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March 28, 2024, 05:54:23 PM

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Ricky Gervais's After Life series 3 [split topic]

Started by Cursus, July 23, 2020, 09:33:21 PM

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olliebean

Presumably it's "most watched in the world" not of all time, but just in the particular period when a lot of people were watching it. Most watched of that year, perhaps. (Or maybe even just most watched on Netflix.)

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: olliebean on December 23, 2020, 05:44:42 PM
Presumably it's "most watched in the world" not of all time, but just in the particular period when a lot of people were watching it. Most watched of that year, perhaps. (Or maybe even just most watched on Netflix.)

Even then, it's hard to believe. Must be some pretty creative interpretation of figures going on there.. Perhaps it was the most-watched British sitcom in the world on the day it was released? Nah, even that's hard to believe.

olliebean

The source seems to be a twitter fan account called @gervaistrivia which posted that series 1 was the most watched British-made comedy of 2019 (in August 2019). It also posted that Humanity was the most watched stand-up special of 2018, which I find even more difficult to believe (unless they're counting people who, like me, watched the first 10 minutes, thought "fuck this, it's shit," and turned it off).

Quote from: paruses on December 23, 2020, 09:08:53 AM
People conveniently forget that loads of shit things are popular when it suits them
he's the kind of cunt who'd roll out "argumentum ad populum" in an argument about god or something, definitely done it before

Blue Jam

#124
Replying to criticism with "My bank manager disagrees!" or whatever seems so curiously old-fashioned. Who actually talks to their bank managers these days? It sounds like something a Monty Python or Dad's Army character might say. Also his constant retweeting of @gervaistrivia is fucking weird.

Anyway, I rewatched David Brent: Life On The Road the other day. I always considered that film a bit of a guilty pleasure but now have to admit that it's better than that, I was reminded that it's actually pretty good and I enjoy it in a completely non-ironic way. The David Brent of that film is self-aware and vulnerable and a bit pathetic and you do feel a bit sorry for him. He's a world away from Tony Johnson, the smartarse know-it-all of After Life.

I was also interested to note that it features Nina Sosanya (SugaRape's receptionist in Nathan Barley) in a realistic portrayal of a mental health professional, and that her character is a million miles away from the sleazy and rapey caricature of an unethical therapist played by Paul Kaye in After Life.

I'm struggling to believe it was made in 2016. The gulf in quality between DB:LOTR and After Life is immense. How has Gervais fallen that far that fast?

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Did you also like the way his band mates, who clearly don't like him in the slightest and regard him as an embarrassment all decide what a great bunch of lads he is at the end of the film  FOR NO FUCKING REASON AT ALL?

Blue Jam

I like the way the studio engineer decides he's been a bit harsh on Brent and starts to feel a bit sorry for him. You're right, it's not a great film by any means, it's not a patch on The Office, but I find it a lot more enjoyable that After Life, which is really just lazily-written and a waste of a good cast and just a bit dull. Seeing it was made in 2016 made me wonder if he does still have a decent sitcom in him, and if we'd get to see it if he wasn't surrounded by sycophants and people too scared to give him some constructive criticism.

QDRPHNC

Could be something to do with the fact that the foundations of the character were already in place, whereas Gervais coming up with his own from scratch leads us to Derek.

lankyguy95

Rewatched an episode of Derek the other day. The one where his dog dies. Fuck me.

Blue Jam

Quote from: QDRPHNC on December 28, 2020, 01:16:00 PM
Could be something to do with the fact that the foundations of the character were already in place, whereas Gervais coming up with his own from scratch leads us to Derek.

I was going to say "Yes, plus the fact that he had a co-writer" but it looks like the David Brent film was a solo effort. I think you're right then, he was building on a character that was originally a joint effort and already fully realised.

After Life is jarringly unrealistic at times and Derek is just plain bizarre. Yep, I think you've hit the nail on the head here, it may be that David Brent works because Gervais had Stephen Merchant to reign him in and he then realised he had a winning formula and shouldn't stray too far from it.

It could also be that, even though Gervais is more than a little Brent-like, playing him might feel more like playing a fictional character than playing Tony from After Life, who is essentially Gervais's Twitter persona. I wonder if he's even acting when he's playing Tony. Not only does the character of Tony Johnson look and sound like The Actor Ricky Gervais, he holds all the same beliefs and opinions and even dresses like him.

mr. logic

I honestly thought the Brent film was shockingly awful. After Life was possibly better, maybe.

I think Gervais should do a new series of Derek where the title character undergoes some procedure that makes him intelligent. 

lankyguy95

Quote from: mr. logic on December 28, 2020, 01:57:58 PM
I honestly thought the Brent film was shockingly awful. After Life was possibly better, maybe.
I thought it was largely boring, and then turned shit with the thoroughly unearned 'emotional' ending.

Bernice

Quote from: Phoenix Lazarus on December 28, 2020, 02:01:54 PM
I think Gervais should do a new series of Derek where the title character undergoes some procedure that makes him intelligent.

flowres for derke

Blue Jam

Quote from: Bernice on December 28, 2020, 02:35:47 PM
flowres for derke

It's Always Sunny got there first.

Would love to see a Derke Xmas special where Derke prays to God to make him clever then he discovers cures for dementia, alcoholism and being a pervert and helps out all his friends. And then Clever Derke realises there is no God and it was all a dream and he's back where he belongs, with his friends, just the way they were. Kindness is magic.

Blue Jam

Gervais doing sci-fi would be the worst thing ever wouldn't it.


Junket Pumper

I can't stand Gervais or his stand-up so I  haven't seen the routine referenced, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was lazy and transphobic, but is Frankie 'why do people with Downs Syndrome all dress the same' Boyle really in a position to attack other comedians for lazy bigotry?

lankyguy95

Has Boyle ever apologised for his bit about Harvey Price wanting to rape his mother?

That's a genuine question.

Twonty Gostelow

Quote from: Junket Pumper on December 28, 2020, 10:45:22 PM
I can't stand Gervais or his stand-up so I  haven't seen the routine referenced, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was lazy and transphobic, but is Frankie 'why do people with Downs Syndrome all dress the same' Boyle really in a position to attack other comedians for lazy bigotry?


Which Sun-columnist Boyle defended by saying he wrote the joke with a friend who has brittle bone disease - yes, really.

Let's not forget 'Why are they called Sunshine Variety coaches when all the kids on them look the fucking same?'  That one was Jimmy Carr, the tax-shy automaton who socialises with Princess Beatrice and went on holiday with her to the Caribbean.

Too many left-wing comedians, yeah.

Menu

Quote from: Junket Pumper on December 28, 2020, 10:45:22 PM
I can't stand Gervais or his stand-up so I  haven't seen the routine referenced, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was lazy and transphobic, but is Frankie 'why do people with Downs Syndrome all dress the same' Boyle really in a position to attack other comedians for lazy bigotry?


Yes, I can't see how Boyle could possibly justify this if it was put to him. You either accept - as Gervais does and as I thought Boyle did - that you can make jokes about EVERYTHING or you don't. You can't pick and choose, and you certainly can't start moralising about other comedians' decisions. Apparently this was on Louis Theroux's podcast. I wonder if Louis put this obvious point to him. It's disappointing because I fund Frankie Boyle funny. I'd find him less funny if there was some sort of dreary moralising hypocrite under the surface.

madhair60

Quote from: Menu on December 29, 2020, 12:26:20 AM
You either accept - as Gervais does and as I thought Boyle did - that you can make jokes about EVERYTHING or you don't.

Eh? Hang on, eh, mate? Hang on. Making jokes about some things, but not others - there's a massive spectrum there. For example, you can make jokes about say, nine things, but say there's a couple of things that are just a bit hmm, dunno. Or what if the jokes are bad, like all of Ricky's? What then?

Slippery slope, this making jokes about everything lark. Should we all not just agree that you probably shouldn't make jokes about everything? That seems the most reasonable way forward.

Bronzy

Quote from: Menu on December 29, 2020, 12:26:20 AM
Yes, I can't see how Boyle could possibly justify this if it was put to him. You either accept - as Gervais does and as I thought Boyle did - that you can make jokes about EVERYTHING or you don't. You can't pick and choose, and you certainly can't start moralising about other comedians' decisions. Apparently this was on Louis Theroux's podcast. I wonder if Louis put this obvious point to him. It's disappointing because I fund Frankie Boyle funny. I'd find him less funny if there was some sort of dreary moralising hypocrite under the surface.


Menu

Quote from: madhair60 on December 29, 2020, 12:30:24 AM
Eh? Hang on, eh, mate? Hang on. Making jokes about some things, but not others - there's a massive spectrum there. For example, you can make jokes about say, nine things, but say there's a couple of things that are just a bit hmm, dunno. Or what if the jokes are bad, like all of Ricky's? What then?

Slippery slope, this making jokes about everything lark. Should we all not just agree that you probably shouldn't make jokes about everything? That seems the most reasonable way forward.

You make good points. I withdraw.


Jockice

Quote from: Twonty Gostelow on December 28, 2020, 11:36:33 PM
Which Sun-columnist Boyle defended by saying he wrote the joke with a friend who has brittle bone disease - yes, really.

Let's not forget 'Why are they called Sunshine Variety coaches when all the kids on them look the fucking same?'  That one was Jimmy Carr, the tax-shy automaton who socialises with Princess Beatrice and went on holiday with her to the Caribbean.

Too many left-wing comedians, yeah.

A few years ago a member of my family actually apologised to me for having a Jimmy Carr DVD in their house. But why should I give a toss? I'm not offended. The only thing that bugs me are that most disability/ginger hair/Scotland 'jokes' that people make are absolutely fucking shit. And I've put the word jokes in inverted commas because they usually are just insults. That's all. No punchline, nothing unexpected. Just insults.

neardark

The amount of people on Twitter leaping to Ricky's defence is staggering. Comments like this:

https://twitter.com/DreyfusJames/status/1343634363892817920?s=19

Feels like he's brainwashed half his followers into blind, cult-like worship

phes

Quote from: neardark on December 29, 2020, 11:07:05 AM
The amount of people on Twitter leaping to Ricky's defence is staggering. Comments like this:

https://twitter.com/DreyfusJames/status/1343634363892817920?s=19

Feels like he's brainwashed half his followers into blind, cult-like worship

twonks n gorps innit. it's exactly what he did, hard, for about a decade. just don't even go there

checkoutgirl

5 minutes on James Dreyfus's Twitter is a headspin. Seems to be on it a lot.

neardark

Quote from: checkoutgirl on December 29, 2020, 11:35:00 AM
5 minutes on James Dreyfus's Twitter is a headspin. Seems to be on it a lot.

And the first words on his Twitter bio are "No cultism." You couldn't make it up.