He does tend to lose control and laugh embarrassingly at any old rubbish, though. I can imagine him pissing himself with laughter whilst editing Life's Too Short.
Life's Too Short Page 45
Quote: Hyde150 @ December 22 2011, 9:07 PM GMTI'm a massive Gervais and Merchant fan and started watching it because I expected a good piece of work from a reliable duo. I was absolutely gutted that I didn't like it. Actually more than not liking I actually found a lot of the parts irritating and hard to watch because they annoyed me too much. If I just wouldn't have liked it I'd have come to the conclusion that it just wasn't for me, but because watching it irritated me it made me strangely want to watch it again to see how bad the next episode was going to be. I can't believe anyone that likes G & M's previous work can watch this and like it. So, I don't think this is any sort of angry mob out to get Gervais. I think people are just genuinely disappointed by how poor it's been.
Then you've got the media reaction, trying to make out that's it's offensive so that they can appear to take a moral high ground and look superior and with that comes the 'I don't follow the crowd' crowd that wallow in their own self righteousness acting offending on somebody else's behalf. All that did was detract away from the issue of the quality of the sitcom. Whether it was good or not didn't become the issue, whether it was offensive or not became the talking point. Over all everything about this series just left me irritated. Everything. And even though there's a lot worse tele out there, because I don't expect anything from them, I don't care. Gervais may feel people are out to get him but due to the brilliance of the Office. The high quality of Extras, the ease into how he took to stand-up and the success in America he's become the King of British Comedy. Heavy sits the crown and all that...
Very good post, and you've saved me a lot of typing.
I mentioned a while back that there was a curious credit to "Backlash Productions". My conclusion is that G&M knew it wasn't up to scratch a long time ago, and RG has spent a lot of time almost trying to draw attention to the "is it offensive?" argument to distract people from the possibility that "it's just not very good."
Don't get me wrong, the actors are fine and it looks pretty good on screen. But in the end it's as similar to the quality of The Office and Extras as Zit and other copyists were to Viz comic in the latter's heyday.
Quote: Badge @ December 22 2011, 10:59 PM GMTI mentioned a while back that there was a curious credit to "Backlash Productions". My conclusion is that G&M knew it wasn't up to scratch a long time ago, and RG has spent a lot of time almost trying to draw attention to the "is it offensive?" argument to distract people from the possibility that "it's just not very good."
I don't think he'd go to that much trouble to be honest.
You'll start to sound like Catskills if you're not careful! 
Quote: zooo @ December 22 2011, 11:01 PM GMTI don't think he'd go to that much trouble to be honest.
He went to the trouble of saying it was the funniest thing they'd done.
That's not much trouble though is it...?
Quote: zooo @ December 22 2011, 11:01 PM GMTYou'll start to sound like Catskills if you're not careful!
Shit. I'm out of here.
Though *they* said you'd say that.
Has Gervais ever publically admitted that anything of his own hasn't worked? I know artists aren't exactly renowned for looking at their own stuff critically, especially not in public, but some do. Has he ever done that?
Quote: Badge @ December 22 2011, 11:02 PM GMTShit. I'm out of here.
Though *they* said you'd say that.
Quote: chipolata @ December 22 2011, 11:03 PM GMTHas Gervais ever publically admitted that anything of his own hasn't worked? I know artists aren't exactly renowned for looking at their own stuff critically, especially not in public, but some do. Has he ever done that?
Hmm, I don't think he makes a habit of it.
I have a feeling he said something self deprecating about Ghost Town on his Twitter recently, but I could be wrong.
Quote: chipolata @ December 21 2011, 6:42 PM GMTDespite what Gervais might say on Twitter, I'd be surprised if any decision has been made about a second series yet.
Oh, joy!
Quote: Tuumble @ December 22 2011, 12:17 PM GMT3. The accountant was so fake it made a mockery of the mockumentary format. My heart sank everytime he came on screen because I knew what was coming
Agreed. He was workable in the first appearance but as soon as they decided he should be the solicitor as well and had him kept going back 'Tries to be over the top funny at every worst possible moment', he really fell apart. I think if he'd been kept to a reduced role we could have had a genuinely funny recurring character who underlines Warwick's sad state. Instead, he just seemed to be overused and appeared whenever the script seemed to decide Warwick had screwed things up himself enough each week.
Quote: Lazzard @ December 23 2011, 12:04 AM GMThttp://uk.tv.yahoo.com/ricky-gervais-sitcom--life-s-too-short--gets-second-series--despite-bad-reviews---daily-tv-round-up.html
Oh, joy!
That - and every other story - is based on just one tweet that Gervais posted. There's been no confirmation as yet. One would have expected the BBC to have jumped on getting another series from G&M if it were actually true.
I wouldn't be surprised if another series popped up, just not on the BBC. Perhaps Sky instead.
Quote: Aaron @ December 22 2011, 10:35 PM GMTNot to mention how he went on about Life's Too Short being "the funniest thing" he and Merchant have done.
Maybe it's just exactly the show they wanted it to be, and unfortunately for them what that turned out to be was a show many didn't care for.
Quote: chipolata @ December 22 2011, 10:05 AM GMTNo, this series just didn't cut it. The Office was a masterpiece, Extras flawed but good, and this pretty dreary. I'm sure there are a lot of Gervais-haters out there but the criticism of the show wouldn't have been able to get traction if it was actually any good.
I hate Gervais - ten years of watching and reading about him have convinced me that I could not get on with him in real life. He reminds me quite a bit of Tracy Emin, although he's better looking. But I've liked his work - and even admired it.
The truth is that the glory days are gone. I think that is clear to most of the writers on here. It may take longer to sink in with casual viewers and it may never sink in to people like Kipper.
The Office worked because it was about Tim, not Brent. Take Tim away and Gareth had almost as many talking head inserts as Brent. The humiliation and social faux pas were spread over a range of characters.
Extras was based on a very strong, classic idea: Horatio wanting to be Hamlet. It doesn't get any better. Amazingly they threw it away by the second series where Andy Millman becomes a sitcom writer, wins a Bafta and begins Gervais' bizarre project of biting the hand that feeds him, presumably as retribution for the 'lateness' of his success.
The constant theme in the early shows is pursuit of fame, and specifically fame as a comedian. Brent wanted to be The Two Ronnies. Millman wanted to be The Two Ronnies. Gervais is The Two Ronnies.
It's over.
What about Merchant?