Ricky Gervais' Latest Comedy Controversy

Oh well, yet again Ricky slams the UK comedy scene...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/2507745/Ricky-Gervais-I-cant-stand-Brit-comedy.html

Or has he just been misrepresented?...

http://www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php

What I would like him to clarify is whether he was accurately represented with regards to his comments about comedy writers. If so, I think that is a bit rich, to be honest. He surely knows that there are plenty of us out there trying to get original ideas and original voices heard. Perhaps some of the criticism should be aimed towards those who actually control what gets to screen?

Ricky Gervais can reasonably claim that he and Stephen Merchant didn't compromise their artistic vision with The Office, but a little humility would be nice for a change. He's entitled to his personal comedy tastes, of course, but I don't think it's fair or accurate to slam comedy writers as lacking ambition. (And perhaps his faux-arrogant persona has finally run its course?)

I suspect he likes the attention he gets when he opens his gob.

I've not seen his new film, but since it involves a writer who lies, and involves The Sun, perhaps the film is perceived by that paper as being an attack on them, and this is their way of getting back at him?

isn't it john cleese making the comments about thw writers....

"And it follows a similar assault on British telly by John Cleese earlier this year.

The former Fawlty Towers star, 69, blasted: "I don't think the writers work as hard as they used to.

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"They may lack experience because I don't think the writing is as good as it used to be."

I only read the Sun link but it seems the same old same old from Gervais. I agree with Tim, it would be nice for him to show a bit of humility, and although the BBC comedy scene is a long way from what I'd like to see, there's still good stuff being made (Boosh, Peep Show, Lead Balloon etc). And Gervais needs to look at his own output more closely. The Office was a peerless work of genius, but Extras was a self-indulgent if fun mess, and none of his films have been any great shakes.

Also, with regards to his comments, I've seen the Curb Your Enthusiasm ripoffs, but I haven't seen the Seinfeld or Entourage ones.

Quote: chipolata @ July 2 2009, 10:18 AM BST

but I haven't seen the Seinfeld or Entourage ones.

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Yeah, I haven't seen those either, especially the Entourage ones!

Quote: chipolata @ July 2 2009, 10:18 AM BST

Extras was a self-indulgent if fun mess.

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Quote: Yellows 586 @ July 2 2009, 5:10 AM BST

I suspect he likes the attention he gets when he opens his gob.

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I suspect you mis-understand Ricky Gervais completely.

What he said/or didn't say about British comedy is true. It's shit right now. I'm to excited about Peep Show, perhaps the third series of Gavin & Stacey, butthat's it. Certainly not the second series of the pointlessly made Reggie Perrin.

I think any dim wit could work out that he's not having a go at the people writing, but more the execs who commission this crap. All these execs claim to know what works and what they want, yet how come we constantly end up with complete and utter bollocks on our TV screens?!

Quote: Jacob Loves Comedy @ July 2 2009, 10:56 AM BST

I suspect you mis-understand Ricky Gervais completely.

What he said/or didn't say about British comedy is true. It's shit right now. I'm to excited about Peep Show, perhaps the third series of Gavin & Stacey, butthat's it. Certainly not the second series of the pointlessly made Reggie Perrin.

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Fair enough. And what American shows are you really excited about? Me, I'm excited about 30 Rock and Flight of the Conchords (and I'm not sure that counts as yank). That's it.

Quote: Jacob Loves Comedy @ July 2 2009, 10:56 AM BST

I think any dim wit could work out that he's not having a go at the people writing, but more the execs who commission this crap.

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'The comic blamed the crisis on a lack of ambition in both UK writers and our society as a whole.'

Now as this is not a verbatim quote by The Sun, I could accept that perhaps he's been misinterpreted, but if not then I don't see how he's not having a go at UK writers? I accept that his comments in general are about the comedy production line as a whole, but he should know - after the struggles The Office went through - that to write something with an original take doesn't always do you a lot of favours, no matter how funny it might be.

Quote: Tim Walker @ July 2 2009, 12:18 PM BST

after the struggles The Office went through - that to write something with an original take doesn't always do you a lot of favours, no matter how funny it might be.

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Did he go through that many struggles to get The Office made how he liked? It's always struck me that he seemed able to get his vision on screen with remarkably little inteference, other than the usual levels of guff anybody would have to put up with. As far as artistic struggles go, it's hardly up there with Terry Gilliam's Brazil etc.

From what I understand, it went through more than one pilot, and there were several people of influence who might have canned it altogether. You could say that pretty much any new show goes through struggles to get to screen, but something that was trying to do something a little different, with effectively unknown quantities in terms of Merchant & Gervais as sitcom writers, was going to face extra hurdles.

Perhaps Gervais should have a look at Outnumbered or The In-Betweeners or the late-lamented Pulling? He may not like them, but they are trying new things, and they've no equivalent in the US. In fact, I think US writers/producers lose their nerve when trying these kinds of comedy.

I think sometimes when Ricky says he finds US comedy more sophisticated, I think in reality he actually just finds Americans more sophisticated.

Quote: Jacob Loves Comedy @ July 2 2009, 10:56 AM BST

I suspect you mis-understand Ricky Gervais completely.

What he said/or didn't say about British comedy is true. It's shit right now. I'm to excited about Peep Show, perhaps the third series of Gavin & Stacey, butthat's it. Certainly not the second series of the pointlessly made Reggie Perrin.

I think any dim wit could work out that he's not having a go at the people writing, but more the execs who commission this crap. All these execs claim to know what works and what they want, yet how come we constantly end up with complete and utter bollocks on our TV screens?!

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Well, I agree with almost everything you say - especially the bit about the people who commission stuff - so thanks for calling me a dimwit. However, Gervais does seem to like attention. In fact, I'd say he loves it, which is why he gets on people's nerves.

Also his wife/girlfriend used to produce This Life or something so his struggles to get something on TV - The Office - would have not been as difficult as say the average writer on here.

Personally I think John Cleese is right when he says he don't think writers work as hard as they used to.

Quote: Yellows 586 @ July 2 2009, 1:01 PM BST

thanks for calling me a dimwit.

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You dimwit, Yellows 586. Yellows 1 through 585 must be turning in their graves.

Also, glad you mentioned his girlfriend. She's produced some right old derivative shit over the years.

When he says that British shows rip off Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld...I hope he's including The Office and Extras in that.