To think Ricky Gervais is running out of ideas?

[RosesSmellLikePoo]

I’m a big fan of Ricky Gervais - in particular his writing such as AfterLife and Derek. I’ve always liked his stand up too but recently I find myself not enjoying it.

Im not easily offended at all (obviously otherwise I wouldn’t watch RG at all!) but some of the jokes …
Jokes about Rottweilers shaking babies to death
Jokes about raping an old woman
Jokes about kids with cancer …

He says people can joke about absolutely anything they want and yes they can - but does that mean they should?

The last show was “controversial” on Netflix - quite a bit of backlash. We watched his new one last night and it felt like he was just trying to outdo the controversy from the last one! More jokes about “bald kids with cancer” babies with aids …

He even did an impression of a child masturbating a paedophile in exchange for a puppy. I mean come on … there’s dark humour and then there’s just going out of your way to be controversial. I get the feeling he’s focussing all his efforts on being the most controversial comedian in the world rather than actually being funny.

Any other fans of Gervais seeing this?

So is Robin Ince.

OP I agree completely. I couldn't sit through him pretending to be a boy wanking a paedophile in Armadageddon. Too much for me. I don't care if there was some hidden irony in it. I've had enough of him now.

I finally got to watch this.
It wasn't what I expected as the OP is so inaccurate (as are so many of the reviews), almost like the OP hasn't actually watched it - to the extent that I had to Google some of the examples to check I'd not actually missed them - seems some of the examples apparently from Armageddon are misrepresentations of jokes from years ago. I wonder why the OP (and other reviewers) felt the need to do that.

Anyway, DH and I found it very funny - I can't remember the last time I saw him laugh so much. I look forward to next year's.

Oh absolutely ... "her penis" perfection.

Yer I agree as well about the boy and the paedo joke, I was crying laughing.

Literally watched his latest Netflix show just this evening, and thought it was hilarious. Yes, a lot of it is near the mark but he's only saying what a lot of people are thinking.
If you're not one of these people, you're frankly wasting your time buying a ticket and/or tuning in.

I find RG self-deprecating and frustrated and horrified at the mess society is in. I don't find him arrogant at all.

Exactly this. Frankly, anyone who didn't understand this, is probably struggling to understand life in general at this present time. I love how he dares to say this stuff out loud!

Watched RG tonight and belly laughed multiple times. Saw Peter Kay live earlier this year and barely laughed once. They're not the same at all.

Peter Kay has recycled the same material for 25 years, most of it not even his to begin with. He's a hack.

Gervais has had the same shtick for 15 years which has got predictable.

They're only still relevant because Millenial comics aren't cutting through or have anything interesting to say. Gervais is very damning of modern society and culture which is relatable.

I watched it last night and about pissed myself laughing. He's right "anyone offended by that is a f*ing moron". Well done, Ricky! A very misrepresented comedian and I think we all know why.

Haven't watched much of his stand up but I do want to say that Afterlife was brilliant. I watched it in the first few months after my DP died and actually found it really helpful as it absolutely nailed the messy insanity of grief. My coping mechanism is dark humour anyway, and I can honestly say pretty much everything resonated hugely, and has continued to do so nearly two years down the line. If nothing else I do think he deserves recognition for services to the bereaved - I think the series depicted some of us to a T, and the honesty is something the love, light and toxic positivity brigade often miss by a country mile, because grief is not "fixable" - unless you can raise the dead. It is of course something to be managed, often with wildly varying degrees of success.

I enjoyed the contrast between the things he could say head on and the things he still had to refer to more obliquely.

I think all comedians go through phases of being really funny to me and then not funny again

Thinking back I can remember

Eddie Izzard with cats drilling behind the sofa. That was funny. Don't find him funny now.

Stewart Lee I loved. Didn't like his stuff for a few years but found the Snowflake tour brilliant.

Henning Wehn. His Bobby Sands stuff was funny.

Bill Bailey. Can't recall anything in particular but don't find him funny now.

I love Ricky. I loved The Office and I thought After Life was just beautiful and genius. “Her penis” was absolutely bloody brilliant, as was most of last year’s show. I watched the latest show whilst messing about on my phone and I didn’t laugh too much but I suspect it was because I wasn’t properly paying attention. Going to give it another try off the back of this thread.

Someone the other day described Ricky Gervais as the comedian you go to when you like looking over your shoulder to see someone is outraged and you feel you want to laugh at that person then tell them why they’re wrong to be outraged. I thought it was the best description ever!

I watched his new show yesterday it was funny. I then watched Chris Rock (repeat watch) and though not his best he is a far better stand up comedian he is so sharp his observations and story telling is far superior. The show was about not insulting anyone but clearly making a point. He isn’t to everyone’s liking but few comedians are so talented at story telling and observational comedy

I just watched it last night. I am not a Gervais fan. I’m afraid I haven’t rtft.

Some of the jokes were Gervais at the top of his game, really beautifully crafted jokes that made you laugh about things you thought you might take offence at. The jokes from “real life” were the best because there was an element of truth in them, particularly anecdotes about his family which gave you an insight into the origins of his humour. It made me realise that in the case of those you share intimacy with more or less anything goes in terms of humour because you know and trust each other.

when it comes to the public how do you create that trust and intimacy with an audience? I suppose his fans have a semblance of that intimacy with Gervais. Nevertheless some of his jokes don’t land - for me, anyway. The paedo jokes that worked were in relation to his family and his mum where you get where the humour is coming from. When the jokes are more general it doesn’t work. He says that you’re not supposed to think that the views are his, but you do find yourself wondering why he wants to shock the audience in that way.

so, for me it was a mixed bag but he is definitely a great joke writer. One of the best. Very clever.

I think whether you get it depends on your humour taste. My in laws in their 60 are much more into softer comedy and don't appreciate the irony. Some of the jokes for instance about terminally I'll children I think could be misinterpreted by people as non ironic e.g. asking if a terminally ill child is retard and therefore be offensive.

I like the contrast to anodyne virtuosity though. I think it is good to shine a light on virtue signalling which is quite prevalent.

I've always liked Ricky Gervais' style of humour, it has that George Carlin or Bill Hicks style, always wanting to say important things about the wider world. Insightful things, things that surprise a laugh out of us from their sheer honesty.

Still, I have to agree a little. Either I'm too old to find anything fresh (fair) or he is having a phase where he's a bit too keen to drive home the point that it's just a persona, a character, a role doncha know. Yes, we know.

I feel like I'm missing the delicacy and compassion that his earlier work always wove in here and there to offset the more heavy-handed shock-value stuff.