Word: karle
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Despite the show’s title, Gervais is hardly its focus. Instead, it is Karl, whom—despite his utter lack of stand-up, writing, or acting experience—Gervais has called “the funniest man alive in Britain today.” Over the last decade, Pilkington has become Gervais’s pet project, if not his pet. He is a fool, and also a genius...
It’s difficult to convey how funny this is. A reliably fruitful gag consists of Ricky and Steve asking Karl to explain proverbs. For instance, Karl’s interpretation of the saying “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” is this: “If you live in a glass house, don’t be chucking stuff about.” It’s not that he just says things that make no sense—there’s an atom of plausibility...
...When Karl isn’t actively spouting drivel, Ricky and Steve still have plenty to mock him for, including his Mancunian monotone and remarkably spherical bald head (like “a fucking orange,” Gervais frequently claims). A 2006 New York Times article claimed that Pilkington was a master of “comic deadpan”—indeed, the humor derived from Karl’s way of thinking is so exquisitely consistent that it can be hard to believe it’s organic...
...Karl Pilkington has a cult following of Jonestownian proportions, which he has wisely parlayed into three book deals and a multitude of hosting gigs. He, Gervais, and Merchant were even awarded the Guinness World Record for the most downloaded podcast in 2006. But this tremendous popularity has yet to make its way across the Atlantic...
This is where HBO comes in. The new TV series recycles audio from the early series of the podcast, setting it to animation of the three men chatting within a recording studio and cartoon vignettes that demonstrate whatever madness Karl happens to be espousing at the moment...