Ricky Gervais

Karl Pilkington's star has risen since the first series of this Hanna-Barbera-style animation set to his podcasts with Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, mostly thanks to his excruciatingly funny Sky1 series An Idiot Abroad. There is an allusion to that new-found fame in this opener, in which Pilkington explains his latest, splendidly baffling film pitch that starts as a Frankenstein thriller and segues into a lesbian drama, and which Gervais and Merchant waste no time picking holes in. A lo-fi treat, as ever.

The Hanna-Barbera-style animated version of Ricky Gervais's podcast returns for a second series. The cartoon conversations focus mainly on Karl Pilkington's childlike ignorance and dopey ideas. As Gervais and Stephen Merchant goad him on, Pilkington lays out his daft theories while the other two shoot him down with the kind of merciless mockery that anywhere else would be considered bullying. It's a ritual that is easy to dislike but it delivers laughs. "It really is the ramblings of a mental case!" Gervais squeals, as Pilkington outlines his idea for a film about brain transplants starring Clive Warren (he means Owen) and Rebecca De Mornay. Odd casting aside, it's not a bad idea.

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The animated version of Ricky Gervais's podcast, which featured Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington and earned a Guinness World Record for the most downloads, returns for a second series. It's the usual banter as Pilkington pitches a peculiar idea for a film and Merchant reads extracts from Pilkington's diary, in which he shares his thoughts about Australia, camping and the in-laws.

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