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March 28, 2024, 03:42:52 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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Twonty Gostelow

Quote from: BritishHobo on December 06, 2021, 10:38:10 AMIt's also very interesting to see the huge gulf between the attitudes to non-white-straight-able-bodied people in their work. Merchant has shown an eagerness to platform diverse casts without drawing attention to it, while Gervais remains obsessed with "ironically" pointing out any difference at exhausting length. It struck me while watching The Outlaws that never in a million years would Gervais have a cast of characters of such varied backgrounds, and actually explore those backgrounds in a sincere way. They would just be there as stock figures for somebody to embarrass themselves in front of. Even the character arc with Darren Boyd is light-years ahead of anything Gervais could manage.

I read one of Merchant's publicity interviews for The Outlaws a few weeks ago, and he was asked the inevitable question that he must get sick of, 'Will you be working with Ricky Gervais again?'
He said as usual that he wouldn't rule it out, but added something like, Ricky was definitely important in my career and in me making my name, but if I hadn't met him I was still ambitious enough to have been successful on my own by hook or by crook. He definitely used that last phrase.
As far as I can tell, the subject of Merchant seems to be off-limits in Gervais interviews, or he's just not asked about him (I might have missed examples though); so did they fall out over Merchant being determined to do his own thing to prove himself on his own terms, and Gervais isn't happy about it?

Bronzy

Quote from: Jumblegraws on December 06, 2021, 05:34:58 PMI hope I'm not the only one who immediately thought of a certain sectarian Rangers song upon hearing those opening lines

When I was young, I had no sense
I stared at a cancer boy for fifty pence

dissolute ocelot

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, "what will I be?"
"Brain damaged."

DigForVictory

Quote from: Twonty Gostelow on December 07, 2021, 11:26:24 PMI read one of Merchant's publicity interviews for The Outlaws a few weeks ago, and he was asked the inevitable question that he must get sick of, 'Will you be working with Ricky Gervais again?'
He said as usual that he wouldn't rule it out, but added something like, Ricky was definitely important in my career and in me making my name, but if I hadn't met him I was still ambitious enough to have been successful on my own by hook or by crook. He definitely used that last phrase.
As far as I can tell, the subject of Merchant seems to be off-limits in Gervais interviews, or he's just not asked about him (I might have missed examples though); so did they fall out over Merchant being determined to do his own thing to prove himself on his own terms, and Gervais isn't happy about it?

I think this is absolutely the case.

You could maybe argue Merchant just hasn't come up in interviews promoting Afterlife or his shitty standup but when Gervais has done episodes of podcasts being interviewed by super fans about The Office and Merchant still hasn't been mentioned once then it seems suspicious.

I'd also love to know what was the final straw that caused the breakup. Looking back Merchant seems incredibly bored and sidelined anytime he's on camera during Idiot Abroad 2 and Lifes too Short.

Twonty Gostelow

Quote from: DigForVictory on December 08, 2021, 11:13:24 AMI think this is absolutely the case.

You could maybe argue Merchant just hasn't come up in interviews promoting Afterlife or his shitty standup but when Gervais has done episodes of podcasts being interviewed by super fans about The Office and Merchant still hasn't been mentioned once then it seems suspicious.

I'd also love to know what was the final straw that caused the breakup. Looking back Merchant seems incredibly bored and sidelined anytime he's on camera during Idiot Abroad 2 and Lifes too Short.

All I can remember of Merchant in LTS is him sitting alongside Gervais in all the office scenes and being weirdly underused, as you say. Maybe he was in other scenes that I've forgotten, but he definitely wasn't a primary character like he'd been in Extras. Maybe they fell out after Merchant saw the walls had posters for The Office, Ghost Town, Flanimals etc and asked him if he'd lost his mind.

Blue Jam

Is anyone else wondering if Ricky Gervais is considering doing the whole Hugh Laurie thing and recording an album and doing a tour as a serious musician?

The sad thing is he's got enough fans that the tour would probably be a sellout, and his fans would fall over themselves trying to claim his music is great and they had a good time.

Ferris

Quote from: DigForVictory on December 08, 2021, 11:13:24 AMI'd also love to know what was the final straw that caused the breakup. Looking back Merchant seems incredibly bored and sidelined anytime he's on camera during Idiot Abroad 2 and Lifes too Short.

Yeah it's a mystery why Merchant called it a day with the Rickster.

frajer

Oh and never count your money
Pay someone to do it for you
While you fart on your wife's pillow
and cackle when she says she smells poo

DigForVictory

Quote from: Ferris on December 08, 2021, 01:35:25 PMYeah it's a mystery why Merchant called it a day with the Rickster.

He must have regretted being in them even as they were happening.

He looked fucking miserable in Lifes too Short and rightly so.

Small Man Big Horse

I had a dream last night where Gervais was starring in a new sitcom called "Two Up, Two Down" where he started dating a woman, and when he found out she had two children with Down Syndrome his little eyes lit up with joy. Thankfully I woke up before the misery really kicked in, but I'm posting it here just in case it wasn't a dream but a vision of the future.

dead-ced-dead

Quote from: DigForVictory on December 09, 2021, 12:44:46 AMHe must have regretted being in them even as they were happening.

He looked fucking miserable in Lifes too Short and rightly so.

Not to get too armchair psychiatrist, but I wonder if he only appeared in them due to a lingering sense of dependency.

Gervais was "the face" of The Office and Extras after all, and I bet if you were to ask 100 people who created-directed-wrote The Office, Extras or anything they were involved in, 99 people would say Gervais, not Gervais and Merchant. So perhaps he felt he hadn't yet earned his freedom.

The Ombudsman

Quote from: dead-ced-dead on December 09, 2021, 08:58:26 AMNot to get too armchair psychiatrist, but I wonder if he only appeared in them due to a lingering sense of dependency.

Gervais was "the face" of The Office and Extras after all, and I bet if you were to ask 100 people who created-directed-wrote The Office, Extras or anything they were involved in, 99 people would say Gervais, not Gervais and Merchant. So perhaps he felt he hadn't yet earned his freedom.

Just something else on this general point about the two - I saw some podcast thing with Merchant recently where he was talking about having met with Karl recently. It's nice to know the two of them still speak and says a lot about Gervais. He's lost a good few close pals it seems (thinking Robin Ince, who got totally fucked off with his antics, Jonathan Ross, Karl P, Merchant). I wonder how many there are?

phes

Not sure that Gervais has ever suggested that longstanding friends are an important part of his life, has he?

Maybe he couldn't care less

The Ombudsman

Quote from: phes on December 09, 2021, 03:18:07 PMNot sure that Gervais has ever suggested that longstanding friends are an important part of his life, has he?

Maybe he couldn't care less

Yeah, whenever he speaks it's all about him. I doubt he cares much, past his other half.

idunnosomename

It's Jane Fallon's birthday today so he's posted a picture on Twitter... of himself laughing.
Is this a bit he does every year or something?

Also i looked through the QTs of his fucking godawful song and theyre all "im not crying your crying", not one mention of how cringe it is.

Oh and this which made me laugh


Wokes wont even let us enjoy godawful smaltzy wank now


DigForVictory

Jonathan Ross and Gervais must have fallen out a long long time ago because Ross has been on ITV now for over 10 years and  I don't think Gervais has been on once.

He was on almost every week for the BBC version of his chat show.

I seem to recall Ross tweeting at Gervais to shut up after one of the classic endless Gervais rants about free speech and offence and all that.

Mobius

I wonder if Gervais keeps in touch with Louis CK

frajer

I wonder if he's still waiting for his high five from Chris Rock. The occasional phantom tingle in his palm.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Mobius on December 09, 2021, 08:31:57 PMI wonder if Gervais keeps in touch with Louis CK

CK seemed to have been rid of him at least a few years before his #cancellation (along with plenty of his other comic friends). I don't think CK's mentioned him since, but Gervais came to his defense after his Parkland routine leaked.

MigraineBoy

The front page of tomorrow's Guardian magazine is the After Life promo machine lurching into action with a Ricky interview on "why provoking people is so important".

BritishHobo

Fuck off Guardian.

Wonder when it's out? I could google it, I suppose.


frajer

"One final season." After one first season and one middle season. Epic.

Surprised they didn't trot out "the final in the trilogy."

Blue Jam

Is it no longer being billed as "From the mind of Ricky Gervais"? Did sesson 3 come from his arse instead?

Twit 2

Quote from: Vroomo on December 17, 2021, 12:49:02 PMThe front page of tomorrow's Guardian magazine is the After Life promo machine lurching into action with a Ricky interview on "why provoking people is so important".

What an interview. The interviewer has got his number I reckon. Gervais comes across as a massive cunt and a disingenuous grubby little narcissist. Grit your teeth and dive in:

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/dec/18/ricky-gervais-on-offence-anger-and-infuriating-hollywood

Cuellar

Yeah, interesting.

It's full of revealing things from Gervais. E.g.:

QuoteGervais's stance on appropriate subjects for a joke is simple – anything goes. In a democracy, he says, you have a right to offend and be offended, but you don't have the right to outlaw topics.

Compare with:

QuoteWhat he doesn't understand is the criticism he gets for giving the stars a tough time. "Do I pander to the 200 billionaires in the room or the 200 million people at home sitting in their pants drinking beer who aren't winning awards, who aren't billionaires? It's a no-brainer for a comedian. I'm a jester. I play to the other peasants in the mud. I wasn't going in terrible. Think of the things I could have said." He starts to give it the full Joe Pesci as he works himself into a rage. "Think of the fucking terrible things I could have joked about. It's off the charts – It's. Off. The. Charts – the terrible things I could say."

Well if nothing is off limits, why didn't he?

Twit 2

Oh yeah, the whole thing is riddled with contradictions and hypocrisies.

frajer

An endlessly fascinating man. I know it's been said a million times but it really is like Merchant's turned the camera on him for one of his improvised Brent monologues.

It's a shame he doesn't embrace all the weird contradictory and aggressive energy that oozes out of him and turn it into something interesting again.

BritishHobo

That's what's always annoyed me about his shit Emmy speeches. He always hypes them up for ages beforehand about how edgy and offensive they'll be - and then it's all hacky shit that other people have done already. He's never done anything resembling the bravery of, say, Hannibal Burress calling out Bill Cosby.

He's chased the approval of Hollywood celebs for years, and he lobs some acceptable trendy softballs at easy targets so he can appear like an outsider while still being in the circle. He claims to be a peasant entertaining the other peasants, but I think he more closely resembles Chris Morris' quote about placating the court.