It’s always fascinating to see a famous performer in their more formative years. For Ricky Gervais, his formative years were rather brief, as he had his mainstream television debut in 1999. That’s two years before “The Office” first aired on the BBC, when his career subsequently exploded. Nevertheless, it’s very interesting to see where the comedian got his start. Gervais got his first big break in a one-off for Channel 4’s “Comedy Lab,” which is a program that showcases comedy pilots. Gervais’ show, co-written with Stephen Merchant, was called “Golden Years” and, thankfully for us, the entire episode is available online.Dangerous Minds recently unearthed the little-seen pilot whose style is not that far off from what Merchant/Gervais would later do with “The Office.” Gervais’ character is Clive Meadows, an owner of a video rental chain that’s obsessed with David Bowie and wants to impersonate...
- 7/18/2013
- by Ken Guidry
- The Playlist
The Girls creator hits back at a porn parody of her comedy show, Doug Stanhope wades into the Oklahoma God debate, and Dutch TV is slammed for satirising the Woolwich murder
This week's comedy news
In a week when Jerry Lewis told the world that female comedy "bothers [him]", two tales of fightback – of a sort. Girls creator Lena Dunham has criticised news of a pornographic parody movie of her hit HBO comedy. "Most TV shows have been turned into gross and weird porn parodies," the Splitsider website tells us, but Dunham isn't prepared to shrug this one off. "Girls is, at its core, a feminist action while [the XXX film's producer] Hustler is a company that markets and monetises a male's idea of female sexuality," wrote Dunham. And also, "a big reason I engage in (simulated) on-screen sex [in Girls] is to counteract a skewed idea of that act created by the proliferation of porn."
Meanwhile,...
This week's comedy news
In a week when Jerry Lewis told the world that female comedy "bothers [him]", two tales of fightback – of a sort. Girls creator Lena Dunham has criticised news of a pornographic parody movie of her hit HBO comedy. "Most TV shows have been turned into gross and weird porn parodies," the Splitsider website tells us, but Dunham isn't prepared to shrug this one off. "Girls is, at its core, a feminist action while [the XXX film's producer] Hustler is a company that markets and monetises a male's idea of female sexuality," wrote Dunham. And also, "a big reason I engage in (simulated) on-screen sex [in Girls] is to counteract a skewed idea of that act created by the proliferation of porn."
Meanwhile,...
- 5/28/2013
- by Brian Logan
- The Guardian - Film News
She's Anna, she's Katy, and together they are Anna and Katy!
A couple of years after their well-received Comedy Lab, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix have finally got their own full-length sketch show, which starts this Wednesday on Channel 4.
As big fans of sketch, Digital Spy were very excited to sit down with the duo to quiz them about comedy, controversy, and sharing an award nomination with Rylan Clark. Here's what they had to say.
When did you decide to start doing sketch together?
Anna: "We met doing stand-up in 2003 and we weren't very good at it! Either of us. We both thought each other were funny."
Katy: "Dreadful... I hadn't really seen any comedy, that was my problem."
Anna: "I certainly wasn't ready to do an hour of stand-up at Edinburgh the following year. So I said to old Wixy, 'Let's get together and do some sketches'. And the rest is herstory.
A couple of years after their well-received Comedy Lab, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix have finally got their own full-length sketch show, which starts this Wednesday on Channel 4.
As big fans of sketch, Digital Spy were very excited to sit down with the duo to quiz them about comedy, controversy, and sharing an award nomination with Rylan Clark. Here's what they had to say.
When did you decide to start doing sketch together?
Anna: "We met doing stand-up in 2003 and we weren't very good at it! Either of us. We both thought each other were funny."
Katy: "Dreadful... I hadn't really seen any comedy, that was my problem."
Anna: "I certainly wasn't ready to do an hour of stand-up at Edinburgh the following year. So I said to old Wixy, 'Let's get together and do some sketches'. And the rest is herstory.
- 3/4/2013
- Digital Spy
Charles Dance, Johnny Vegas, Katy Brand and Jessica Hynes have all joined Sky Atlantic's new comedy Common People. The ten-part series is comprised of 10 short films, all set in South London and linked by characters and locations. Sunshine will star Downton Abbey's Brendan Coyle as a cop in pursuit of two crooks (Tom Davis and Sean Pertwee), while second instalment Bad Grandad will see Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance play a retired tour manager who struggles to move on from his wild past. Episode three is titled The Choir - written by and starring Eri Jackson (Life's Too Short) and Danny Morgan (Comedy Lab) - while Tatt is scripted by Johnny Vegas and will star the Ideal comic as a tattooist who finds himself drawn to his father's girlfriend (Josie Lawrence). (more)...
- 10/10/2012
- by By Morgan Jeffery
- Digital Spy
Channel 4's Comedy Lab will air a pilot based on the Indian sport Kabaddi later this year. The Objective Productions programme, which has been commissioned by Nerys Evans, will focus on friends Bobby and Vin as they attempt to put together a multi-racial kabaddi team. Currently titled Kabadasses, the show is expected to air in the autumn, reports Broadcast. The show is written by Nikesh Shulka, while Phil Clarke and (more)...
- 2/10/2011
- by By Alex Fletcher
- Digital Spy
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.