Ricky Gervais standup *potentially sensitive

[notonyournoddle]

Just been introduced to Ricky Gervais standup tonight. I've never been interested before as (apart from his interest I animal welfare) I can't stand the guy, but was gobsmacked at his 'farting at a baby's funeral' theme. Am I missing something or is this in hideously bad taste? I'm amazed no one has kicked off about it?

I cannot stand him

I liked his awards speech as well. but it was tainted by his reason for doing it was that they had finished with him and he had nothing to lose.

He wouldn't have done it if he still had a career over there.

I liked his awards speech as well. but it was tainted by his reason for doing it was that they had finished with him and he had nothing to lose.

He wouldn't have done it if he still had a career over there.

You are mistaken, he did the same thing every time he hosted. Some of his previous year's speeches are perhaps even more excoriating and the hypocrisy of the Hollywood elite is always the recurring theme.

A couple of stars have got really pissed off with him for it- I seem to think Mel Gibson has a go on stage one year.

I think he’s massively overrated both as a comedian and his TV shows. I find him really try hard poignant. Like oh I’m making a pooiiinnt about humaaaaanity. To me he isn’t funny and I found most of his TV shows quite boring and very samey.

But some people love him. It’s just apples and oranges, isn’t it? One thing I think is great nowadays is variety. I always think back to when TV first became widespread and you’d have about two channels to choose from. Now I have telly, Netflix, prime, Disney blah blah blah. So I never get when people moan ‘superhero movies are rubbish, I’m so sick of them!’ Well turn Disney plus off! Iron Man won’t fly through your window and act out Age of Ultron on your mantelpiece. Switch to Netflix and watch Dahmer instead. And if you’re not a fan of crime programmes then switch back to Disney and watch the new Gordon Ramsay, or back to Netflix for a Christmas film. It’s easy to avoid stuff you’re not a fan of on telly.

Half the reason people like stand up is because it'd no holds barred, people say stuff they can't say on live TV, mainstream TV etc and some of us like pushing boundaries, being shocked, laughing at things we'd never dare say.
I think it's an evolutionary thing but i cba to articulate now .
Merry Christmas!

Should add, funerals are an archetypal 'try not to laugh' scenario, anywhere that a certain behaviour would be wholly inappropriate Is where our monkey brain might put the bad thought in our head, hence farting at a baby's funeral becoming stand up comedy fodder

Steer clear of Dave Chapelle op, you may implode.

I'm not a big fan of RG but respect him for tackling big issues and pushing the boundaries which is exactly what comedy should do. I can't think of anything worse than an hour of Michael McIntyre gurning and mincing about on stage telling crap, inoffensive jokes.

Why on earth should anyone kick off just because they dont like a RG joke?
You cant like everything surely?

Not a fan of RG’s stand up.

I don’t mind risqué humour or humour that pushed boundaries of taste (I mean I like Frankie Boyle) but I can’t warm to RG. Just don’t find his stand up funny.

I stand corrected. This was the one that he got the most publicity for.

But I avoid RG because I don't like his stand up. Which is strange as I like others of a similar ilk.

He comes across as just lacking empathy tbh. He likes cats and dogs - wow what a hero, like 90% of people who love their pets. And he went vegan after being roasted for years on Twitter for not being one and acting like an animal rights activist.

TRUE

Can't stand Frankie Boyle. He can be very personal, and just thinks he's so up hi,self and awful.

Do like RG, do find some of his stuff OTT, but he's not afraid to take the mick out of himself.

Himself sorry not hi,self 🤪

For me NOTHING is off limits when it comes to comedy (or anything else for that matter, as long as it doesn't directly incite violence toward another person).

As someone else said, I find him about smug and self-congratulatory and therefore some of his stuff isn't all that funny, though he can bring some corkers at times.

I am bisexual and I don't think bisexuality (or LGBT in general) should be free from mockery or jokes. As long as they are clever and thoughtful in the execution then there isn't a problem for me. I am not a huge fan of gay = effeminate etc but I am also aware that stereotypes come from somewhere - they don't materialise for no reason.

I don't think I've ever been offended by ANY speech, let alone a comedian. I chuckled at "that" Katie Price/Harvey joke by Frankie Boyle, the 6 million Jews gag that Jimmy Carr did, THE Jade Goody and cancer joke and many others. Do I condone killing minority groups, want people to get cancer or think fat learning disabled children want to have sex with their parents? Of course not, that is ludicrous and that is the point. Comedians say the most ludicrous things, it is not meant to represent real life.

I think Boyle, Gervais, Carr et al are all characters anyway. if you listen to any of them (esp Boyle and Carr) they will very articulately explain why a joke is meant to be funny.

Don't watch him then. Simple! Clearly your far to sensitive so just stick to cookery programs or something

Ricky Gervais is pretty tame as a stand-up so if you think he's offensive stand-up comedy probably isn't for you. I think every stand-up I've ever been to has made jokes about rape, child abuse, disabilities etc. - even people who are regularly on television with their sanitized material keep the funnier/darker stuff for their live shows.

People regularaly make this mistake of assuming that because x, y, or z look tame on their primetime BBC1 show that's typical of their style. Often it isn't, it's just they have to clean it up if they want to be on TV.

The point of live performances is that they can depict things beyond the bounds of what's acceptable on TV. Look at Kunt for example, his typical material like the song Paperboy would never be shown on TV. Even when the BBC mention him in an article they just refer to him as someone whose name they can't print. He's distasteful for sure, but I find his stuff a lot less offensive than that sort of shite they broadcast on TV like Mrs Brown's Boys.

Can't stand Frankie Boyle. He can be very personal, and just thinks he's so up hi,self and awful.

I don't like Boyle. I think he's sometimes funny and don't care that he's gratuitously offensive per se but I think his personal attacks on people are over the line of acceptability (directed bullying is not the same as crass humour).

I also think he's a ridiculous hypocrite when he complains about other comedians being 'offensive' when he is far worse.

He's excellent

I don't find him offensive but I think his stand up is lazy and unoriginal, and After Life is mawkish shite that relies entirely on tired tropes and stereotypes and he's insufferably smug. So I don't watch it.

His trans sketch was sheer genius 🤣 👌 👏👏👏

I am a sessional kinder assistant in Victoria and want to give my notice during the term holidays. Will it start from today’s date or the first day of term ?

He’s brilliant, you’ve completely missed the point of his comedy if your offended.

Rocky Grevais is a great comedian. Dave Chapelle really challenges my feminist thoughts BUT, he's hysterical and so clever.

I love him!
If he isn’t for you don’t watch him. I can’t stand this cancel culture and moaning about comedy and what is and isn’t acceptable.