An Idiot Abroad Series 1

… Or as Karl Pilkington would’ve liked to call it, “Karl Pilkington and the Seven Wonders”. Either way, executive producers Ricky Gervais (star and creator of UK’s The Office) and Stephen Merchant (co-creator of The Office), along with Sky1 programming, made this an experience that Karl would never forget. In 7 episodes (and a hindsight 8th episode), Karl Pilkington visits the seven wonders of the ancient world. What happens in the meanwhile makes all the comedy.

I love Ricky Gervais’s idea for this show. He calls it “the most expensive prank on national television”. He wants to throw Karl out of his comfort zone and make him do

This… is Karl Pilkington.

terribly uncomfortable and wacky things he would never do. If Karl brings something up (like rather living in a cave than in a nice house so he can see the nice house) they do that. His sometimes backwards and small minded opinions on the world come out constantly and he must deal with those consequences.

Unimpressed.

That’s what I loved about this travel documentary. Karl is constantly talking. (He says he hates noise, but a lot of it is coming from him.) He complains, in a very comedic way, although he may not know it, and has this constant set of stand up comedian like scenarios and jokes when he talks about native cultures. He won’t try any foods (sensitive gag reflex, he says) and his three favorite phrases are:

1. I’m completely knackered.

2. This is doing me head in.

3. Insert ethnically racial stereotype here.

A little bit jealous of the Shaolin Wushu…

He is unabashedly forward with people and, for some, that may come off as insensitive and stupid. For me, it was comedic timing and forward humor at its best. He has this insane amount of diction in his head that he can apply to any situation in order to describe it to another layperson such as himself. He is thoroughly unimpressed by every wonder (“It’s alright…”) and finds any way to use Sky1’s money in order to relax when he can.

But that’s where that stops. Gervais and Merchant are constantly calling Karl up in order to get him to do funny things for the camera. He awkwardly rides a camel, wrestles with pro wrestlers in Mexico, is unwittingly asked to stay with a gay crossdresser in Brazil, and is

Like a needle in a haystack…. (Preview of Series 2…)

always being pushed to live in terrible hotels and hostels. Seeing Karl as “the kid crying in the corner getting poked with the stick,” really is enjoyable television. I do feel bad for him sometimes though…

Is he truly an idiot? That face kinda says so…

Either way, Karl Pilkington gets to do some incredible things and see some incredible sights. He showed me, and all the other thousands of viewers who have watched him, how to rough it in other countries and where/what to steer clear of. Karl goes well beyond my own comfort zone and travels and does things I would never enjoy doing. If I had the opportunities he had, there would still be no show. So I salute you, Mr. Pilkington, for doing what Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant made fun of you for. Now, on to Series 2: The Bucket List of Karl Pilkington! 8 out of 10.

Misfits Series 3

We know that everyone who watches this series misses Nathan. It’s true, Robert Sheehan was the standout star of this show, really bringing down the house with his no holds barred comedy and wise  cracking. Hell, I miss him more than anything. So much so, that I didn’t watch the third series until now. My grieving was great, but it was time to figure out who gets what new powers in this series.

Amazingly enough, this series doesn’t ease old viewers in with the typical start you’d think of the old characters reuniting. This series hits you off kilter at first with Joseph Gilgun who plays Rudy, the psychologically ripped apart sociopath with two personalities. So what do you think his power is? Who would’ve guessed?

Now, Joseph Gilgun is kinda meant to replace Nathan. His character Rudy is, for lack of a better word, rude, and insensitive. He never

Look! They’re all friends!

apologizes and is always looking for the next shag. Often confused and slow, this hides his sensitive side that never wants to be hurt. He is a good replacement. I have to say it. I enjoyed Gilgun just as much as I enjoyed Sheehan’s wisecracking. They’re both sexually ignorant and rude, and they both have this immaculate sense of timing. I was impressed, so give him a chance, you lot of Nathan lovers out there.

Some serious stuff going down this series…

From there we hit the ground running. Everyone has their new powers all lined up in a row, Alisha can do this, and Curtis can do that, and Simon has his own thing going on. Kelly, well, she’s just Kelly. (And she has become a Hell of a lot funnier.) Out of community service, it just so happens that Rudy stumbles upon them, befriends them, and steals a car, getting them all back into community service as accessories to the crime.

From here, the show features 8 episodes, most focusing around Simon’s destiny with the past and Alisha. Some focus around Rudy and his new spice he brings to the group, and, in a surprise twist, some focuses around Seth (Matthew McNulty) the drug dealer turned power swapper. There’s some juicy gossip there I can’t get into, but you’ll see soon enough. I also have to mention this before I forget, but, if while watching this show, you feel Rudy talks and acts like a comic version of Christian Bale (skinny of course, and lanky…) then let me know via comment.

A bigger part this series?

As with every season of Misfits, I am more and more impressed with the show. It has such great characters that you grow with and hope for the best for. The comedy is spot on and there’s even more geeky references to movies and pop culture in this season! The sex is toned down and the relationships between the characters have improved. Nobody hates each other as much as they used to, and you can see the friendships growing. There’s not even that much gripe about Rudy joining the group. The ending is bittersweet and I have no idea what they’re gonna do next season.

Here’s why. Kelly (Lauren Socha) is leaving for personal reasons. Her character wasn’t properly sent off or anything so I have no idea what’s happening there. Simon (Iwan Rheon) and Alisha (Antonia Thomas) were properly sent off, and each of them made the appropriately professional and separate choice to leave the show. They had a great run and this is what you come to expect from British T.V. Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) is staying on, which I found a surprise. This leave Rudy (Gilgun) and Curtis on the show currently. They are only seeking out another female, and two male roles. Looks like the makings of a sausage fest.

They have made strides in who they have picked for the new series though. It has been confirmed that three new

You’ll be sorely missed Lauren. I will always adore you.

characters named Jess, Finn and Alex. Jess will be played by Karla Crome will play Jess. From the pictures I’ve just looked up on Google (she hasn’t done anything I’ve seen) she should be a good, darker character addition to the show (and I don’t mean skin color, the pics online show her to be a femme fatale). Finn was confirmed as Nathan McMullen, the goofy and nice kid. They have one pic of this kid online over and over, and he looks like a sweet, curly headed kid. Guess he fits the part. These kids are so young these days…

So I hope everyone is ready for a hell of a good time with Series 3, and looking forward to Series 4. I know I am, and I’m gonna give Series 3 a good rating that it deserves. Not the same as Series 1 or 2, but something different and good all the same. 9 out of 10.