-profile show combined with dealing with ‘toxic’ campmates led him into a downward spiral.
‘I was in there with a bunch of a******s, not blaming them it’s my fault,’ he said. ‘I picked up again, it was totally on me.’
Lee also admitted that he was ‘incredibly obnoxious’ while in the throes of his drug addiction as he recalled his breakdown and ‘chaotic past’ in a candid new interview.
Despite his TV success with The 11 O’Clock Show, in an interview with The Guardian he told how he was ‘never proud’ of his work and ‘f***ed up his career’ due to his addiction.
He said: ‘I’m making peace with my past. I was never very proud of my TV career. I thought it was s**t.
‘If anyone was f***ing up my career, it was me. I was taking loads and loads of drugs and becoming incredibly unreliable and obnoxious to work with… an a*****e.’
