Ricky Gervais

[julian_craster]

Ricky Gervais: Comedy phenomenon
With another prestigious US award, British star Ricky Gervais has joined the elite club of UK comedians who have made it big in America.
BBC News:
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Ricky Gervais: Comedy phenomenon

Ricky Gervais made his first TV appearance less than a decade ago
His latest success has come in the form of a surprise win in the best comedy actor category at the Emmy TV Awards for his sitcom Extras.
It follows the two Golden Globes he won for The Office a few years ago, as well as a string of other awards from the UK and beyond.
From sitcoms to podcasts, children's books to stand-up tours, Hollywood to Springfield, Gervais has ventured into many areas of comedy - and succeeded in most of them.
Not bad for a failed musician who only found his niche in comedy at the age of 36, a decade ago.
Born in Reading in 1961, Gervais grew up on a council estate as the youngest of four siblings.
He studied biology at the University College London, switching to philosophy because he thought it would be less work.

His best-known role is David Brent in BBC sitcom The Office
Upon graduation, he tried his hand at music, becoming lead singer of 1980s group Seona Dancing.
He also managed the band Suede but left before they hit the big time.
After trying and giving up stand-up, Gervais was hired as head of speech on London rock radio station Xfm when it launched in 1997.
It led to a presenting role, giving him an opportunity to hone his comedy skills.
His TV breakthrough came playing an ignorant and bigoted reporter on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show - which also launched Ali G onto the world.
After a short-lived chat show, Meet Ricky Gervais, the actor teamed up with former Xfm colleague Stephen Merchant to write The Office.
'Comedy of recognition'
Set in a fictional paper merchant in Slough, the sitcom revolved around its incompetent manager David Brent, played by Gervais, and his discontented staff.
"It's a comedy of recognition and observation and everyone can see something in it," he has said.
The show, which ran for two series and two Christmas specials, won seven Bafta Awards and four British Comedy Awards as well as a cult following in the US.

Extras saw Gervais co-star with celebrities like Kate Winslet
It was then re-made for the US, with Steve Carell in the Gervais role, and after a slow start the adaptation has established itself as a favourite on NBC.
Gervais and Merchant were made executive producers, and although US writers have taken the story on, it is still firmly based on the original creation.
Gervais' next show was Extras, a sitcom about two struggling bit-part actors and the celebrities they encounter, which followed in 2005 and won two more Baftas.
David Bowie, Sir Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet, Daniel Radcliffe and Robert De Niro were among the stars who agreed to send themselves up on the show.
Gervais has also enjoyed success with the Flanimals children's picture book series, in which he created a menagerie of weird and wonderful made-up animals.
He is currently on a UK stand-up tour called Fame, which follows previous shows Animals and Politics.

Gervais was forced to ad-lib at the Concert for Diana
He has also created a series of hit comedy podcasts - which earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the most downloaded podcasts ever.
And he has just signed up to star in and direct his first film, called This Side of the Truth, which follows cameos in A Night At The Museum and For Your Consideration.
Other projects have included writing and starring in an episode of The Simpsons - although the New York Times said it received "a tepid response" in the US.
Gervais, though, is unlikely to be affected by such criticisms.
"It's better to do only one good thing in life than 18 average ones," he has said.
"So many people end up regretting their lives, but at the end of day you realise so little actually matters."
Negative press
His stickiest moments have come during some of his most high-profile live performances - introducing bands at Live 8 and the Concert for Diana.
At Live 8, the crowd corralled him into performing David Brent's cringe-worthy dance.
The same happened at the Diana concert as his powers of improvisation were tested to the limit during a delay, prompting some rare negative press.
"People love it when something goes wrong and I was standing there and they demanded I do the robot dance and it was funny," Gervais said afterwards.
"But this guy wrote: 'He's rubbish, everything he's ever done is rubbish and it's all over for him.'
"That week I got nominated for four Emmy Awards, sold 100,000 DVDs of Extras and signed up for two Hollywood movies. So bring on the backlash... I want him writing about me every day."

[smudge]

'World's greatest comedy actor' - is that according to anyone else other than Ricky Gervais ?

Strikes me he's just another David Bowie type, one who constantly re-invented himself until he reached the goal of 'fame' - for what that's worth. The only thing one could even remotely admire is his tenacity.

Can't stand the man ! He certainly doesn'[t deserve any title using the word 'greatest' as far as i am concerned...

Smudge

[Marky B]

One day,one day,it will be officially confirmed that Ricky Gervais isn't funny,can't act and is an embarrassment.
Ta Ta
Marky B

[batman]

Ricky is not too good at football either!

Bats.

[Dame Starry]

Originally Posted by Marky B One day,one day,it will be officially confirmed that Ricky Gervais isn't funny,can't act and is an embarrassment. Ta Ta Marky B

I get the impression you're not too keen on him then, Marky?

[kelp]

I like Stepen Merchant and Ricky as writers. EXTRAS is very well written and so true to life (anyone that has ever done that in their career will agree). The greatest ever????Sorry, but no.

[Marky B]

Originally Posted by Starry-Eyed I get the impression you're not too keen on him then, Marky?

100 points to that girl.
Ta Ta
Marky B

[David Brent]

Sure some people dislike Gervais (I'm surprised how strongly some people feel about him) but theres no denying the great success of the guy.
"The Office" and "Extras" have been worldwide hits and have even broken the tough American market.
He refused to make a third series for both those hit shows even though there is enough demand for him to continue making episodes.
He has won Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA awards for his work.

Like him or not you have to pay him his dues.
The "World's Greatest Comedy Actor"? I would think not.
He certainly is an asset to British comedy though.

Dave.

[Dame Starry]

Personally, I think that Stephen Merchant and McKenzie Crook are a lot funnier than Ricky Gervais; I can take him or leave him.

Starry x.

[batman]

Originally Posted by kelp EXTRAS is very well written and so true to life (anyone that has ever done that in their career will agree).

I agree!

Bats.

[tgunnell]

One man's meat is another man's poison my sons who are in their twenties rave about him but old dad is not so sure .he deserves credit because he as entertained many people

[Fareham_Bee]

Wasn't really a fan of the Office but thought Extras was great, I like him as an interviewee on chat shows, as a stand up he was quite funny but ask him to ad lib or fill in as he did at that awful concert for Diana and he shows a lack of being able to think on his feet.

Greatest comedy actor? Not by a long chalk.

[thirdlady]

I'm a huge fan of ricky's

[samkydd]

Originally Posted by thirdlady I'm a huge fan of ricky's

I enjoyed The Office, but unlike Fawlty Towers, Dad's Army etc I don't think I'd be able to watch repeats of it. Cringeworthy comedy only works for me the first time you see it.

I only saw one episode of Extras, which I thought was pretty predictable stuff, the David Brent character yet again which is essentially the Richard Jarvis character in real life, so he's not acting he's just being himself!

People these days have the memory span of a gnat with senile dimensia, and when voting for "The Greatest Whatever of all Time" the nominations are usually in the very recent past like Robbie Williams - The Greatest Singer of the Last Millenium. It's all nonsense of course because so diverse are individuals' tastes and preferences there can never really be a unanimous "Greatest Whatever of all Time"!

Everyone used to rave about Tommy Cooper, but having watched a few of his ITV shows recently there only about four minutes in each show that are funny. Morcambe and Wise were just about average most of the time, perhaps one sketch in three was funny, the same goes for The Two Ronnies which when you analyse it was just like Benny Hill without the cleavage, stockings and suspenders. That's just my opinion and no doubt the majority on here would disagree with me. I used to find Dear Ladies with Hinge and Brackett absolutely hilarious, but many people I know just thought it was odd. So you can't really state that anything or anyone is the funniest or greatest or the sexiest etc because it's impossible to judge.

Boris used to watch To The Manor Born and The Upper Hand and Bread and try as I might, I couldn't see anything remotely funny in any of them! It was just absolute codswallop just like Friends, but for some strange reason people found those shows funny!

[Torquemada]

The problem with Ricky Gervais is that there is too much David Brent and Andy Millman in him and he's not really acting, just playing himself if he was to be in those situations.