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Ricky Gervais Live - Animals

Starring: Ricky Gervais

Director: Dominic Brigstocke

The film: Recorded at London's Bloomsbury Theatre during a short   live season  this year, the DVD showcases  Britian's  recent king of television comedy, Ricky Gervais - writer, director and star of BBC's The Office.

Like the cocky office manager David Brent he plays in the TV series, Gervais is all but shy on stage, reminding the audience twice that The Office won two Baftas (British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards).

Why the animals theme? Gervais  says he's always been fascinated with how  nature orchestrates so many bizarre ways of life in the wild. And humans are part of this collection of animals, with their own  set of living codes that look rather unusual when scrutinised. All this is explained, after an introductory clip form a wildlife documentary about mating lions, over which Gervais lays  a skit narrative - inexplicably with a French accent.

As his one-hour routine unfolds, it becomes apparent Gervaise  uses animals merely as a peg.  Sure, he reels off some funny facts about bats, dolphins, seals and a few others but, thankfully, his delving into the human condition isn't always under the pretext of analysing the species.

A highlight is an analysis of the Bible's account of the creation of man, along with the snake's role in the  events in the Garden of Eden. Delivery, as with the whole routine, is as if  Brent were talking (which just goes to show how much Gervais draws on what he does best for that role).

When it comes to modern-day human mating games, Gervais says humans aren't the only species that engages in recreational sex. And he's the first to admit that men use anything within their means to achieve such recreation. In his case, it's playing up his success with The Office.

For all his cockiness, Gervais seems unable to take criticism lightly. This performance isn't the show's opening one - which we're made aware of thanks to his  outburst in response to British political satirist Ian Hislop's  negative remarks about Animals, in a  review  on BBC television.

The extras: A short making-of feature is amusing enough, following Gervais from rehearsal to  dressing room  and editing suite.  The last segment is possibly the funniest, in which Gervais ruminates about the show to his pet cat, which pays not one iota of interest. A commentary track for the show is fairly monotonous - in fairness, about  half way through,  Gervais asks: 'What kind of idiot does a commentary to his own stand-up?'

The verdict:  It's live but  not stand-up comedy.  There are a lot of laughs  but not of the side-splitting variety  we  witnessed in The Office.



Ricky Gervais Live - Animals