Quintessential Comedy | Devoted to British Comedy

Ahh the Gervais bubble - could it be about to burst?

It seems that the recent tribute to a comedian who has been with us five minutes attracted just 1.6 million viewers, an insignificant fraction of the available figures. As TV Scoop put it:

Did you watch it and enjoy it? Well, you were almost on your own as the show limped in last in the ratings battle, trundling in with a pathetic 1.6 million viewers. If you want some perspective on it, despite a Radio Times cover, saturated TV spots and publicity, the show was beaten by Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach

The reviewer then goes on to point out that “New Heroes” should refer to just that - upcoming giants. Sure, it might be difficult to judge, but comics like Frankie Boyle are on television far too rarely, and restricting them to panel shows isn’t a way forward.

And in any case, Gervais has all but abandoned the UK. He’ll be enjoying a very big, very nice pool in LA inside 5 years in a grandiose house that he won’t want to leave.

What is of particular note is that Channel 4 gave us Father Ted, The IT Crowd, Comic Strip; they shouldn’t be farming out rubbish like this under the guise of new programming when the broadcast comprises 70% old clips.