We are not anti-Gervais. Yes, it is true that since Extras he's made an hour of good material stretch out over four years. Yes, it is true that his own celebrity ego dwarves those which he once set out to mock. Yes, it is true that his ironic self-aggrandising is irksomely dated and unfunny. Yes, it is true that almost his every utterance is so irritating it makes you want to tear his skin off and stuff it in your ears so you can't hear him doing that laugh at his own jokes. But still. He did make The Office, so he has a few more years of fair pass.

This is relatively entertaining in a cheap manner. It's clearly The Karl Pilkington Show: an animated version of their podcast where Merchant and Gervais come uncomfortably close to bullying Karl. Still, it is undeniably funny at times, with Karl's deadpan normal strangeness leading to moments of comic gold. The animation fits surprisingly well too.

Interview: Ricky Gervais, Comedian and Filmmaker

It takes a lot to dwarf comedy hero Ricky Gervais. But the creator of The Office and Extras is happy to concede that Karl Pilkington eclipsed both him and Stephen Merchant when appointed as sound engineer on their XFM radio show.

The Ricky Gervais Show Review: Drawing A Blank

I'm a fan of a lot of Ricky Gervais's work, including his audio podcasts with Karl Pilkington, and I inevitably enjoyed this as well. The whole point of a cartoon in this context, however, infinitely evades me.

Ricky Gervais on The Ricky Gervais Show

'You don't want to hear two people trying to be Stephen Fry'

Gervais: I don't care if show flops

Ricky Gervais has said he doesn't care if his new TV show flops, as long as his friend Karl Pilkington gets "harassed" by the public.

Gervais's comedy army

Bill Hicks, Stewart Lee and a nursery rhyme with a 'blue' ending. Ricky Gervais reveals the moments that put comedy hairs on his chest.

Gervais show gets second series on US TV

The Ricky Gervais Show has been recommissioned for a second series on US TV by broadcaster HBO.

The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO): Review

The American cable TV channel HBO's animated series using the original recordings of The Ricky Gervais Show podcasts features the funnyman himself as well as his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant.

Ricky Gervais returns ... as a cartoon character

British comic animates pioneering Guardian podcasts for HBO with sidekicks Stephen Merchant and long-suffering Karl Pilkington.

Ricky Gervais Show a little sketchy

The static nature of three talking heads (even in cartoon form) is dull, and the intermittent non-studio interstitials used to illustrate the discussion fail to provide enough of a change.