Golden Years (Comedy Lab)
| "Golden Years" | |
|---|---|
| Comedy Lab episode | |
| Error creating thumbnail: File missing Gervais in character impersonating David Bowie | |
| Episode no. | Series 2 Episode 6 |
| Directed by | Blake Bedford |
| Written by | |
| Cinematography by | Alastair Meux |
| Editing by | Richard Halladey |
| Original air date | 8 September 1999 |
| Running time | 23 minutes |
"Golden Years" is the sixth episode of the second series of the British comedy anthology series Comedy Lab. It first aired on 8 September 1999 on Channel 4. Written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it stars Gervais as the co-owner of a video rental company who has a David Bowie obsession. The episode follows him as he prepares for his appearance on the talent show Stars In Their Eyes.[1][2][3][4]
Production
[edit | edit source]"Golden Years" is filmed in a mockumentary style.[5] Certain scenes feature "talking head" interview segments with Gervais's character, interviewed by Merchant off-screen, which is a format similar to that used in The Office.[5]
Plot
[edit | edit source]This article's plot summary needs to be improved. (May 2016) |
Gervais plays Clive Meadows, the main character who has a David Bowie obsession. Clive Meadows is the 32 (or 37, he is somewhat unclear) year old co-owner of 'Video Zone', a video rental company based in Reading. The show follows Clive as he prepares for his appearance on the ITV talent show Stars In Their Eyes.
Reception
[edit | edit source]Vulture's Ramsey Ess wrote that the episode is "mostly uneven" in its humour, feeling like a demo tape for Gervais and Merchant's later series, The Office. Ess noted that Gervais's character has no redeeming qualities, which makes sympathising with him when he reaches his lowest point a difficult task. He concluded by writing that, "Without this show, there probably wouldn’t have been an Office, so in that regard, it’s a good thing that it was made. But beyond that, Golden Years offers only the spark of what Gervais and Merchant would create together."[5]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]The documentary style of the show and in particular the behaviour of Gervais's character present like prototypes for The Office and its lead character David Brent.[5]
References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- "Golden Years" at channel4.com
- "Golden Years" at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).