Podcast is very funny.
He's (well, they've) always been hilarious on radio/audio.
Life's Too Short Page 8
Wrote my first comment after immediately being subjected to the desert of ideas that was the show, and on reflection my opinon hasn't changed, just hardened to the cockmunchers who commissioned this dog while shutting out other recommissions on the channel because of budget cuts.
Make no mistake, the only reason we have this show is the failure of Gervais's film career - everybody in big film office silent as dead film is not mentioned, like unto it even did not exist and nobody had anything to do with it.
What was this, a f**king blind offer including a wheelbarrow full of cash? Had the film career taken off - which would have required several things, Gervais being able to create more than one character, for anybody in the world to regard him as a good catch romantically, to be able to write feature films, and not to believe that you can light a film set by you and your mate bending over?
I'm a fan of Extras and Office series two, but this is a rip off of the highest order, that will have taken better material off the screen so that Ricky can have his knob wanked by the channel controller in drag with a cuban cigar stuffed up his bum.
Now I know why my sitcom 'Up The Congo' about an African pygmy ex-dictator co-habiting with Sharon Stone in Stevenage waiting to see the Foreign Office whilst making off-colour remarks out of all proportion to his status, was rejected.
Don't forget to FRIEND me on RANTBOOK.
Peace.
Quote: Jakkifreeze @ October 20 2011, 3:28 PM GMTS'about time we had some more Merchant and Gervais on our screens, nobody in British Comedy comes close to these two.
What, doing the same old mockumentary idea they did before but this time with a dwarf? And has been done by hundreds of shows all over the globe? If they were that good they would be doing something a little different.
Not sure what to make of Gervais and, to a lesser extent, Merchant. The animated podcast shows make me laugh more than anything else on TV at the moment and I love "An Idiot Abroad", even though they are really just one joke (let's all laugh at Karl Pilkington) stretched almost to breaking point but "Extras" and "Life's Too Short" just seem like rehashes of "The Office".
"Life's Too Short" has Warwick Davies playing a character which is an amalgam of David Brent, Andy Millman and Stephen Merchant's agent in "Extras". The receptionist looks to be a halfwit in the style of Maggie from "Extras", the incompetent accountant is also Merchant's agent and virtually every other character was either the same or similar to others that Gervais has written before.
It still made me laugh on a couple of occasions, personally I loved Merchant's comments about Gervais "getting away with it" and no-one knowing how, but really it seemed like the same thing all over again.
Quote: bob4apples @ November 11 2011, 12:24 PM GMTWhat, doing the same old mockumentary idea they did before
What's wrong with doing a second mockumentary?
I think Ricky just isn't so funny when he does his status, he comes over as a bully.
Where as the thing I think sold me on Extras 2 was his underdog character. Who even as the big success with the show et al, was still a down beaten shlub.
The scenes with him Barry off Stenders and his agent were aces.
The scene with Liam Neeson made me laugh hard. Apart from that I found it perplexingly derivative, almost like Gervais/Merchant made a conscious decision to plagiarise their own work. Was Davies told specifically to "talk like Ricky"?
Ho hum... this is a pointless post but considering the vast amount of hate and anger thought I'd gently point out that it's not the law that you have to watch a programme; if anyone is anxious about this concept let me reassure you that if I don't think something will be to my taste, I either watch it once and then am content to be proved right without risking drowning in my own bile, or I just don't watch it.
And, yes, I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion and that this is a comedy forum, but I am genuinely perplexed by some of the comments and attitudes I've read..
We knew it would have celebrities in it so if the thought of it angers you so much there was no need to watch a programme that was very much as it was advertised.
Admittedly they used the self-referential stuff so I suppose thinking of it in terms of their real life successes and not so successful projects is reasonable, but since we knew that's their style - that lots of people do find funny, and is relevant to the fictional world they've created - again, why watch if you knew this would grate for you personally?
It was written by the same people so obviously it will be similar in tone and style to other work - if a comedian you liked had a strong voice and concept of characters and roles I expect people would admire their distinctive style. It's hardly a shock that a script written by G&M should sound like G&M.
While we all understand the frustration of lack of opportunities for new writers to break through, unless there's actual evidence that a commissioner had your script in one hand and theirs in another and specifically stated 'I don't think G&M's is as good but I'll put it on instead anyway', shall we not accuse other albeit more successful writers of nicking people's opportunities? And indeed of receiving sexual favours as payment, or using cross-dressing as a way of being derogatory and suggesting the channel controller does so.
I don't see what Gervais's film career has to do with this series; or would you rather that no-one ever tried new creative things or attempted to learn in different formats? Presumably if some posters ever have a successful writing career they will honourably turn down any exciting opportunities on the basis that they might get it wrong or some people may not like the project.
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ November 11 2011, 12:49 PM GMTWas Davies told specifically to "talk like Ricky"?
No, he was just told to act like the biggest c*** he knows.
Hmmm undecided. I too felt Warwick is basically David Brent, but the stuff with Liam Neelson made me laugh and also the bit with the wife. Gervais and Merchant did come over as sanctimonious twats but I guess they were supposed to. Not brilliant but I did enjoy it.
I wasn't overly impressed, but I will still tune in again next week.
Gervais clearly has an addiction to AIDS jokes.
Quote: AJGO @ November 11 2011, 1:09 PM GMTHo hum... this is a pointless post but considering the vast amount of hate and anger thought I'd gently point out that it's not the law that you have to watch a programme; if anyone is anxious about this concept let me reassure you that if I don't think something will be to my taste, I either watch it once and then am content to be proved right without risking drowning in my own bile, or I just don't watch it.
And, yes, I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion and that this is a comedy forum, but I am genuinely perplexed by some of the comments and attitudes I've read..
We knew it would have celebrities in it so if the thought of it angers you so much there was no need to watch a programme that was very much as it was advertised.
Admittedly they used the self-referential stuff so I suppose thinking of it in terms of their real life successes and not so successful projects is reasonable, but since we knew that's their style - that lots of people do find funny, and is relevant to the fictional world they've created - again, why watch if you knew this would grate for you personally?
It was written by the same people so obviously it will be similar in tone and style to other work - if a comedian you liked had a strong voice and concept of characters and roles I expect people would admire their distinctive style. It's hardly a shock that a script written by G&M should sound like G&M.(...)
I'd also like to point out that there is a range of positions between loving and hating something and while you might love LTS with a simple-minded enthusiasm that chokes on criticism, others are able and allowed to experience other reactions.
It's certainly not mandatory to stop watching something because it's shit or you don't like it. After all it might improve.
And it really isn't that people are surprised that this has the writing/production style of Gervais and Merchant so much as it resembles a hash of earlier material and generally exhibits a lack of progression.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ November 11 2011, 2:19 PM GMTI'd also like to point out that there is a range of positions between loving and hating something and while you might love LTS with a simple-minded enthusiasm that chokes on criticism, others are able and allowed to experience other reactions.
It's certainly not mandatory to stop watching something because it's shit or you don't like it. After all it might improve.
And it really isn't that people are surprised that this has the writing/production style of Gervais and Merchant so much as it resembles a hash of earlier material and generally exhibits a lack of progression.
How sad that trying to give something a chance is seen as being simple-minded. I don't love it, because I've only seen one episode, so I'm merely surprised by the amount of venom on the same basis.
It was The Office and Extras mixed up in one big pot and served as leftovers.
I still enjoyed it though and will watch again. Ultimately though it showed limitations in their writing and sadly, the writing's on the wall and we're witnessing the beginning of the end.
Quote: Tuumble @ November 11 2011, 2:43 PM GMTUltimately though it showed limitations in their writing and sadly, the writing's on the wall
