Revisiting Ricky Gervais' XFM shows

[H-O-W-L]

Are you referring to the Xfm show with the woman who addressed Steve as "Mechant" (sounding like "met-chent") or are you making a bilingual pun on his name, calling him malicious ("méchant")?

Referencing that, yes, hence why it's in all-caps. But the bilinguality makes me sound smarter so pretend I intended that even if it's sort of cunty.

I remember a bit where they were talking about posters advertising the show, but I always thought it was a different one. I recall Ricky saying that it was plastered all over the tube and he thought that he looked like a "predatory gay".

Pic won't show here for some reason so I'll link it.
https://images.app.goo.gl/ZibbVmA7P3nzKs9q8

Nah it was this one:

[TommyTurnips]

Thank you! Yes that one does make a lot more sense.

[famethrowa]

there's also the esoteric rockbusters clues Karl comes up with - like "6 magicians running for Prime Minister = elect trick six (electric 6)". If he is the one that comes up with them all.

I still fondly remember "having a nice morning in bed, but out of biscuits = lie-in-no rich-tea (Lionel Ritchie). Top larfs

[famethrowa]

Less fondly remember a pointless story by Ricky where he was looking for office space, and the estate agent showed him a place that may (or may not) have had a sex worker in another part of the building, and Ricky was unbelievably offended and horrified.

[Jumblegraws]

I still fondly remember "having a nice morning in bed, but out of biscuits = lie-in-no rich-tea (Lionel Ritchie). Top larfs

Pedantry alert: that was actually one sent in by a listener to challenge Karl rather than one he came up with, Ricky was stunned that Karl solved it and solved it quickly. My favourite Rockbuster installment was this set:
"If you're going over to France, buy your fags on the boat cos it'll be cheaper" Initials: BF
Answer:

Spoiler alert

Brian Ferry (buy on ferry)

[close]

"That little foreign cafe is growing its own steaks" Initials: D
Answer:

Spoiler alert

Del Amitri (deli meat-tree). Steve points out the initials should have been "DA", Ricky laments "so you didn't even give them a chance with that one"

[close]

"The Jamaican man shouted this on the Titanic" Initials: CD
Answer:

Spoiler alert

Chris DeBurgh (Christ! De berg!)

[close]

[bgmnts]

Rockbusters and Monkey News is the highlight of the entire thing for me. Some absolute crackers on Rockbusters:

That woman's got her husbands gloves and a pair of her own.

Spoiler alert

Herman's Hermits

[close]

That Jamaican fella needs an aspirin. Why is that?

Spoiler alert

Freda Payne

[close]

[famethrowa]

The classic:

"So you've got 3 kebabs, 2 kebabs, 4 kebabs together, what you got?"

Spoiler alert

Donna Summer

[close]

[TommyTurnips]

It's amazing that in the poster above, the poster for their final six week run on XFM that Karl still isn't listed on the poster that advertises the programme when he was very well established as the star of the show by this point.

[JamesTC]

The very best Rockbusters was the one that none of the audience managed to get but still made perfect sense.

I don't like them birds uh- they shouldn't be allowed in this area.

B

Spoiler alert

angles. All of the audience said Boyzone.

[close]

[Jumblegraws]

Rockbusters and Monkey News is the highlight of the entire thing for me. Some absolute crackers on Rockbusters:

That woman's got her husbands gloves and a pair of her own.

Spoiler alert

Herman's Hermits

[close]

That Jamaican fella needs an aspirin. Why is that?

Spoiler alert

Freda Payne

[close]

I love that first one, Ricky is so amused by it he says the answer to himself three times, getting gigglier with each repetition. God, weird to think how much I liked that guy at one point.

[Retinend]

God, weird to think how much I liked that guy at one point.

Nothing weird about it. His early career is brilliant.

[sutin]

Songs Of Phrase was my favourite. I only have to think of "You'll never see an old man eat a Maaaaaaaaars Ba-Ba-Ba" to be crying with laughter, one of my favourite comedy moments ever.

[JamesTC]

"My... girlfriend... had a... problem... with her... morrow"

[Cuellar]

"My nana auntie had wind for FIIIIIVE minutes"

edit: or was it auntie? Might be auntie

[turnstyle]

"My nana auntie had wind for FIIIIIVE minutes"

edit: or was it auntie? Might be auntie

Auntie Nora

[JamesTC]

Split tennis ball.

[TommyTurnips]

I KNOW YOU'RE JUST SIXTEEN, BUT LOOKING ALL OF TWENTY-ONE. That's. BECAAAUSE! The Chiiiiiiiineeeeeese. LOOOOOK. OLDEEEEEER!

[Dusty Substance]

Which one of you is Richard "Dickie Anders" Anderson?

[TommyTurnips]

He became an author. I read his website a long time ago where in the bio he acknowledged his contributions to the Ricky Gervais xfm show.

[willbo]

he gave a big interview on a podcast devoted to the xfm show last year. I heard it all but don't remember much of what he said though I think he critiqued the show a bit

[Utter Shit]

My favourite bit of the whole show is Karl talking about the monkey in the rest home whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of a fellow monkey. Karl's claim that things turned sour when "something's said" is just unbelievably funny.

[bgmnts]

My favourite bit of the whole show is Karl talking about the monkey in the rest home whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of a fellow monkey. Karl's claim that things turned sour when "something's said" is just unbelievably funny.

"Something's said" is indeed a belly laugh, as well as the monkey football team where the goalkeeper is a holder of PhD in Physics.

Also, Koko the monkey who is fluent in several languages and is a 'photographer'.

[JamesTC]

I remember sitting in Subway once listening to an episode. Karl said "I'm sat here with my jeans on, I don't know where I am" and I just roared laughing uncontrollably. Got funny looks.

[Dusty Substance]

My favourite bit of the whole show is Karl talking about the monkey in the rest home whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of a fellow monkey. Karl's claim that things turned sour when "something's said" is just unbelievably funny.

Yeah, Monkey News was a true highlight of the XFM shows. There was that episode, the one with the "Little gang of monkeys" where a monkey prostitute was getting fatter as she was charging bananas for sex and the bank robbery where the monkey stole a gun and started backing out of the bank.

Might do a binge listen to all the Monkey News.

[JamesTC]

I think my favourite feature might have been Karl's Headlines. Sadly he only did it a few times.

[TommyTurnips]

Who could forget the item called "Do we need 'em". Where Karl calls an expert out of the blue, records the call and tries to persuade them to wipe out entire species of animal. Sometimes bargaining with them with deals like "alright, can we keep snails if you agree to get rid of octopus". Other times the expert would fold a bit and say that "Limpets can go, get rid of limpets". The bit ended because Karl thought that all the scientists were conspiring against him and would never agree to get rid of an animal.

And then there was "cheap as chimps" which ended because Karl realised that it wasn't cheap to keep a a chimp.

[JamesTC]

Now just remembered the feature that Karl suggested but never went through with. The Rice is Right. He will read out a menu item and the listeners have to guess the style of rice that comes with the meal.

[Enzo]

Now just remembered the feature that Karl suggested but never went through with. The Rice is Right. He will read out a menu item and the listeners have to guess the style of rice that comes with the meal.

15 Taiwan would have been a cracker.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

'Er kid used to take a 'orse into the 'ouse.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

Actually the best Karl stories are the

Spoiler alert

manhole cover on top of the nuclear bomb

[close]

and

Spoiler alert

the shadow in Boston pushing people off their bikes

[close]

.