As 'thetvreviewguy' has written in posts passim, Ricky Gervais has become a hugely divisive figure. While some are more than happy to worship at the Gervais altar and believe he can do no wrong, others see a money-grabbing, one-trick pony enjoying his 15 minutes of fame for far too long. Gervais's conceit of comedy as self-awareness and smart-alecry can work extremely well (see most of 'The Office') or not (trying to 'reclaim' the word 'mong', for instance), yet he is a phenomenon (or, related to that, a muppet, in the eyes of many). 'Life's too Short' (BBC2) follows the travails of down on his luck dwarf actor Warwick Davis as he looks to make a buck in a cruel showbiz world ('LTS' has been described by Gervais himself as part -Office, part-Extras). In fairness, it's not a bad comedy at all. Gervais and Stephen Merchant avoid a lot of obvious height gags (but do have a lot thrown in as well) and have written a character-driven vehicle that allows Davis to show off his comedy bones. Merchant and Gervais appear in the background from time-to-time and there's already been a scene-stealing performance from Johnny Depp (yes, Gervais has a contact book and new friends list that 'thetvreviewguy' frankly doesn't). While Warwick Davis is the undoubted star, this has bloody Gervais written all over, the ubiquitous, annoying, comedy polymath that he is. You know what to expect from the writers and while this doesn't re-invent the wheel by any means, it is a funny show.
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