He may be about to hole himself up at the Leicester Square Theatre until February, but in a way Stewart Lee's presence can be felt right across the circuit. In a way

About a year ago I was kindly asked to be a judge at the Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year competition final. During one of the intervals, I was stood backstage with fellow judges Tim Arthur, Steve Bennett (of up-and-coming listings outfits "Time Out" and "Chortle" respectively) and critic Julian Hall. Face full of pizza, I suddenly noticed that we were surrounded by Stewart Lee's paraphernalia.

On the wall were newspaper articles with his name and "DO NOT REMOVE" written on them, prompts pertaining to his material, plus what appeared to be his suit, his shoes, a selection of bathroom products (Lynx Africa; who knew?), crack pipe (joke) ... Lee was at that point in the middle of a mammoth run of gigs at Leicester Square Theatre, so it all added up.

Suddenly it clicked. We were surrounded by the bugger. But not just backstage, he was virtually onstage too. Of the 16 young comics we watched that night – it was an impressive show, incidentally – the vast majority displayed some overt characteristics of Lee's comedy. Just one solitary performer managed a routine without dipping into some deconstruction, provocation, mapping the audience's laughter, heavy repetition, self-commentary, irony and all those other things that define Lee's style. He wasn't so much on the walls as of them, like some kind of spooky comedy ghost grouting.

I've not seen anything since then to suggest that Lee isn't the most influential comic at the moment.

A few qualifiers on that: the London circuit is so vast and varied that it is a little absurd to generalise as such, but certainly among stand-ups it seems the case. I'm also speaking largely about young comics - the all-important next generation, including tomorrow's big names. Just a few that spring to mind are Adam Belbin, Joe Wells, Alfie Brown, Chris Turner, Ahir Shah – who had a public spat with Lee over alleged copying – and Mark Stephenson.

Michael McIntyre – very much the antithesis of Lee of course – is also an enormous influence on stand-up, but more indirectly. When McIntyre's BBC1 show took off, it propelled us into the era of the superstar comic, where comedy gigs in arenas are commonplace and, a few rungs further down, there are many more panel shows where comics can gain vital exposure. Pre-McIntyre, earning a living by regularly headlining across the UK circuit was an endpoint in itself; now, many more comics crave that TV slot. And why not? The likes of Micky Flanagan, Adam Bloom and Milton Jones have pleasured many an audience over the years, often for mediocre money. They've got nothing to prove, so there's no shame in pursuing the odd lucrative TV slot.

But many believe that comics who are still shaping their act are playing it safe, softening their edges to fit into the risk-averse world of TV. That's not exactly great for live comedy as a whole, but equally I don't think it's the death knell of creativity that some fear.

So back to Lee. His having a BBC2 show is the most likely explanation for his breadth of influence. By bagging two series of his Comedy Vehicle, he's like the band who've got the distribution of a major label but have retained all creative control. That's a rare thing and to young, headstrong comics it must be the dream. And despite being a comic of 20+ years, Lee still has a sense of rebellion to his comedy that will appeal to younger stand-ups.

Lee has said that listening to tapes of himself from the late 80s he could hear how he was copying Ted Chippington, his initial comic inspiration. Undoubtedly today's young comics will one day watch YouTube clips of themselves and know what he means. One of the mantras of stand-up is that it takes years to find your own "voice".

And that point is key to what happens next - because these comics will become circuit landfill if they don't develop their own style, even if Lee's influence may be detectable at the bottom of the mix. And he will be watching - Lee has said that one of the main reasons he goes to Edinburgh is to watch the young comics, as they are the real competition.

Much is made of how Lee (alongside Richard Herring) narrowly missed out on the big time in the late 90s following Fist of Fun and This Morning with Richard Not Judy. But time has proven that Lee was never destined for mainstream success. A decade later he's got his own solo BBC2 show, but I doubt he gets recognised on many UK streets. Having the Comedy Vehicle and extensive residencies at just one venue, seems to suit him. While McIntyre spawned the superstar comic, Lee (alongside Daniel Kitson) spawned the big cult comedian. Big enough to earn a good living, but somehow staying slightly off-radar (it's likely that a mainstream scene and an alternative scene will become even more defined and separate, co-existing with their own figureheads, never the twain shall meet).

Getting mainstream exposure in the late 90s may even have proved to be detrimental to Lee's career in the long-term. He's found his own way since then. Which demonstrates to young comics that they can't just see the endpoint he has reached and pitch for that - they must find their own way too. Lee certainly didn't end up where he is now by design. Nor is he even a finished product - his act is still evolving.

However if there's one thing they should swallow whole from the Lee beak, that's the work ethic. The sheer number of gigs he has done over the past two years is incredible. Another mantra of stand-up is the more stage time you get, the better you become. And it's no coincidence that Lee's resurgence in recent years has come with hours upon hours of stage time.

So the challenge is there for devotees of Lee. He is now, of sorts, part of the establishment. He's that single dominant influence that leaves in its wake both inspiration and stagnation. Post-Beatles, when bands were trying to be the Beatles, we ended up with ELO. Nobody wants that again. How are these whippersnappers going to keep stand-up moving and evolving? Maybe they should try and ignore him completely and just do their own thing. That would be about the most "Stewart Lee" thing of all to do.

Stewart Lee's Carpet Remnant World runs from November 15 to February 9 at Leicester Square Theatre.