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Ricky Gervais to play God in new show

Started by crossjoint, July 26, 2011, 07:25:57 PM

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crossjoint

Ricky Gervais defends show where he plays an 'arrogant, wise-cracking God'

Ricky Gervais has hit back at critics already calling his new comedy Afterlife 'an atheist comedy'. The show tells of a man who firmly doesn't believe in a heaven or God but gets proved wrong when he dies and faces the big man himself, played as a "wise-cracking arrogant, son-of-a-bitch" by Gervais himself.

Writing on RickyGervais.com, Gervais argued that the mere fact that the show features a heaven prevents it being an atheist comedy.

    I can't win. The Invention of Lying proposed an alternative world where there was no God. That was an atheist comedy too. Seems the existence or non-existence of God in my work has no bearing on whether it's an atheist comedy or not. It just is. Because I wrote it, right?

Gervais went on to talk about great films that he loves, regardless of whether or not they feature the possibility of deities and life after death.

I love It's A Wonderful Life. I'm not threatened by its premise. I don't start shouting, "Religious propaganda!... How dare they assume that heaven and angels exist?" It's a work of fiction. And a great one.

Gervais also revealed, on a blog for The Huffington Post, that he's working on a new stand-up tour, a third series of The Ricky Gervais Show, a second helping of An Idiot Abroad and the new BBC sitcom, Life's Too Short, with Warwick Davis.


Source: http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/ricky-gervais-defends-show-where-he-plays-an-arrogant/226647

Ignatius_S

Pretty fucking sloppy reporting from NME - Gervais has had a bit of a gripe about news stories that have said his new show is an '"atheist comedy" - hardly hitting back at the critics.

Even better, the blog post appears to be PR bullshit - there doesn't seem to be any reports that described the show as that... can't find any that have actually attacked Gervais over the show either.

I suspect that the blog post was in response to the how the press covered the news of this new show... or rather their lack of coverage.

BritishHobo

I don't understand how he doesn't understand how the reaction has come from the fact that Christianity is one of the many topics, amongst people who are 'different', awkward moments, celebrities and Karl Pilkington, that he's not just beaten into the ground, but done a shit on and then lit on fire. Based on his record so far at coming up with new material, it's not surprising that people's first thoughts at the news of a Gervais comedy about an atheist in heaven are that it's going to be filled to the brim with smug atheism, also probably featuring hi-lariously awkward moments as the lead character asks dwarves and people in wheelchairs and people with cerebal palsy why they love God so much when they've been fucked over, while God (played by Ricky Gervais) says Brent-y stuff about their disabilities.

Neil

Quote from: crossjoint on July 26, 2011, 07:25:57 PM
Writing on RickyGervais.com, Gervais argued that the mere fact that the show features a heaven prevents it being an atheist comedy.

It doesn't though, given that one of the characters is an atheist, and it could therefore be a vehicle for atheistic beliefs.  Like awful atheist comedy film "The Invention Of Lying."

Ignatius_S

Quote from: BritishHobo on July 26, 2011, 08:34:33 PM
I don't understand how he doesn't understand how the reaction has come from the fact that Christianity...

But there doesn't appear to have been the reaction that he's claimed.

Quote from: Neil on July 26, 2011, 08:35:43 PM
It doesn't though, given that one of the characters is an atheist, and it could therefore be a vehicle for atheistic beliefs.  Like awful atheist comedy film "The Invention Of Lying."

Absolutely - and in any case, very few headlines are mentioning 'atheist' or 'atheism' .


Noodle Lizard

That really is painful.

I don't hate Gervais as much as a lot of people on this forum, but he really does seem less self-aware than David Brent at times like this.  More and moreso recently.

ThickAndCreamy

I don't understand how that picture is offensive or challenging. When I see all I can think about is how dire an attempt to provoke outrage it is.

Neil

"Anyway, what photo of me is your favorite?"  What a way to end an article - as needy as when he told Garry Shandling to tell him he stuff he'd done, which he liked, and not to mention the bad bits.  I wonder when God decided to play Ricky Gervais.

BritishHobo

Quote from: Ignatius_S on July 26, 2011, 08:44:58 PM
But there doesn't appear to have been the reaction that he's claimed.

There was something in a recent blog post of his, which I wrote a similar reply to on Pilkipedia. Let me find it...

QuoteSo just about every news source picked up on the new show. Which is great. Thanks.

But, all I said was it was called 'Afterlife' and is about an atheist who dies and finds himself in heaven.

At least half the publications went with "Ricky Gervais' new Atheist Comedy."

How is a show called 'Afterlife', about an atheist who dies and goes to heaven, an "Atheist Comedy"?

He goes to heaven. Therefore in this work of fiction heaven must exist. So does God by the way. Turns out the atheist was wrong.

How is that an atheist comedy?

Maybe they're once again confusing me with my characters. I played a dentist in 'Ghost Town' who talked to ghosts. I don't believe in ghosts. But it was a film not a documentary.

I can't win. 'The Invention of Lying' proposed an alternative world where there was no God. That was an atheist comedy too. Seems the existence or non-existence of God in my work has no bearing on whether it's an atheist comedy or not. It just is. Because I wrote it right? That's so weird.

I love 'It's a Wonderful Life'. I'm not threatened by its premise. I don't start shouting, "Religious propaganda!... How dare they assume that heaven and angels exist?" It's a work of fiction. And a great one.

And, because I created 'Afterlife' with Clyde Phillips they're assuming it's also going to be a twisted bloodlusty anti-religious fest - based on his 'Dexter' credentials.

I think he may have created as much comedy as me. We've come up with this show because we think it will be fun, different and entertaining. Not to undermine the moral fabric of America.

Here's what I suggest you do; wait till 'Afterlife' is finished then watch it. Or not. But if you watch it then you're allowed to have an opinion. You can gladly slag it off. You can start a campaign to get it banned. You can hate it. And trust me, it's so much more fun saying you hate something once you've actually seen it.

So, please wait, watch and find out if it's controversial or inflammatory first, yeh?

Anyway, I play God...

Image

Ha ha. That's true.

But he's a slightly different God to the one you may have seen in Bruce Almighty and other Hollywood films. He's an arrogant, wisecracking son of a bitch, who thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread. (So another stretch for me as an actor then.)

Actually he thinks he's the best thing ever because... well, he is. (He invented sliced bread by the way.) He also loves welcoming atheists to heaven with a smug grin on his face.

He likes atheists deep down though. Or rather he likes good atheists. He admires the fact that they were moral people even though they didn't believe they would ever be rewarded with everlasting life.

At least there's nothing in this blog entry that could be taken out of context.

Zetetic

^^^^^^^^^^
^
Quote from: NMEWriting on RickyGervais.com, Gervais argued that the mere fact that the show features lesbians makes it a solid refutation of Richard Littlejohn.

What the fuck is an "atheist comedy"? Is it just a comedy written by an atheist? Or is it a comedy that displays characteristics common or peculiar to works written by atheists?

BritishHobo

Two things I fucking love about that blogpost. He thinks people are calling The Invention of Lying because he wrote it, not because of the impossibly heavy-handed 'subtext' where the main character makes up Christianity, draws up the ten commandments on two pizza boxes, becomes almost an icon for it, and dresses as fucking Jesus.

Two, that instead of this being a different God to the one you may have seen in, say, the Bible, or movies portraying religious stories, it's a different God to 'the one from Bruce Almighty'. I just find that brilliant for some reason, like someone's first thought on hearing God might have been 'what, the character from Bruce Almighty?'

BritishHobo

Quote from: Zetetic on July 26, 2011, 09:28:49 PM
^^^^^^^^^^
^
What the fuck is an "atheist comedy"? Is it just a comedy written by an atheist? Or is it a comedy that displays characteristics common or peculiar to works written by atheists?

Surely when they say 'atheist comedy' they just mean a comedy with an atheist slant/agenda, right? The same way a comedy show that promoted liberal ideas and made fun of the Republican party would be called a liberal comedy.

Jemble Fred

Well I certainly did.

At the risk of turning this into an Orwellian fest of wailing, would this be a good time to mention that he's written the liner notes for this seemingly unnecessary Derek & Clive compilation? http://www.spincds.com/the-best-of-derek-clive-2cd

Zetetic

#14
Quote from: BritishHobo on July 26, 2011, 09:33:07 PM
Surely when they say 'atheist comedy' they just mean a comedy with an atheist slant/agenda, right?
Part issue with that is that I find it very difficult to understand what such a slant/agenda is. Part of my issue is probably the redefinition of atheist in the proselytising aggressive form of the New Atheist and the thought that Ricky Gervais is going to be the future stereotype of the term. Bugger.

QuoteThe same way a comedy show that promoted liberal ideas and made fun of the Republican party would be called a liberal comedy
Knocking out a few (but still not all) common phrases of the form "a liberal comedy X", I get 84 hits on this search. I think it's odd form in the first place actually. Seems even more unlikely that anyone might've called a work of his an 'atheist comedy'. (ALSO BECAUSE IT'S NOT FUNNY EH?)

Edit: Hmm, I've found about five or so actual uses of noun-phrase "liberal comedy", one being this article, which seems directly concerned with pushing the existence of "conservative comed[ies]" and "liberal comed[ies]". Weird.

Edit2: Similarly for "an atheist comedy", once you also exclude Gervais. Trying to actually find any "news outlet" that might've used the term "an atheist comedy" in earnest is quite difficult given the mass of regurgitation decrying said, possible, outlets.

BritishHobo

Quote from: Zetetic on July 26, 2011, 09:40:15 PM
Part issue with that is that I find it very difficult to understand what such a slant/agenda is. Part of my issue is probably the redefinition of atheist in the proselytising aggressive form of the New Atheist and the thought that Ricky Gervais is going to be the future stereotype of the term. Bugger.

See, that's what I think of when I think of a comedy with an 'agenda', or one that could be described as an 'atheist comedy', is one that's very preachy, and that's most definitely what Ricky Gervais can be. Now that you mention it, I've never actually used 'a _________ comedy' as a phrase, but it makes me think of something like the heavy-handed episodes of Family Guy that don't even attempt to hide what their view on a subject is, and just come across looking irritating and, well, smug.

Johnny Textface

Imagine my amusement when I saw the title of this thread, just after listening to an old Adam & Joe XFM show..

http://k002.kiwi6.com/hotlink/ll2319roa2/god.mp3


Zetetic

#17
Quote from: BritishHobo on July 26, 2011, 10:06:03 PM
See, that's what I think of when I think of a comedy with an 'agenda', or one that could be described as an 'atheist comedy', is one that's very preachy, and that's most definitely what Ricky Gervais can be. Now that you mention it, I've never actually used 'a _________ comedy' as a phrase,...
Thus far I've got Chortle and that's it describing Afterlife as 'atheist comedy' (I think as a NP, but it's not clear because it's only in a heavily compressed headline). To be fair to the man, this article in NY Post uses it regarding The Invention of Lying as a derogatory term.

kitsofan34

Is there some sort of weekly quota that needs to be reached of Gervais bashing on this forum?

Zetetic

I suppose Afterlife does look likely to be more interesting and funnier than (either Cemetery Junction or) The Invention of Lying; partly because while it might be didactic, might be informed by Gervais' beliefs about the non-existence of God, it looks less likely to be so tediously dogmatic as the latter of those two.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

I hope he gets subsumed under a truckload of penguins.

Gervais isn't bright enough to say anything interesting about either god or the non-existence thereof. Oddly, I'd have more respect for him if he was religious. It'd only be a tiny sliver more respect, but it'd be something.

Artemis

Quote from: Maybe Im Doing It Wrong on July 27, 2011, 08:50:01 PM
Gervais isn't bright enough to say anything interesting about either god or the non-existence thereof. Oddly, I'd have more respect for him if he was religious. It'd only be a tiny sliver more respect, but it'd be something.

He's quite impressed with himself as an atheist though, isn't he. You can almost sense the brownie points he gives himself for daring to speak out when he's safely won an audience, repeating the ideas other people have articulated so much better. I remember cringing whenever he brought the issue up during his astonishingly premature appearance on The Actors Studio, thinking he's adding nothing, and actually detracting from the credibility of his position by making being like him so unenviable.

crossjoint

Quote from: Artemis on July 27, 2011, 10:14:42 PM
He's quite impressed with himself as an atheist though, isn't he. You can almost sense the brownie points he gives himself for daring to speak out when he's safely won an audience, repeating the ideas other people have articulated so much better. I remember cringing whenever he brought the issue up during his astonishingly premature appearance on The Actors Studio, thinking he's adding nothing, and actually detracting from the credibility of his position by making being like him so unenviable.

Definitely.

I did enjoy the Office and Extras and will tune in to whatever he puts out next, but outside of these shows I find him an unlikeable person as he seems to have an arrogance born of ignorance, which shines through when he touches on religion or philosophy.
And anyone that needs to make a song and dance about being an atheist all the time irritates me anyway.

The Grinch

I suppose atheism must be received as something much more controversial in America. Did Gervais ever bang on so much about his atheism until he started attempting to break America? Here it would surely hardly raise an eyebrow.

NaCl

i've always imagined god to be a fat, atheist cunt, so this sounds promising.

Depressed Beyond Tables

But America needs more people telling them this religion thing is bollocks.

Don't shoot the messenger just yet.

Jemble Fred

Quote from: NaCl on July 28, 2011, 06:56:13 AM
fat, atheist cunt

Gervais is certainly not one of those things these days. The other two are still true.

Famous Mortimer

A few of you are criticising "atheist comedy", but Gervais seems to be opposing it himself (according to that article), doesn't he?

Mr Faineant

Quote from: The Grinch on July 28, 2011, 01:49:34 AM
I suppose atheism must be received as something much more controversial in America. Did Gervais ever bang on so much about his atheism until he started attempting to break America? Here it would surely hardly raise an eyebrow.

Religiosity in America is actually astounding. I moved over here 8 years ago (from England), and am still constantly amazed about how many people claim a belief in god and a disbelief in evolution. I really dislike Ricky Gervais quite a lot, and that photo of him with "Atheist" on his chest is abhorrent (and not because of the atheist bit), but I am glad that he is pushing his atheism into the faces of Americans. Most people with a platform here are are too scared to be openly atheist, particularly in the government. Atheism is a career stopper for politicians. So having someone who loudly screams "I am an atheist" at every opportunity is something that I think is needed here, just to give people something to think about.

Last night I had a depressing example of the state of this country. I was talking to a 4 year old boy, the son of a family friend, and I asked him why grass is green. I like to ask kids questions like this because I normally get an absurd but hilarious explanation, because their young minds have tried to make sense of the world. This kid said "I don't know...actually, I do know, it's because god made it that way." I found it a bit depressing, even a young child has had his intellectual curiosity stifled by the default "god did it" response to questions for which another explanation isn't known or understood.