How did Gervais get the Comedy Lab gig?

Just thinking aloud - 1997 Gervais lucks his way into a slot on XFM and in 1998 hes given a chuck of change to make Golden Years. At most the only TV work inbetween would have been a few sketches on Bruiser.

Was (is?) Comedy Lab a "send in your stuff and we might make a show" type affair or does it reflect a serious "who you know" situation that he landed on his feet so quick? In fact, even getting on Bruiser was something a load of people here would love to achive....and this was a good few years before anything "genius" was going on!

Is "Girlfriend in the business" the obvious answer? or was it easier 10 years ago to send in some sketches and get on TV?

What's Bruiser?

A 2000 sketch show.

See Amazon product listing
[p=http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/GENCS/26/55/-/3326729/Bruiser/Product.html]
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It was the sketch show he was a writter on (although not a main writer by any means - still a cool gig to jump straight in with) Mitchel and webb were the main guys i think (martin freeman was also on it) - worth watching on youtube if only for the 1st appearence of the "IT nerd" that then showed up on The Office 5 years later!

edit - interesting, 2000 - so he got that job after Golden Years while the BBC were pondering The Office (makes sense) - so i assume Comedy Lab was just a "send in your stuff" bit of luck?

Comedy Lab has an open policy but I think they stipulate that submissions must come through a production company.

Is Comedy Lab still going?

By the way, who remembers Comedy Nation? There were some amazing characters on that, like Buller, the convict, and that gay bloke, who hated all things camp.

Yes, Comedy Lab is still going. One of the BSG members, Seefacts, has some sketches in one of the new series.

I believe there is a fairly open policy.

Golden Years was in their 1999 run which broadcast in September-ish. By then, Merchant had been on his famed BBC production course and Gervais was doing XFM, so that's probably why Comedy Lab took a chance on them.

Comedy Lab used to be a very open, annual opportunity which looked at scripts from anyone but stated a prefernece for project ideas submitted through production companies. It seemed to disappear for a year or two then came back only looking for pilot ideas put forward via production companies.

Quote: Winterlight @ July 4 2008, 8:18 AM BST

Golden Years was in their 1999 run which broadcast in September-ish. By then, Merchant had been on his famed BBC production course and Gervais was doing XFM, so that's probably why Comedy Lab took a chance on them.

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Although at that time Merchants course was nothing special and only a few people would have seen his 10 min video.....and Gervias on the radio was not exactly Dr Fox at that point!

Nice open policy by the Lab i guess.

If anything, I would think the opportunity would have arisen thanks to his appearances on the 11 o'clock show - that was around 1998/99, wasn't it?

no - he was a nobody on nobody radio and merchant was a nobody on a YTS scheme at the BBC when they got the comedy lab gig - that got him the 11'o clock show and some writing on Bruiser/bit part in Space, then came the grim "meet ricky..." show and his bits on "100 best..." alonside andy peters and random unknown comics......then someone looked serioulsy at the Office.

Just curious about those fist steps as the Comedy Lab gig was a good one to get on the back of nothing and the 11 'oclock one was a good one to get on the back of the Comedy Lab gig!

I thought Ricky's chat show was pretty funny. He definately brought a brand new style of interviewing to British T.V. I remember, at the time, being a bit shocked, at how cheeky he was to the guests. I think the only reason a lot of them let him get away with it, was because he was a little chubby nobody, with a Reading accent, and they weren't threatened by him.

Quote: Pete @ July 4 2008, 12:19 AM BST

Just thinking aloud - 1997 Gervais lucks his way into a slot on XFM and in 1998 hes given a chuck of change to make Golden Years. At most the only TV work inbetween would have been a few sketches on Bruiser.

Was (is?) Comedy Lab a "send in your stuff and we might make a show" type affair or does it reflect a serious "who you know" situation that he landed on his feet so quick? In fact, even getting on Bruiser was something a load of people here would love to achive....and this was a good few years before anything "genius" was going on!

Is "Girlfriend in the business" the obvious answer? or was it easier 10 years ago to send in some sketches and get on TV?

View original

He MUST have had contacts. His missus worked on that terrible drama 'This Life', if Gervais didn't' have access to some important people, then I'd be very surprised.

Bruiser I remember quite well: "Do you sell poison?".

Quote: jdubya @ July 4 2008, 12:48 AM BST

Comedy Lab has an open policy but I think they stipulate that submissions must come through a production company.

View original

Yeah, that's basically it.

Quote: Winterlight @ July 4 2008, 8:18 AM BST

Yes, Comedy Lab is still going. One of the BSG members, Seefacts, has some sketches in one of the new series.

I believe there is a fairly open policy.

Golden Years was in their 1999 run which broadcast in September-ish. By then, Merchant had been on his famed BBC production course and Gervais was doing XFM, so that's probably why Comedy Lab took a chance on them.

View original

Hello!

Comedy lab 08 goes out in August, lasts years went out in October 07.

Quote: Pete @ July 4 2008, 2:20 PM BST

no - he was a nobody on nobody radio and merchant was a nobody on a YTS scheme at the BBC when they got the comedy lab gig - that got him the 11'o clock show and some writing on Bruiser/bit part in Space, then came the grim "meet ricky..." show and his bits on "100 best..." alonside andy peters and random unknown comics......then someone looked serioulsy at the Office.

Just curious about those fist steps as the Comedy Lab gig was a good one to get on the back of nothing and the 11 'oclock one was a good one to get on the back of the Comedy Lab gig!

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Gervais has shown he's no slouch in getting ahead. Good on him, he's earnt everything and paid his dues.

Quote: Seefacts @ July 4 2008, 8:38 PM BST

He MUST have had contacts. His missus worked on that terrible drama 'This Life', if Gervais didn't' have access to some important people, then I'd be very surprised.

View original

That's what i thought...i might need to find some contacts! I have a client that writes for Thomas the Tank Engine and a cousin who's a hollywood movie star - need someone in between really!

Quote: Seefacts @ July 4 2008, 8:38 PM BST

Gervais has shown he's no slouch in getting ahead.

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Although strange that he did little until he was 35....(although as a 34 year old in Reading I shouldnt moan )

Quote: Pete @ July 4 2008, 8:40 PM BST

That's what i thought...i might need to find some contacts! I have a client that writes for Thomas the Tank Engine and a cousin who's a hollywood movie star - need someone in between really!

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Thomas The Tank? Ace!

Quote: Pete @ July 4 2008, 8:42 PM BST

That's what i thought...i might need to find some contacts! I have a client that writes for Thomas the Tank Engine and a cousin who's a hollywood movie star - need someone in between really!

Although strange that he did little until he was 35....(although as a 34 year old in Reading I shouldnt moan )

View original

He was briefly in a pop band in the 80s. I think that was his first attempt at fame.