Gervais & Merchant: an appraisal

[Pervert]

Okay, I liked The Office and Extras (though the final part fell short of expectations), but I'm not a graduate. So where does that leave me?

[Pervert]

Thanks to you for that----but I suspect it won't put anything on my salary

[Sam Slater]

I think Gervais is a good comedian.

I think Amy Winehouse is a talented musician & singer.

I think Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham are attractive.

I think the Iraq war was justified.

I think David Beckham is a credit to English football.



I've never been one for following social trends, whether those trends are 'intelligence based' or not.

[crofter]

Nothing to do about being a graduate: you either like that brand of "comedy" or you don't (wouldn't look so deeply into it).
Pretty sure that Gervais is not a Graduate of anything so not sure how you can use that as an intellectual/superior source. I personally don't rate them and believe that I would hold that view whether I went to University or not.

[The Last Word]

I'm a graduate (BA/MA) and woudn't give either of them fucking tuppence.

Apart from four pence better off, where does this leave me?

[Deuce Bigolo]

If you liked the Office its more likely than not you liked Gervais as a person

Personally I found him irritating in the extreme and henceforth didn't feel the urge to watch it regularly or at all

I give them full marks for trying comedy from a different angle

Obviously some like it & some hate it but i doubt it has anything to do with intellect.More a case as you get older and have seen umpteen different styles of comedy you tend to like what you like and bugger the rest

Like any comedian will tell you....its all in the delivery no matter what the content

[Ace]

Gervais is great at character comedies on a sit com........stand up he is average at best.
Him and Merchant are good writers, but I doubt they will replicate either Office or Extras again.
Merchant has had a sniff of being seen on TV now instead of just writing......and I get the impression he likes it, so expect some new work from them to be half arsed
Ricky now has the spotlight and rubs shoulders with big hitters now, so he's not going to be short of work.

In short, both hit winning formula at the right time and I don't begrudge them that at all. It was the same with Matt Lucas and David Walliams when Little Britain first appeared, and we soon got bored of them after series 3..........but good luck to 'em as well