Ricky Gervais [split topic]

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

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

You bastard.

I am a bastard who agrees with you that I'm a bastard who agrees with you about the LTS special.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

To be fair to the Rickster, he was just one of the many millions of people who didn't realise at the time that the great British eccentric Jimmy Savile was actually one of Britain's most prolific paedophiles and sex offenders.

[Bennett Brauer]

To be fair to the Rickster, he was just one of the many millions of people who didn't realise at the time that the great British eccentric Jimmy Savile was actually one of Britain's most prolific paedophiles and sex offenders.

Comment under that video on youtube - 'You can't say Jimmy Savile without saying "vile".'  Contentious.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Makes you think.

[bradaaron87]

I thought Extras was tepid shite. An excuse for Gervais to schmooze with some A-listers (and Ross Kemp). Can't believe I ever liked him, really. My younger self obviously needed a swift backhand. He's utterly loathsome, and everything post-Office has been shambolic.

Still, he's got his atheism! I reckon he must've skimmed through The God Delusion over a weekend and watched a load of Christopher Hitchens videos on YouTube.

[Spudgun]

Comment under that video on youtube - 'You can't say Jimmy Savile without saying "vile".'  Contentious.

You can't type "Jimmy's a vile paedophile" without simultaneously typing "Jimmy Savile: paedophile". Sort of.

[Bennett Brauer]

You can't go "Ugh-uh-ugh-uh-ugh now then now then" without people asking you to leave the Youth Club.

[neardark]

Didn't realise he was playing Andy Millman.

[bradaaron87]

Just seen his interview with True Geordie on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/Xp202GZzD9Q

Comments are flooded with people asking why he never mentions Steve Merchant when discussing The Office, or why he won't talk about Karl, the podcasts, or the XFM shows. "The one thing that annoys me about Ricky is that it always seems to be me, me, me with him," a viewer writes.

[The Lion King]

He's forever quoting his own work.. 'I brought this up in humanity..' 'This was one of the topics I covered in Humanity' then proceeds to explain it to the millions listening who have already seen it. Reminds me of Joe 'I did a bit on that once' Rogan

[Cuellar]

Didn't realise he was playing Andy Millman.

He looks 100% not arsed in that clip. Is he even acting? I can't tell.

[gilbertharding]

I thought Extras was tepid shite. An excuse for Gervais to schmooze with some A-listers (and Ross Kemp).

I quite liked the Tim Fromtheoffice sitcom Hardware which along with Dinnerladies was being obviously 'satirised' (as in 'look at this shit') in When the Whistle Blows.

This is another reason to hate Extras.

[lankyguy95]

There's a bit in When The Whistle Blows that made me laugh unironically more than most other things in series two of Extras.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I quite liked the Tim Fromtheoffice sitcom Hardware which along with Dinnerladies was being obviously 'satirised' (as in 'look at this shit') in When the Whistle Blows.

This is another reason to hate Extras.

And yet it almost feels like a prescient satire of Mrs Browns Boys.

[trabuch]

Just seen his interview with True Geordie on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/Xp202GZzD9Q

Comments are flooded with people asking why he never mentions Steve Merchant when discussing The Office, or why he won't talk about Karl, the podcasts, or the XFM shows. "The one thing that annoys me about Ricky is that it always seems to be me, me, me with him," a viewer writes.

I only watched the prepuce of this. I can't imagine there is much to be gleaned from the rest.(someone else do the work). Although I remember the True Geordie for the use of the term Thunder Cunt for a particularly powerfully struck shot.

[Noodle Lizard]

I like Extras, for the most part.  That was before he'd properly gone off, and Merchant's input was still very apparent.  Season 2 really is like another show entirely, which practically abandons its initial premise, but there are plenty of funny moments and Gervais is quite good in it.  I remember being impressed at the time that his character was quite different to David Brent.  It's only really in hindsight that you see the flaws, based on his later output.  It's like doing a magic trick for someone more than once.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I like Extras, for the most part.  That was before he'd properly gone off, and Merchant's input was still very apparent.  Season 2 really is like another show entirely, which practically abandons its initial premise, but there are plenty of funny moments and Gervais is quite good in it.  I remember being impressed at the time that his character was quite different to David Brent.  It's only really in hindsight that you see the flaws, based on his later output.  It's like doing a magic trick for someone more than once.

Series 2 of Extras is much better than series 1, as it focuses more on this weird little unit of characters as opposed to to the 'star guest of the week' format. Gervais and Merchant must've realised that (boring) everyman Andy bouncing off the antics of Darren, Barry and Maggie was much funnier than (boring) Andy being embarrassed in the presence of big Hollywood stars playing exaggerated versions of themselves.

That still doesn't excuse the laziness, homophobia, tired cringe comedy and self-serving "we're so much better than mainstream sitcoms" bullshit of series 2, but I preferred its willingness to indulge in broad comedy - the very thing it was supposedly taking the piss out of with When the Whistle Blows, but Gervais had lost the plot in terms of logical consistency by that point. Merchant probably wanted to make a sweet, wacky comedy about some dysfunctional oddballs a la Hello Ladies. Gervais always feels the need to "say" something, but he's not smart enough.

It's a massively flawed and hypocritical show - actively unpleasant at times - but I still enjoy those moments when it seems content to just be a silly, funny sitcom.

[lankyguy95]

Series 2 is just a complete mess to me although it's just about rescued by Merchant who makes me beam every time he's on screen.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

That's what I mean, it's better than series 1 because it places more focus on Merchant. That character is just innately hilarious, the rest of it is shite.

[Bennett Brauer]

Probably been said before, and hindsight and all that, but Merchant seems marginalised and borderline unhappy in this Steve Carrell scene from Life's Too Short https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD5LBABxrTw. So had the Merchant/Gervais split already happened at this stage? (Edit - changed it to an even better example.)

[Noodle Lizard]

Probably been said before, and hindsight and all that, but Merchant seems marginalised and borderline unhappy in this Steve Carrell scene from Life's Too Short https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD5LBABxrTw. So had the Merchant/Gervais split already happened at this stage? (Edit - changed it to an even better example.)

Man that scene is poor (though I think Steve is acting there).

[Mango Chimes]

I always thought a big problem with Extras was Gervais wanting to be both the Tim and the David Brent of the show. So you've got Millman being sympathetically downtrodden and cute with Ashley Jenson as well as doing the  "ooh, ahh... no... er..." business after being racist and/or disablist every episode. It doesn't fit together.

I didn't really like the celebrity cameos, either. They're too self-consciously showing they can laugh at themselves. The original idea is funnier, having extras as focal characters whilst major celebrities are just in the background.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I just looked for Patrick Stewart's bit in extras and it turns out they're all up on iplayer box sets at the moment.

[Bennett Brauer]

Man that scene is poor (though I think Steve is acting there).

I liked the bit where the video call went wrong.

Merchant looking uncomfortable, and note Gervais talking about people seeing his name at the end of the credits.

[St_Eddie]

I think Extras is sublime.  Felt the need to say that, just for balance.

[Twit 2]

His recent Graham Norton appearance was painful. He was doing alright with his banter on the couch, I even grudgingly had to admit he was being quite witty and a good guest. Then he started talking up his show. Then they played a clip of it and it was the worst possible SHIT. The gap between his pitch and the actual quality of the show was tragic. It made me squirm in my seat. A palpable sadness descended. I actually felt sorry for the poor cunt.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I liked the bit where the video call went wrong.

Merchant looking uncomfortable, and note Gervais talking about people seeing his name at the end of the credits.

That scene is moderately amusing, to be fair , with the massive inevitability of yer man Steve Carrel  * still* listening in on a second occasion.

[neardark]

I thought Extras was brilliant, never understood the hammering it gets on here.

[St_Eddie]

I thought Extras was brilliant, never understood the hammering it gets on here.

Damn straight.

[thraxx]

I always thought a big problem with Extras was Gervais wanting to be both the Tim and the David Brent of the show. So you've got Millman being sympathetically downtrodden and cute with Ashley Jenson as well as doing the  "ooh, ahh... no... er..." business after being racist and/or disablist every episode. It doesn't fit together.

As much as I like Extras, this is the huge flaw in it. Millman is such an inconsistent character. Part of me wants to accept that he is shallow enough to swing between sympathetic and idiotic so wildly, but the benefit of time has shown us that it's just Gervais wanting his cake and to eat it, and poor writing.