He might have given it to charity for all we know.
Quote: Gerry McDonnell @ February 15 2012, 1:54 PM GMTWhatever the reasoning, I'm sure we can all agree that it's a shit ad.
We can indeed.
Ricky Gervais is funny! Page 3
Gervais had a cameo as a dolphin in Family Guy at the weekend. I didn't recognise the voice until he made two racist gags back to back.
It's Kevin Clash (Elmo) being funny in that vid, as far as I'm concerned.
I'm still trying to work out if the smug, arrogant persona is supposed to be a joke. I liked his first two stand up shows, but since then he is constantly talking about how many awards he has and how rich he is - I suspect that it started out as a joke, but it's a long time to keep up an obnoxious act so I think it's just become his personality.
Quote: Kevin Murphy @ February 20 2012, 1:55 PM GMTI didn't recognise the voice until he made two racist gags back to back.
It's not racist when he says it...he's too clever to be a racist so obviously he's being ironic. Racists and ironic racists have the same jokes, though.
His arrogance even allows him to reclaim abusive and oppressive terms for groups he's not a member of: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/15365744
I don't think it is a persona.
The thing for me was the Extra's Christmas special. Which is essentially what would Riki have done if he was slightly less, massively succesful?
In which he quite humourlessly lampooned all the thing A- stars have to do. Guest starring in Dr Who, appearing on Big Brother et al.
When we all know he's never been anywhere near that low.
Before Christ like saving that nice Scottish girl.
I think it's quite obviously a persona.
In some ways though does that make it worse?
I mean a genuine racist atleast has the courage of his convictions.
Where as the persona racist is just exploiting racism for profit.
Well I wish he'd stop. It was funny for about 5 minutes about 8 years ago.
To put it in to perspective, I read that Life's Too Short cost £2.5 mil per episode, Mrs Browns Boys, a fraction of the cost. Only one of those shows will have the side splitting longevity that will be still be aired long after I'm gone and I know that it's so obvious to everyone that I do not even have to state which.
Personally I think the unwarranted success of 'The Office' ruined Ricky Gervais and these days he seems more concerned with saving beagles and persecuting Christians than he does about comedy.
PS I'm also an atheist but I believe everyone has the right to their own beliefs.
PPS Hi everyone, I'm new here 
Hello and a bold first post!
Some of LTS was classic Riki and showed just how well he can work. He's a sort of lead straight man which shouldn't work but does. Him and Johnny Depp or Liam Neeson was just genius.
Apart some of the funniest stuff of the year. Makes you wonder if some of the time he just isn't trying.
nb both of those scenes would not have worked with anyone else.
Quote: Martin Caine @ February 20 2012, 9:20 PM GMTpersecuting Christians
Christians, the least persecuted group in all history and yet the ones who won't stop banging on about it. Gervais' approach towards Christians is just about the only thing I can stand about him.
Quote: Harridan @ February 20 2012, 9:26 PM GMTChristians, the least persecuted group in all history
Well, aside from whn the Romans used to persecute them. And they didn't do too well in Soviet Russia.Or China. And I wouldn't fancy my chances as a Christian in a devout Muslim country. But aside from that they've done pretty well.
Christians have a far worse time in Muslim countries than visa versa.
We just like to berate our lesser failings, than accept the greater ones of those we pity.
Ricky Gervais is a funny man. A talented performer and writer, and like all good 'uns he polarizes audiences.
I haven't seen life is short, I don't fancy it, and a couple of the films left me cold, I think the ambition and drive to be a global superstar may have overshadowed his 'hunger' for being, simply funny.
The Office is still worthy of all the praise it got and his stand up specials are V.funny.
I think it's pretty obvious his schtick isn't how he really feels, it's clearly a detached irony thing. Any idiot who thinks he's racist or whatever other crap, should see him interviewing his heroes.
ps; Christians the least persecuted group in history? Really? Really?
Quote: JackDaniels2 @ February 20 2012, 11:13 PM GMTps; Christians the least persecuted group in history? Really? Really?
And there was me thinking Hells Angels were the least persecuted group in history.. regardless of the persecution factor the point I failed to get over was personally I think Ricky's continuous anti-religion rants is much on par with shouting at someone to stop them shouting. I guess I was wrong about me being an atheist in hindsight I must be agnostic. Interesting though that the religion factor got a greater response than the £2.5 mil price tag per episode for LTS
Lifes Too Short... but those 30 minutes where far too long for me ( and the other 2 million viewers that stopped watching it after the first episode )
Yeah, I missed the point because I only half-read the thread. I thought someone was saying something they weren't. I don't get the Hells Angels thing, I assume it's humour, but because it's late and I'm tired I didn't get it.
I thought someone was saying that Christians were the least persecuted people of all time, including Quakers, Buddhists, Scientologists and all the other brands, I misread.
Still, when I want a theological deconstruction I don't look to Ricky Gervais for guidance or insight, he's a comedian, who cares what he thinks about God?
Without going off topic, all the labels; Christian, atheist, agnostic, satanist, whatever, it's all pretty pompous and folk should just unite under a banner of 'we don't know'. End of story really.