The story goes that Ricky Gervais originally gave up stand-up comedy because it was too difficult. Instead he went on to write The Office – one of Britain’s greatest ever sitcoms. This DVD of his second stand-up tour since becoming a Golden Globe winner suggests Gervais should have stuck to the script writing. Kicking off with a host of jokes about the handicapped, Stephen Hawking and The Holocaust, Gervais is almost inseparable from his offensive David Brent alter ego – only not quite as funny.
There is a solitary party political gag (“We’ve done gays and Nazis – that’s enough about the Conservative party”) as he skips between subjects including teenage masturbation, nursery rhymes and the trials of being famous. He never really gains a laugh with the audience that registers above the snigger mark and his humour eems best suited to student union gigs.
In The Office, Gervais took comedy to a new level that captivated the nation. Unfortunately, the majority of his stand-up material does not scale the same heights, lacking its sophistication and originality. The great thing about David Brent was that he was a complete no-hoper that you couldn’t help laughing at. You won’t have the same problem with Ricky Gervais. >> Read More
