Overview: From the creators of the smash-hits The Office and Extras, The Ricky Gervais Show is an animated comedy based on a series of highly popular audio podcasts voiced by Gervais, collaborator Stephen Merchant, and colleague/friend Karl Pilkington that have been set to clever, eye-catching animation. The podcasts’ storylines, which were inspired by Pilkington’s offbeat musings about life, built a tremendous following amongst fans, earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads.

DVD Verdict: Having been a fan of the BBC's "The Office" and HBO's "Extras", it was natural that I would tune into "The Ricky Gervais Show" upon its premier last year. Even though I never listened to the original podcast, I expected to get a more than a few laughs out of the animated version of the series.

What I did not expect was to laugh so hard downstairs that my roommate upstairs phoned her sister to ask her advice if she could come down and check on me or to leave me alone because it sounded like I was crying like a family member had died!

When my roommate came down eventually my eyes were still watering and my face was red from laughter. She, I, and our friends from that point forward DVRed the show and watched it every Sunday. We were never disappointed with the lunatic musings of Karl Pilkington and the brilliant way Gervais and his comedy partner Stephen Merchant egged him on, then skewered him.

Some may feel sorry for Pilkington, but he is such an amiable recipient of the ridicule and so steadfast in his beliefs that no matter what, you want to hear more. The whimsical animation adds the perfect touch to the proceedings.

I cannot wait for season two to begin in a few weeks. [VT] This is a Widescreen Presentation (2.40:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Channel 4 Comedy Gala Animation
Episode Story Board