Ricky Gervais is David Brent

[Rhiannon]

http://news.sky.com/story/ricky-gervais-defends-dead-babies-joke-at-show-in-belfast-10818401

The most Brentian line from this is surely "I wish I had a pound for every time I offended someone. Wait, I do."

[Nearly Sane]

I think part of the cleverness of Brent as a character is that Gervais is using a part of himself and exaggerating it. I think in this case he is in the right.  And the guidance by Sands NI (which doesn't seem the wisest acronym) is eminently sensible. I feel for the couple though.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Sounds like he went on BEFORE he felt funny.

[Rhiannon]

I don't disagree about the things he says about taste and offence. Jimmy Carr has made similar points. It's his delight at making money from offending people I struggle with. An aknowledgement the pain of the couple wouldn't have hurt.

[Humph Warden Bennett]

As I have written before, IMHO Gervais is a vile man, and I would not spit on him if he was on fire. However, in all fairness he could not have been expected to know that there was a couple in this situation in the audience.

What is galling is that he knows now, and he has stayed silent. The late Rik Mayall once told a very bad taste joke , and upon realising that he had gone too far, he then publicly apologised. But then Rik was by all accounts a rather nicer person than is Gervais.

Gervais has made a great deal of money out of being an unpleasant prick. I congratulate him for exploiting a natural talent if nothing else.

[BeRational]

As I have written before, IMHO Gervais is a vile man, and I would not spit on him if he was on fire. However, in all fairness he could not have been expected to know that there was a couple in this situation in the audience.

What is galling is that he knows now, and he has stayed silent. The late Rik Mayall once told a very bad taste joke , and upon realising that he had gone too far, he then publicly apologised. But then Rik was by all accounts a rather nicer person than is Gervais.

Gervais has made a great deal of money out of being an unpleasant prick. I congratulate him for exploiting a natural talent if nothing else.

I don't think he is at all unpleasant.

He makes these jokes to ridicule the people that hold those views.

I think you just misunderstood.

[jeremyp]

As I have written before, IMHO Gervais is a vile man, and I would not spit on him if he was on fire. However, in all fairness he could not have been expected to know that there was a couple in this situation in the audience.

What is galling is that he knows now, and he has stayed silent. The late Rik Mayall once told a very bad taste joke , and upon realising that he had gone too far, he then publicly apologised. But then Rik was by all accounts a rather nicer person than is Gervais.

Gervais has made a great deal of money out of being an unpleasant prick. I congratulate him for exploiting a natural talent if nothing else.

I don't know Ricky Gervais so I couldn't comment on what he is like personally. However, I have watched some of his live shows on YouTube and, yes, they can be very offensive at times (as well as very funny). But they are only words and it is his stage persona = what do you expect. If he upsets you I do not criticise you for walking out but the mock outrage that follows is nauseating.

[jeremyp]

The most Brentian line from this is surely "I wish I had a pound for every time I offended someone. Wait, I do."

That's very funny.

[Humph Warden Bennett]

I don't know Ricky Gervais so I couldn't comment on what he is like personally. However, I have watched some of his live shows on YouTube and, yes, they can be very offensive at times (as well as very funny). But they are only words and it is his stage persona = what do you expect. If he upsets you I do not criticise you for walking out but the mock outrage that follows is nauseating.

Walk Out? I would not be in there in the first place

(Which perhaps ties up the discussion

[Gordon]

I'd have thought anyone going to see the likes of Ricky Gervais or Frankie Boyle knows the style of comedy involved: after all they are well known for it.

[Rhiannon]

That's very funny.

Not in context.

[Rhiannon]

I'd have thought anyone going to see the likes of Ricky Gervais or Frankie Boyle knows the style of comedy involved: after all they are well known for it.

I agree to some extent. On this case it was bereaved parents having a first night out - they've spoken about their anxiety and guilt that they felt around even just going. It wasn't a wise choice of event to choose but in such circumstances people often don't think very straight and I can imagine they found him funny before the death of their child and wanted something to make them feel better for a while. I don't think the joke was wrong but I don't think it would hurt to show the couple some understanding here. If he can't manage empathy then maybe class would do.

[jeremyp]

Walk Out? I would not be in there in the first place

(Which perhaps ties up the discussion

Not really. That solution would  imply you could foresee what he was going to say and how it was going to affect you.

[jeremyp]

Not in context.

Yes in context.  More so.

[Rhiannon]

Yes in context.  More so.

Because there are bereaved parents that he's offended that makes it funnier? Because that's the context of this story.

[jeremyp]

Because there are bereaved parents that he's offended that makes it funnier? Because that's the context of this story.

The context is that of faux outrage because of one minor incident. With that remark he was sticking two fingers up at the people who jump on the bandwagon of disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.

There are always bereaved parents. There are also bereaved children, people with disabilities, people with terminal illnesses, people who have just had a traumatic split with a partner etc etc etc etc etc. Probably every single comedian who plays to audiences of the size that Ricky Gervais plays to offends one or two people every day.

[Rhiannon]

The context is that of faux outrage because of one minor incident. With that remark he was sticking two fingers up at the people who jump on the bandwagon of disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.

There are always bereaved parents. There are also bereaved children, people with disabilities, people with terminal illnesses, people who have just had a traumatic split with a partner etc etc etc etc etc. Probably every single comedian who plays to audiences of the size that Ricky Gervais plays to offends one or two people every day.

Yeah, and most likely you are right. But surely it doesn't hurt to acknowledge what they have gone through? This is a recent bereavement. If he'd stuck with the argument as to why he is entitled to write and use the material that he does then ok, fair point, an acknowledgement wouldn't hurt but hey. But gloating at making money off the back of offending people in direct response to those people finding his material offensive due to having lost a child? That shows either a total lack of empathy or an attitude of not giving a fuck.

And yes, I know others have jumped on the bandwagon. That doesn't make it any less painful for the couple concerned.