Stephen Merchant

Life's Too Short continued tonight - but I wish it hadn't. For those of us who have in the past loved Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant - and almost everything they did - it has proved to be a huge disappointment.

We used to feel like we were in safe hands when we watched The Office and Extras. We knew we would be tickled and treated by this comic genius who could do no wrong.

But Life's Too Short has irritated everyone except the most hardcore of Gervais fanboys with its weak plots, below-par performances and shockingly unamusing dialogue.

Tonight, Warwick embarked on a quest for religion (cue the introduction of several grating new characters) and insulted a potential love interest when his blind date turned out to be a dwarf. Like him. Geddit?

At this point, it's starting to get uncomfortable to watch the bloody thing. Viewers who tune in at 9.30 on Thursdays are treated to half-an-hour of Gervais' career limping desperately across the screen, a blood trail in tow as it haemorrhages towards its humiliating end.

And with two weeks left before Life's Too Short draws its final breath, those who insist on watching are in for an uncomfortable and unsightly few episodes.

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Ricky Gervais has defended Life's Too Short- which he wrote with Stephen Merchant - against critics who claim that the series exploits leading man Warwick Davis.

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Stephen Merchant interview

As he releases his first stand-up comedy DVD, Stephen Merchant spares us some time to talk touring, movies and telly...

Although it doesn't quite reach the heights of either The Office or Extras, this new mockumentary series from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant does have its moments. In tonight's third episode, Warwick Davis, the show's star (who, in case you missed the pun, is a famous actor who also happens to be a dwarf) launches his new website, which does rather less well than he was hoping.

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Stephen Merchant talks about his cultural tastes.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant only appear briefly, but their stamp is all over this sitcom, with Warwick Davis as the showbiz dwarf who is essentially Gervais by proxy, and his worse than useless female assistant in the Merchant role. The humour is progressive - where else would Davis get a leading role like this? - yet too constantly fixated on height for jokes. Tonight, Davis wangles work both as a consultant to Johnny Depp and a guest gig at a wedding, but the centrepiece of this episode is embittered, fragile Depp's showdown with Gervais in his office, vengeance for the roasting he got at the Golden Globes.

Belly laughs and cringe-making moments vie for supremacy in the second episode of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's painfully funny new comedy. As dwarf star Warwick Davis attempts to get his career off the ground again, a request from Johnny Depp for advice on how to play Rumpelstiltskin in a new film project looks like the break he's been waiting for. But he hasn't reckoned on the actor finding out about his friendship with Gervais - who singled Depp's flop The Tourist out for special mention during his scathing hosting of the 2011 Golden Globe awards.

Channel hopper - Life's Too Short

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant team up with short actor Warwick Davis for new comedy mock-doc.