Smell the Movies
Smell the TV
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| Transmitted: | July 2001 - December 2003 |
| Country of origin: | UK |
| Genre: | Comedy of mannerisms, British eccentricity, Realism |
| Starring: | Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis, Mackenzie Crook |
| Rating: | 5/5 |
| No. of seasons: | 2, plus a 2 part Christmas special |
I've got a confession to make. When this show first aired I absolutely refused to watch it. So many people were telling me I had to, I dug my heels in, got stubborn, and told them they were blinkered sheep following the mass media's brainwashing techniques, and they deserved to be starved of oxygen until it really, really hurt.
And it pains me to concede, several years later, that I was entirely wrong.
You all know the setup to this one: Ricky Gervais plays the worlds most irritating boss, self-deludedly believing that each of his employees is his best friend, and that he is witty, charismatic, and the life and soul of the workplace. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the earliest examples of arse clenching comedy - you know, the kind of comedy that makes you squirm with embarrassment as much as laugh out loud - this really took the premise of Chris Langham's excellent 'People Like Us' and expanded it to its logical conclusion.
Some great characterisation, some geniune moments of comedic inspiration, this may now appear dated or generic, but it is only because so much TV is now influenced by it. Pioneers always seem jaded upon revisiting because the impersonators saturate the genre.
Find an episode guide here:
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