Topic: Ricky Gervais [split topic]

[Monsieur Verdoux]

that is also true

[Bennett Brauer]

lol'ing at the idea of living his life in the footsteps of a VERY dodgy person.

But he's bloviating about Allen as an artist.

Haven't you said elsewhere that you don't know much about Woody Allen anyway?

[Bennett Brauer]

knew as soon as i posted it that someone would point this out

Not just "someone", but arguably this forum's most significant poster.

[bgmnts]

But he's bloviating about Allen as an artist.

Haven't you said elsewhere that you don't know much about Woody Allen anyway?

I don't know much about most of his films, no.

[Bennett Brauer]

You're not missing anything. The guy's a creepy weirdo who can't write for toffee.

[neveragain]

You need to have less confidence in it. The clip was less than a minute long but it still looked dreadful. The funny side of dementia, a disingenuous racist term and Ashley Jensen not acting convincingly.

There was nothing bad about Jensen in the clip, she acts well.

[Bennett Brauer]

She's a good actress and I don't entirely blame her, but the "cock of a Chinaman" laugh and the delivering of lines that a Dementia Nurse simply wouldn't say* are not convincing.

Kerry Godliman in Derek all over again?

*  ETA  specifically in front of a patient.

[Ornlu]

Was unable to gauge Ricky's reaction when Graham announced that, among others, Stephen Merchant would be on the show next week. It's like someone on the show's production team is deliberately trying to elicit a "oh yeah, you never see those two together anymore, do you"-type reaction.

[BritishHobo]

What if it's good?! Imagine!

[olliebean]

Where is this clip? (Failing YouTube, a timecode for when it occurs in the programme on iPlayer will suffice. Buggered if I'm going to plough through the whole thing looking for it.)

[Captain Z]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0c2nxx6/the-graham-norton-show-series-24-episode-17

34:40

[Mango Chimes]

Bald.

[olliebean]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0c2nxx6/the-graham-norton-show-series-24-episode-17

34:40

Thanks, Cap.Z. Pretty weak stuff, isn't it? Basically getting away with pathetic schoolboy rudeness by having it reported as being said by a senile old man. With Jensen's job apparently being to signal the audience that it's supposed to be funny by laughing at it herself.

[shiftwork2]

In my mind I'd had XFM brilliance then 'The Office' (great, of course it is), Extras (first series was ok, second very weird and lost and frankly shite) and then his stand up shows and Netflix American fame.  But there was Life's Too Short in the middle wasn't there?  Completely forgotten now but let's hang on to it.  Putting a short man in a toilet for kicks.  Oh Ricky.

[Jake Thingray]

Apologies if someone else has already pointed it out, but presumably Gervais' new effort is rehashing something he promised eight years ago;

https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=28845.0

[Shit Good Nose]

Funniest thing in Life's Too Short was "Warren Davies".

[kalowski]

Funniest thing in Life's Too Short was "Warren Davies".

Funniest bit, as I always say, was with his accountant.(Paraphrasing)

"I've got to calculate your 45% tax too"
"50%. The top rate is 50%"
"50%? Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit"

[Cold Meat Platter]

Funniest bit, as I always say, was with his accountant.(Paraphrasing)

"I've got to calculate your 45% tax too"
"50%. The top rate is 50%"
"50%? Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit"

Did you not see it when he put the wee guy in the bog?

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Life's Too Short was absolutely dreadful, but I steadfastly stand by my opinion that the 60 minute postscript special - which no one seems to remember - was actually alright and quite funny. It didn't have anything to do with laughing at Warwick Davis, it was more like an episode of Extras starring Les Dennis, Cheggers and Barry from EastEnders. Yes, it sidelined Davis in what was ostensibly his own show, but he was better off out of it anyway.

Usual caveat: Merchant probably wrote most of it.

[St_Eddie]

Life's Too Short was absolutely dreadful, but I steadfastly stand by my opinion that the 60 minute postscript special - which no one seems to remember - was actually alright and quite funny. It didn't have anything to do with laughing at Warwick Davis, it was more like an episode of Extras starring Les Dennis, Cheggers and Barry from EastEnders. Yes, it sidelined Davis in what was ostensibly his own show, but he was better off out of it anyway.

Usual caveat: Merchant probably wrote most of it.

Meh.  The only part of the special that I remember enjoying was Val Kilmer walking out of the restaurant, leaving Warwick Davis to front the bill, after lying to him about the existence of a sequel to Willow.  I'm certainly in agreement with kalowski though; everything with the accountant was pure gold.  I love that he laughs at everything, regardless of what's been said.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I'm not suggesting for a moment that the special was GREAT, just that it pretty much did away with the Life's Too Short format - such as it was - and delivered a fairly amusing hour of Cheggers, Barry and Les Dennis.

It does, however, leave a sour taste in the mouth, as it's written and directed by multimillionaires, but the fact that, in real life, Cheggers, Barry and Les Dennis are (were in the case of Cheggers, RIP) successful sort of makes up for that.

I agree that the cheerfully incompetent lawyer character in LTS was the only good part of that show. For all their obvious faults, Gervais and Merchant are actually very good when it comes to writing broad comedy based around absolute buffoons.

[Bennett Brauer]

An abiding memory of LTS is Rosamund Hanson as Warwick's thick secretary being a thankless cipher of a role. And I don't she's the one to blame for that.

[MojoJojo]

I have a friend in Ricky's professional orbit who complains that he's simultaneously obsessed with his credibility as well as - and seemingly at odds with - his notoriety. His mantra is "would Woody Allen do it?" which just seems arcane in 2019. He truly has become everything he pretended to despise throughout his ascent.

A more appropriate mantra for Ricky's level of talent is "would Jimmy Saville do it?"

[LynnBenfield69]

I see it as less than a stick to bash him with and more as a reason to feel sorry for him. Most fans of his XFM work would agree he once had a genuine and admirable disdain for the trappings of fame but has since found himself in a creative cul-de-sac and yet preoccupied with keeping his face on the telly. All his millions wouldn't console me in that situation - and I've debased myself plenty for money.

[FerriswheelBueller]

A more appropriate mantra for Ricky's level of talent is "would Jimmy Saville do it?"

What Would Timmy Mallett Do?

(WWTMD?)

[mrpupkin]

Hate to wallow in negativity but really that clip from Graham Norton is just depressing. Still mining the same weak tropes that were completely exhausted by around episode two of Extras. Chinaman’s cock, fuckin ell. And the same old atmosphere-vacuum direction, same tossed-off lead performance. See his forced grin and twitchy fingers when it cuts back to the studio too...I think he knows, deep down he knows.

[Utter Shit]

Life's Too Short was absolutely dreadful, but I steadfastly stand by my opinion that the 60 minute postscript special - which no one seems to remember - was actually alright and quite funny. It didn't have anything to do with laughing at Warwick Davis, it was more like an episode of Extras starring Les Dennis, Cheggers and Barry from EastEnders. Yes, it sidelined Davis in what was ostensibly his own show, but he was better off out of it anyway.

Usual caveat: Merchant probably wrote most of it.

Good point, wish I'd have thought to say that.

The special was more like an episode of Extras IIRC - there was more focus on Barry from Eastenders, Les Dennis and Cheggers playing exaggerated versions of themselves than Warwick Davis. I haven't seen it in a few years so my memory is a little hazy but it was so, so much better than anything from the series.

You bastard.

[Utter Shit]

I caught a bit of the Norton thing the other night - load of bollocks, but fuck me that Patrick Stewart bit in Extras is still so funny. Stewart's delivery is so perfectly straight for such a ridiculous idea.

[St_Eddie]

I caught a bit of the Norton thing the other night - load of bollocks, but fuck me that Patrick Stewart bit in Extras is still so funny. Stewart's delivery is so perfectly straight for such a ridiculous idea.

I'm a big fan of Extras (I actually prefer it to The Office) and yes, that scene is great.

"I've seen everything anyway and I get on my bike and ride off.  On the grass."

I love the schoolboy smile he gives when he proudly states that he rode his bike on the grass.

[Mark X]

A more appropriate mantra for Ricky's level of talent is "would Jimmy Saville do it?"