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[[Image:Karlhead.JPG|right|275px|thumb|Karl Pilkington, from the Ricky Gervais Live: Politics DVD Interview. ]]
{{Infobox biography |
'''Karl Pilkington''' (born September 23, 1972 in Manchester, UK) is an English radio producer previously best known for producing ''[[Xfm Shows|The Ricky Gervais Show]]'' on the radio station [[Xfm|Xfm]]. After leaving Xfm, Pilkington reached an international audience through his appearances with [[Ricky Gervais]] and [[Stephen Merchant]] on ''[[The Ricky Gervais Podcast]]''.
  | name = Karl Pilkington
  | image = [[Image:Karl r&j.jpg|275px]]
  | caption = Alright?
  | date_of_birth =  23 September 1972
  | place_of_birth = Manchester, England, United Kingdom
  | place_of_birth = Manchester, England, United Kingdom
  | education = Ashton-on-Mersey School
  | occupation = Radio Producer, Head of Production and Author
  | partner = Suzanne Whiston
  | parents = [[Karl's Dad]], [[Karl's Mam]]
  | Aliases = The K-Man
|}}''"Come together and annoy Karl. He is your leader. He is your messiah! He is your god! And he fucking hates it."  - Ricky Gervais''
 
'''Karl Pilkington''' (born 23 September 1972 in Manchester, England) is an English radio producer, author, television presenter, actor and general round-headed buffoon. Having previously been known for producing ''[[Xfm Shows|The Ricky Gervais Show]]'' on the radio station [[Xfm|Xfm]], Pilkington reached an international audience through his appearances with [[Ricky Gervais]] and [[Stephen Merchant]] on the similarly titled, record-breaking ''[[The Ricky Gervais Show|podcast series]]''. He has since been the presenter of Sky 1 documentary [[An Idiot Abroad]], and starred as caretaker Dougie in [[Derek]].
 
==Career==
===Before Ricky and Steve===
Karl went to work as a printer after leaving school at age 15, and was made to work a 24-hour shift pressing CDs for the band Smokey. He partly attributes his baldness to this grueling schedule. Karl also briefly hosted an overnight phone-in show on a Manchester radio station where he was something of an agony uncle.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[19 January 2002]]</ref> It was in Manchester that he met long-time girlfriend [[Suzanne]].  He later moved on to work as Head of Production at London radio station Xfm, where he worked for seven years and would first cross paths with Ricky and Steve.  Karl was given the job of producing their second run of shows at the station, shortly after the first series of [[The Office]] ran on [[BBC2]]. At first he merely "pressed the buttons", but his quirky antics and unique worldview soon prompted [[Ricky Gervais|Gervais]] and [[Stephen Merchant|Merchant]] to make him a third member of their team.
[[Image:VidPodcastKarl3.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Karl might sometimes wish he never met Ricky]]
 
===On-Air===
====Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant====
Having been assigned to produce [[Xfm Shows|The Ricky Gervais Show]] with [[Ricky Gervais]] and [[Stephen Merchant]], Karl began his on-air role by occasionally interjecting during the broadcast. As more of his anecdotes and opinions were revealed, he became more of a focal point of the show.  Eventually, he began to take part in and create segments. The first feature introduced that focused on Karl was [[White Van Karl]], where Karl gave his thoughts on current events and minor news stories. Then, following the live revelation that Karl only passed one GCSE, Ricky began [[Educating Karl]] on key topics in history and literature. As Ricky and Steve started to put less effort into the show, Karl began creating his own segments such as [[Educating Ricky]], [[Monkey News]], and [[Rockbusters]]. Having masterminded these bits, Karl's relative status on the show grew, with Ricky eventually saying it should be called "The Karl Pilkington Show". After the end of the Xfm show, Karl remained part of the trio, giving up his position as head of production at Xfm to make podcasts with Ricky and Steve and work on his writing. When Danny Wallace debuted his Saturday show on Xfm on 9th February 2008, Karl recorded a message for him containing advice and support on how to do a radio show and revealing that he had only received an extra thirty pounds for each show he did with Ricky and Steve.
 
====The Russell Brand Show====
Karl also co-hosted four [[The Russell Brand Show|radio shows]] with [[Russell Brand]] on [[BBC 6Music]]. Three shows aired after Christmas in 2005 with Karl and Russell substituting for Nemone. Another aired on 09 April 2006, the beginning of the Russell Brand Show. After this show, Karl no longer had a speaking role, but was talked about on air and seen on the webcam during the next couple of shows. There is speculation that Karl's participation in the show was discontinued due to his contract obligations with Ricky and Steve.  Russell Brand remained on BBC 6Music with new co-presenters [[Matt Morgan]] and Trevor Lock (which Karl once was guest on over the phone on 11 June 2006) until November 2006 when he moved on to BBC Radio 2. Brand has recalled his stint with Karl with affection but also described Karl, perhaps facetiously, as "difficult to work with" at the same time.<ref>The Russell Brand Show, BBC6 Music, 13 August 2006</ref>
 
===Podcasts===
[[Image:Karl screengrab.jpg|thumb|"...but his head come off."]]
 
Karl was undoubtedly the star of the podcasts in which he appeared alongside [[Ricky Gervais]] and [[Stephen Merchant]]. The first series ran for 12 weeks, from 05 December 2005, with one episode released each Monday.  Before setting out to do the podcasts, Karl quit his job as Head of Production at [[Xfm]], receiving a digital camera as his leaving present, which he gave to his long-term girlfriend [[Suzanne]] for Christmas.<ref>BBC Radio 2, [[Radio 2 Shows|24 December 2005]]</ref>
 
The podcasts featured Ricky and Steve probing Karl's world-views similarly to how they had done during the radio show, as well as e-mails containing questions and facts sent in for Karl to answer or react to due to his unfailing nontraditional perspectives.  Karl consequently became the centrepiece of show, and the podcasts were a massive success. The show received a Guinness World Record in 2007 for being the Most Downloaded Podcast ever, and in September 2006 the BBC estimated that the show had been downloaded 18 million times.
 
Highlights of the first series included [[Monkey News]], Karl's famous quote of "I could eat a knob at night", and the introduction of [[Karl's Diary]]. In 2006 a second series of the show began, albeit the podcast now cost a small fee as opposed to being free. After finishing a third series later on that year, the show was put on a brief hiatus, but returned with three seasonal specials. A fifth series began in 2008, before a format change that saw the trio return in an audiobook series called [[The Ricky Gervais Guide To...]]. The last episode, [[The Ricky Gervais Guide To... Comic Relief]], was released in March 2011.
 
The most recent podcast Karl appeared on was [[Learn English with Ricky Gervais]], a 20-minute YouTube video in which Karl and Ricky discussed the English language. The episode was billed as a pilot, but since its release there has been no word on a full series.
 
Ricky was once quoted as saying, "It shouldn't be called the Ricky Gervais Show, it should be called the Karl Pilkington show, I mean it's ridiculous, I'm so lazy, I just turn up now and prod him".<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Podcast, [[Podcast_Series_1#Episode_Ten|06 February 2006]]</ref> The stardom that Karl received from the shows helped him launch his subsequent television career, although Karl still felt having recorded the podcasts "I haven't done anything of any worth".
 
===TV Appearances===
Karl's first appearances on television were on [[Flipside TV]] during the Xfm years. In line with the show's format, Karl commented on various television programs, mainly staying focused on shows featuring the paranormal and oddities. In a later radio show, Ricky said Karl quit participating in the program because he did not like the fact that his parents or relatives might be watching him.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[15 November 2003]]</ref>
 
In August 2006, Karl created four short films for [[3 Minute Wonder]], a documentary shorts strand that followed Channel 4 News on weekdays. The segments were titled '''''Some Thoughts by Karl Pilkington''''' and were essentially Karl's musings and observations on subjects like life, travel, health, and animals.  Locations included a museum, in a tent while camping, his house, and the zoo. The documentary that followed Karl through a museum drew some strong criticism from Sunday Times reader [[Wendy Robinson]], which is referenced in [[Series 3 Episode 4]] of the [[The Ricky Gervais Show|Podcast series]]. Despite this, in October 2007, Karl appeared in a feature-length [[Channel 4]] documentary entitled [[Karl Pilkington: Satisfied Fool]]. In it, he interviews scholars and writers ("brainy people," as he says) in an attempt to discover whether intelligence is the key to happiness.
 
After years of working with Ricky and Steve, Karl finally had a cameo in one of their shows at the end of 2007, when he appeared as an autograph seeker in the Christmas Special of [[Extras]]. Karl also made a number of contributions to BBC Two's [[The Culture Show]] having first been interviewed on the show in late 2006.
 
In February 2010, [[HBO]] began airing [[The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO)]]. The programme uses the audio from [[The Ricky Gervais Show]] podcasts and [[The Ricky Gervais Guide To...]] audiobooks, and animates them in a retro style similar to that of ''The Flintstones''. The show also began airing on Channel 4 on April 23rd 2010, and introduced a whole new audience to the genius/idiocy of Karl Pilkington. There animations lasted for three series before Ricky decided to end them. Karl sometimes admits that the animated version of the podcast is the only time he can listen to or watch himself.
 
In 2010 Karl began filming a series called [[An Idiot Abroad]] for Sky 1, a show that would see Karl tour seven wonders of the modern world in an effort to see if any of them would impress him. The show aired in 2010 and received very strong viewing figures. Karl appeared to have an awful time during most of the journeys, but agreed to do a second series as long as 'he could choose what he got to do'. With that, the premise of An Idiot Abroad 2 was born, with Karl this time choosing items off of a bucket list. Ricky, however, tweaked the majority of his picks and once more Karl found himself suffering throughout his trips. The series began airing on the 23rd of September 2011 (Karl's birthday). Highlights of series 2 included Karl being molested by monkeys, refusing to bungee jump and lying to Ricky about it even though he was on camera, and being tricked into receiving his first ever prostate exam while secretly filmed by Ricky and Steve.
 
A three-part special, entitled An Idiot Abroad: The Short Way Round was filmed and broadcast at the end of 2012. In this final series, Karl teamed up with [[Life's Too Short]] star [[Warwick Davis]] and the two of them travelled the Marco Polo route from Venice to China. Along the way Karl and Warwick appeared to have a fractious relationship, and Karl displayed an occasionally astonishing ignorance of Dwarfism, culminating in him asking Warwick 'do you have knees?'. Ricky confirmed that this would be the final series of [[An Idiot Abroad]], but it was recently confirmed that Sky 1 would be commissioning a new series called [[The Moaning of Life]], in which Karl will be exploring the world without Ricky's guidance.
 
===Written Work===
Karl has penned five [[Karl Pilkington#Books|books]] since leaving Xfm and banding with Ricky and Steve. The first, [[The World of Karl Pilkington]], was essentially transcripts of the first series of podcasts along side drawings done by Karl. Several new anecdotes and diary entries were included in the book as well. The second book, [[Happyslapped by a Jellyfish]], is a travelogue that documents the many holidays Karl has taken in his life. The third book [[Karlology]] is about what Karl has learnt in his life. The fourth is the companion book to ''An Idiot Abroad'', released in 2010. Karl followed this up with ''The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad''. To promote the release of his fifth book, Karl held book-signings in Watford and Manchester, in which lucky fans were able to meet the round-headed twonk in person. Karl was given gifts of cards, Munchies and Revels during the day.
 
===Film Appearances===
Karl appeared as an extra in ''[[The Invention of Lying]]'' in a caveman sequence that did not make the final cut of the film. He filmed the role in Boston, Massachusetts during the summer of 2008 and a behind the scenes special appeared on ''The Culture Show''. Although the scene was cut, it appeared as a DVD extra.
 
Karl also has a small non-speaking role in the film ''[[Cemetery Junction]]'', a film written and directed by Ricky and Steve. Ricky mainly used the opportunity to put Karl in a ridiculous wig, a justification that would later see Karl appear in [[Derek]]. The film was released on 14 April 2010.


==Childhood==
==Childhood==
Karl lived in Manchester for most of his life. His descriptions of his childhood suggest that his was an unconventional upbringing. Growing up on a council estate, he was educated at Ashton-on-Mersey School, but was regularly absent due to family holidays. These were arranged by his parents during term-time (when it was cheaper to do so). He claims that during his school years, he was given two attendance awards in an attempt to persuade him to remain in school. This strategy failed, and Karl continued his absenteeism. He now contends that he was never encouraged by his teachers, and that they said he would "never be a high flyer." Moreover, he disliked school because all of his teachers were 'profiting' from his education, and complains that in class he was regularly given menial and pointless tasks, such as attaching as many stickers to Thomson brochures as possible in 30 minutes.
Many of Karl's anecdotes are centered around his childhood. Several stories are so ingrained in Pilkington fandom that even the people and places in them have become notorious. During the time of the Xfm shows, these anecdotes were a prime source of Karl's  comedic ammunition, causing his co-presenters to be captivated, amazed, and roaring with laughter at the stories he told from his past.
 
===School===
Karl lived in Manchester for most of his life. The descriptions of his childhood suggest he had an unconventional upbringing. Growing up on a council estate, he was educated at [[Cess Ave|Ashton-on-Mersey School]] but was regularly absent due to family holidays, arranged by his parents during term-time when it was cheaper to do so. He claims that during his school years he was given two attendance awards in an attempt to persuade him to remain in school. This strategy failed, and Karl continued his excessive absences. He now contends that he was never encouraged by his teachers and was even told by one ([[Mrs Matthews]]) that he would "never be a high flier".<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[09 March 2002]]</ref> Moreover, he disliked school because his teachers were "profiting" from his education and complains that in class he was regularly given menial and pointless tasks, such as attaching as many stickers to Thomson brochures as possible in 30 minutes.
 
One year, Karl participated in his school's Christmas production. He was playing the drums and had to wear a little hat. Whilst sat at his drums he started playing along to "[[Little Donkey]]" (although he wasn't supposed to) and the crowd went wild. However, Karl was scarred by the incident as his father was filming the event and quipped "He looks like a right twat". Karl attributes this to a fear of performing<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[23 February 2002]]</ref>.
 
Karl's school was near a chemical plant<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[23 March 2002]]</ref>. This might explain the large number of "weird looking" pupils there, including two students who had big heads and webbed hands. Karl claimed they were unrelated and that they were not friends because that would be "too obvious". Another boy at the school had a "pigeon's chest"<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[31 August 2002]]</ref>. These early childhood memories may help explain Karl's inherent fascination with "freaks".
 
Karl was never particularly good at football as a child; He remembers scoring only 1 goal, and that was only because he was being chased by a bee at the time.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Episode 12, Xfm London, [[16 February 2002]]</ref>
 
===Near Death Experiences===
[[Image:Mrfreezepop.jpg|150px|right|thumb|Karl's arch nemesis]]
Karl had a number of near-death experiences as a child. The most serious, he feels, was when he nearly choked to death on a Mr. Freeze pop. Karl believed he was so close to death during that incident that in the next few days he felt like "a special person". As well as this, he almost plummeted to his death one snowy morning when he was forced to climb out of an upstairs window to do his [[paper round]]. His mother had locked the front door to stop him from delivering papers in blizzard conditions, and Karl fell out of the window and had to hang on until his Dad arrived, who at first thought he was a burglar.  In another incident, Karl "kicked his height" (kicked his leg as high as his head) and then fell hard on his back because he forgot to put his foot down. Karl believes that this is why he now has back troubles.
 
Karl has also described how a church worker "nearly killed him in a car crash" when trying to take him to Crusaders on a Sunday. There is also the infamous "bad cream" affair, in which Karl got a stomachache after consuming too many day-old cakes. The family doctor, after being told that Karl had overindulged on tainted sweets, facetiously told his mum that he didn't have long to live.  The joke went over his mum's head, causing a panic until Karl's dad called the doctor later to clarify. Then there was the occasion at his brother's wedding, where he was walking while reading and almost fell off a cliff. Another time, Karl started running down a large hill and couldn't stop. He said he tried to throw himself on the floor but he was going so fast that he just bounced up again. His Father's friend had to rugby tackle Karl to the ground. Finally, in 2006 Karl underwent a operation to have kidney stones removed. Though routine, through the experience he felt as though he were hovering between life and death.
 
===GCSE Results===
Karl left school without collecting his exam results.  On an Xfm show, Karl recalled that he had taken multiple exams, but could not remember exactly which ones.  He thought he had done art (where he'd made a "little clay man putting his arms into a car"), maths, and a few others.  After some investigation, Ricky Gervais revealed on live radio that Karl had attained a single "E" GCSE grade in History.  This came as a surprise to Karl as he had no recollection of actually taking that particular exam. The "excitement" of this news was tempered somewhat by the discovery that he had not received grades for any of the GCSEs he did remember taking. It seems he had not registered for those exams.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[02 March 2002]]</ref>
 
===Jobs===
 
Karl went through a number of jobs as a child, his favourite of which was a paper round.  To this day, he claims that this was the best job he ever held.  The main reason he enjoyed it was because he was his own boss.  When Steve pointed out that the newsagent was technically his boss, Karl replied with "nah", maintaining his original opinion.
 
Karl also had a job in a local grocers called "Cordon Bleu".  He did not particularly excel at his position. Once when stocking packages of chicken, a drumstick fell out onto the ground. Karl, rationalizing that someone might just want one chicken drumstick, labeled it with a price and stocked it on the shelf. His superiors were upset at this but did not fire him. On another occasion, Karl sat in a trolley and pushed himself into a puddle in the back lot. He ended up stranded, unable to get out in fear of getting his new trainers wet. When his manager told him to get out or he would lose his job, Karl refused and he was sacked on the spot. He sat in the puddle for 30 minutes further before he decided to get out. Taking a giant leap, he hopped out only getting one foot wet.
 
Karl has also mentioned the time that he worked at a Printers. Karl lamented how difficult it was when they were using gold ink, stating that "you really had to get your rollers clean".
 
===Family===
[[Image:Auntie nora.jpg|150px|left|thumb|Karl draws Auntie Nora]]
Over the years, Karl has described the members of his extended family in vivid detail. [[Karl's Dad|Karl's dad]] is portrayed as a very short-tempered man.  While working as a bus driver, he had difficulty controlling a mentally challenged passenger, so he decided to place him in a [[Forrest Gump In A Wheelie Bin|wheelie bin]]. He also once dropped a group of elderly women off on the side of the road because they were too demanding and was subsequently fired. Furthermore, he once clouted Karl for suggesting that they should knock down a castle. It has also been revealed that Karl's dad regularly steals from the other residents of the Welsh village in which he lives.
 
[[Karl's Mam|Karl's mum]] is notable for her strange behaviour towards pets.  When one of the family budgies died, she glued some of its feathers to a rock and placed it in the cage to keep the other bird company.  She also dealt with a frequently ill cat by shaving it, which made it easier to clean.  She was somewhat overprotective of Karl in his youth, once making him stay home from school because it was windy and she was afraid Karl might get "blown into the road", and once locking him in the house to stop him from doing his paper round while it was snowing.
 
Karl has an [[Karl's_Brother|older brother]] and [[Karl's_Sister|sister]] from whom he appears to be estranged. His brother Mark was something of a womanizer. Throughout Karl's youth, strange women would come to the Pilkington home claiming that Mark had gotten them pregnant. Mark also served in the British Army, joining up just before the Falklands War. Karl claims that he did not have to fight in the conflict because his Mum had sent the Lieutenant a letter saying "can you leave him out of this one?". He was discharged after he drove a tank to a nearby store to buy cigarettes. Karl once ran into his sister in a parking lot, but their reunion was somewhat hampered by his lack of interest in pictures of her newborn son.
 
Arguably, Karl's most infamous family member is his [[Auntie Nora]]. Karl recalled that on one occasion she phoned his mother complaining that she had been breaking wind for five minutes<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[12 October 2002]]</ref>. When Karl was a child, he accidentally glimpsed up her dress, and later described what he saw as resembling a "ripped tennis ball". In the last series of the Xfm shows, Karl claims to have gotten in trouble with his family for discussing Auntie Nora in an interview with a magazine. Her other antics include wanting an astro-turf lawn, putting a valance on everything, and mashing up all her food.
 
Karl also has a lesbian aunt whom he calls [[Uncle Hazel]].<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, [[23 March 2002]]</ref>


He had a number of near-death experiences as a child. These include: nearly choking to death on a Freeze-pop, almost plummeting to his death when climbing out of an upstairs window to do his paper round (it was blizzard conditions and Karl's mother had locked the door to stop him doing his round in such dangerous conditions), the time he tried to 'kick his height' and the 'bad cream incident', when Karl had eaten too many cream doughnuts which were discarded at the back of a local baker's shop.
== Books ==
{| width="100%" style="min-width:600px; padding:0.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; text-align:center; background:#eeeeee;"
|-
| width="15%" style="background:#777; padding:0.1em; font-weight:bold; color:white;"|Book Info
| width="100px" style="width:100px; background:#777; padding:0em; font-weight:bold; color:white;"|Cover
| width="85%" style="background:#777; padding:0.1em; font-weight:bold; color:white;"|Synopsis (from Amazon)
|- style="background-color:#ffffff;"
|style="padding:0.3em; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-right:0px;"|''[[The World of Karl Pilkington]]''<br>Published: Autumn 2006
|style="padding:0.3em; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px; border-right:0px;"|[[Image:Worldofkp uk.jpg|100px]]
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px;"|This is a collection of the best moments from the "Ricky Gervais Show" podcasts - the world's number one podcast - with additional musings and original drawings by Karl Pilkington, the show's unlikely star. In this pithy and hilarious book, Karl is in conversation with (the often bewildered) Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the writers and stars of "The Office" and "Extras", outwitting even these comedy Goliaths with his take on such contentious issues as charity, the lack of Chinese homeless people, re-incarnation, the rights of monkeys and favourite superpowers. Featuring Karl's original illustrations, imaginative scribblings, full colour pictures sent in by fans, the best conversations of the first 12 podcasts, and to be published alongside the second series of the internationally acclaimed and Guinness Record-winning "Ricky Gervais Podcast Show" (downloaded over 4,000,000 times - the most popoular podcast ever), this is a unique trip into the world of one of our most innovative thinkers, visionaries and prophets, or as Gervais and Merchant know him, 'the funniest man alive in Britain today'.


Karl left school without collecting his exam results - live on air (on Xfm) Ricky Gervais revealed that he had attained a single "E" GCSE grade in History. This came as something of a surprise to Karl as he had no recollection of actually taking the exam. The excitement of this news was tempered somewhat by the discovery that he had not received grades for any of the GCSEs he actually does remember sitting as unfortunately he had registered for the exams.
|- style="background-color:#ffffff;"
|style="padding:0.3em; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-right:0px;"|''[[Happyslapped by a Jellyfish]]''<br>Published: Autumn 2007
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px; border-right:0px;"|[[Image:News_Jellyfish.jpg|100px]]
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px;"|A hilarious guide to travelling, from the man behind The World of Karl Pilkington - one of our most innovative thinkers, visionaries and prophets, or as Ricky Gervais knows him, 'the funniest man alive in Britain today'. Pack your suitcase and take an irreverent trip with the unlikely star of "The Ricky Gervais Podcast Show", Karl Pilkington, to the furthest corners of Europe. From sunbathing in t-shirts and lizards the length of Toblerones, to a toxic apartment in Ibiza with a used loo that can't be flushed - these witty musings could put you off travelling forever! Gain insight into the curious life of this comic genius from pithy anecdotes. Find out about his mum's obsession with keeping gnomes indoors and his experiences getting high on dope chocolate, to his childhood dentist who filled his perfect back teeth to give them 'extra protection'. This book features Pilkington's original illustrations and imaginative scribblings.


Pilkington went through a number of jobs, his favourite being his paper round. Karl claims to this day that his paper round is his best ever job, as he was his own boss. When Ricky pointed out that the newsagent was his boss, Karl replied with "nah".  
|- style="background-color:#ffffff;"
|style="padding:0.3em; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-right:0px;"|''[[Karlology]]''<br>Published: Autumn 2008
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px; border-right:0px;"|[[Image:Karlologycover.jpg|100px]]
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px;"|This book offers an irreverent look at culture and learning from cult author Karl Pilkington. Drawing from visits to national museums, galleries and places of cultural interest, Karl Pilkington explores the world of knowledge from his own unique viewpoint. Read Karl's irreverent exploration of each subject, approached with his inimitable combination of innocent wonder and cheeky wisdom. Karl quizzes the world's top experts and teasing out insights with hilariously naive and muddled questions. This is a hilarious new book from the author of bestselling "The World of Karl Pilkington" and "Happyslapped by a Jellyfish".  


Karl's school and its catchment area were near a power plant. This could explain his inherent fascination with 'freaks' ("I just like odd stuff"), as the school contained a couple of (unrelated) pupils who had "big heads and webbed hands" (but they weren't friends, as Karl explains that would've been "too obvious"), together with a boy with a 'pigeon's chest'.
|- style="background-color:#ffffff;"
|style="padding:0.3em; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-right:0px;"|''[[An Idiot Abroad]]''<br>Published: Autumn 2010
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px; border-right:0px;"|[[Image:Anidiotabroadcover.jpg|100px]]
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px;"|Karl Pilkington isn't keen on travelling. Given the choice, he'll go on holiday to Devon or Wales or, at a push, eat English food on a package holiday in Majorca. Which isn't exactly Michael Palin, is it? So what happened when he was convinced by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to go on an epic adventure to see the Seven Wonders of the World? Travel broadens the mind, right? You'd think so...Find out in Karl Pilkington's hilarious travel diaries.  


Karl's family, it would seem, are almost as strange as he is. He recalls the story of his father and uncle impersonating policemen in order to sort out a woman who mistreats her husband by carrying him around in the basket of her tricycle, and somewhat gives the game away on his dad who apparently regularly steals groceries from a phonebox in the small village where he lives. Karl also claims that when one of his budgies died, his mother took one of its feathers and stuck it to a rock in order to make some company for the surviving bird. Her strange actions towards pets run deeper, as Karl tells the tale of the ''time their cat was ill and kept being sick, so his mother shaved it, thus creating the world's first dry-wipe feline.
|- style="background-color:#ffffff;"
|style="padding:0.3em; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-right:0px;"|''[[The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad]]''<br>Published: Autumn 2012
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px; border-right:0px;"|[[Image:FurtherIdiot.jpg|100px]]
|style="padding:0.3em; font-size:95%; line-height:1.3em; border:1px solid #cccccc; border-left:0px;"|The nation's favourite idiot is back. Safely home from his latest travels, Karl has decided it is time to share his hard-earned wisdom of the world. Taking the Bucket List of '100 Things to Do Before You Die' as his starting point, Karl combines brilliant stories from his recent adventuresto Alaska, Siberia and beyond with entertaining, highly-opinionated views on what other people aspire to do with their lives. * Why on earth would anybody want to run with the bulls in Pamplona? * Go 'storm chasing' through Tornado Alley? * Have lunch with the Queen? * Or touch hands with the Pope? The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad is a fitting finale to two years of eventful globe-trotting. Frank, funny and strangely inspiring, this is Karl's final word on travel.
|}


Karl's most infamous family member, however, has to be his [[Auntie Nora]]. On one occaission, when she was "drugged up" ("her bedside cabinet's like Boots") she phoned Karl's mother complaining that she had been breaking wind for five minutes. Karl also remarks that her "female parts" resemble "a split tennis ball" after inadvertently glancing up her skirt as she sat down. Her other antics include wanting an astro-turf lawn ("she likes the green look, but doesn't want the headaches that come with it"), putting a valance on everything - including over the front of her VCR player - and the fact that "all her food is mashed up... she's got teeth, but she don't need 'em".
==Quotes and Opinions==
[[Image:Squoze.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Ricky squoze Karl's head]]
''See also: [[Karl_Pilkington_Quotes_By_Topic|Karl Pilkington Quotes]], [[:Category:Karl's Theories|Karl's Theories]], [[Dictionary of Karl Pilkington]], [[Flaws in Karl's reasoning]]''


==Career==
It was Karl himself who best summed up his worldview: "I don't like fun". He is not a fan of holidays, parties, traveling, or anything that has to be planned in advance. Maintaining relationships with family and friends is a tremendous hassle for him. He is also largely indifferent to some of life's great pleasures, like sex and [[Karl's Favorite Music|music]].
Karl briefly worked as a printer after leaving school at 15, where he was made to work a 24-hour shift pressing CDs for the band Smokey. He partly attributes his baldness to this incident. He then moved on to work for 10 years as a Head of Production at London radio station XFM where he met long-time girlfriend Suzanne. It was also here that he met Ricky and Steve in their second stint at the station when he was given the job of producing their new run of shows. Pilkington was initially an off-air producer of the show, but his antics and opinions soon led to him joining Merchant and Gervais on-air.''''''
 
Another of Karl's most memorable quotes was from The Ricky Gervais Show Podcast. In the first series in episode 3 Karl announced "I could eat a knob at night" during a discussion about a reality TV show, "I'm a celebrity get me out of here". Since this a number of merchandise has been produced from t-shirts to thongs with this quote printed on them. In addition after Karl said this quote Stephen and Ricky asked if there was any DJ's out there who would make a mix of this quote. The response to this was strong with Ricky, Stephen and Karl receiving hundreds of tracks. At the end of series 1 episode 5 they played their favorite track that they had received.
 
As well as his specific views, ideas and philosophies, Karl also has a [[Dictionary of Karl Pilkington|unique way of speaking]]. Karl's idiolect is made up of old-fashioned sayings (eg. "have it away"), Mancunian slang (eg. "knockin' about"), and correct English that has been misspoken (eg. "squoze").
 
==See Also==
*[[Ricky Gervais]]
*[[Stephen Merchant]]
*[[Russell Brand]]
*[[Karlology Blog]]


==Karl's idiolect==
==External Links==
"Karlisms", or "Pilkisms" are a regular feature of Karl's speech. He uses at least one of the following phrases in almost every sentence:
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1797453/?ref_=sr_1 Karl's IMDB page]
*"Weird Innit"
*"I just like odd things"
*"It almost never occurs to the average man that he has more than the average number of legs"
*"...and that" / "...and stuff"
*"There was this monkey, right..."
*"I'm not havin' a go, but..."
*"This little gay fella"
*"There was this little chinese fella"
*"knocking about"
*"Effin' and jeffin'" - used regularly as slang for swearing
*"Bungled" - presumably a mispronunciation of the word "bundled", meaning to be grouped together ("I don't want to be bungled in...")
*"Grippage" - an adjective to describe a wall or surface that has a good grip (it would be said to have "good grippage")
*"Squoze" (Past tense of the verb to squeeze) - "he squoze me 'ead"
*"Wroted" (Past tense of the verb to write) - "I wroted"
*"Rotted ( Past tense of the verb to rot or to hunt with large dogs) - " I rotted him as was bungled wiv my sister"
*"I'm just saying" ... see below
*"I'm just saying"
*"So I'm sat there and..."
*"You say that. But..."
*"All I'm sayin' is..."
*"What I mean is..."
*"At the end of the day..."
*"In olden times..."
*"Monkeynews comin' up later..."


==Views, beliefs and philosophies==
==References==
Karl has expressed several opinions which most people would find unusual (and sometimes offensive). It has been said by Steve Merchant that Karl tends to believe things that are interesting or weird rather than have any basis in fact or logic. His opinions include:
<font size="1">
*If you behead someone, you can get the headless body to walk along a straight white line "cos they're thinking out it when they lose their head"
<references />
*He learnt at school that Jaffa cakes go some way to cure cancer (not fully).
</font>
*If you eat seven bananas in a row (but not if they're all spaced out over the day) it will kill you
*Fascinated with freaks and a supplement from FHM that contains "the 50 best freaks ever". Featured are a pillow man (i.e without arms or legs), a three legged juggler (not using the gift he has been given), a bloke with a tiny head that ages fast (he has a birthday every other week. See Progeria) and the hairy Chinese kid.
*Karl also feels that when you die (at 78), you should have "something" injected into your temple, which will then, somehow, bring you back to life. Additionally, when you've been resurrected by this miracle cure injection you then begin to get younger. So, by the time you're 9 months, people won't be "sad and that" by the fact you're going to die and in turn, you won't be depressed because you're too young to realise your imminent death. This theory was elaborated from his theory that all people should automatically die at 78 and a small person, or baby, should then be born at the moment they die to prevent over population, similar to reincarnation but physically. Karls main concern if we dont control the population well enough is that "rents just gonna keep going up".
*Karl knows that the G.P.O. invented S.T.D. to spread syphillis by phone and then sold shares in B.T. to doctors
*Karl had an idea about a watch that counts down your life. If it had three days left on it you could "go to the doctor's". When questioned as to how exactly this would work he explained quite simply "you just pop it on your wrist".
*"You never see a homeless Chinese person". Karl also believes that Chinese people "age worse" than other races.
*Homosexuals are "always tired" as they "stay out late".
*British judges wear wigs to conceal their identity.
*Karl isn't a huge fan of charities after being misled about helping the aged. He initially thought he was assisting an old lady called Edna by sending her donations for her heating bill. A few months later, Karl received a letter from Edna with an attached photograph revealing that she had a sun tan
*"You'll never see an old person eating a Twix, but they always buy ornaments".
*Karl also has a fear of doctors and a hatred of nudists. It should be said that this hatred of nudists did not prevent Karl from "showin' a bit of arse-cheek" whilst doing the washing-up to a woman Karl saw nude in order to "give a bit back" from the kitchen window. His fear of doctors is based on the assertion that "they're bound to find something wrong with you" and, more specifically, the need for a doctor to insert a finger up a rectum to check for prostate cancer.
*Scientists spend too much time "messin' about with things we don't need," and that when it comes to modern science, there is "a lot of faffing." Karl cites the attempt by scientists to piece together a mammoth as potentially dangerous, because the planet is running out of space to accommodate such creatures; "Elephants are good enough in my eyes."
*Some bacteria have better lives than Inuits.
*The legendary Christmas Day football match on no-man's land during World War I never happened, primarily because the situation raises the question of why they brought a football with them into battle.
*There is too much choice in "toffee shops", and two types of toffee are probably enough.
*If Karl could be anyone in the world, he would be Bruce Willis.
*If Karl could have one superpower it would be invisibility so he could sneak into HMV before it shut and then sneak back out once the shop opened again in the morning.
*His least favourite noise is the sound of a fire engine siren - "it's a bit un-necessary"
*The Biblical account of Noah's Ark is probably true, since "it's out there in book form". Though Noah did double up some animals, and should have had a "clear-out."
*Karl once mentioned 'footage' exists of cave-men wearing underwear, also called "bear pants".
*Snails can sleep for thirteen years, although "only the tired ones".
*If we didn't invent the aeroplane "we'd probably have grown wings by now".
*Mars would be a bad planet to live on because it is a "tip". This is evidenced by the fact that "scientists" found a dishwasher on Mars. (This belief was probably taken from news reports in March 2006 of NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, containing a camera that could reveal surface features "the size of a dishwasher" on the planet, arriving at Mars.)
*Karl's parenting advice is to "sort of look after it [the child], feed it, make sure it's got shoes and that, but let it roam about".
*If Karl turned into a slug, he would throw himself into the salt pot to end it all.
*He would be able to know if anyone was a nudist, because if they were going on holiday, they would not have much luggage unless they were a suicide bomber and packed no evening wear,or a nudist suicide bomber.
*He once read a book which had its chapters arranged in the wrong order. He stopped reading it after he ended up at chapter 1.
*According to Karl, fish have more rights than humans because there are more of them.
*He would not like to meet his doppelganger because "how would I know which one I was?".
*Has stated that cameras shouldn't have been invented if we have realistic paintings; "One or the other", "Stop looking at the walls and look out the window".
*He thought the diaries of Anne Frank were "an Adrian Mole sort of thing".
*That there are too many words and too many animals; "Do we need 'em?".
*Karl believes that autism should not be considered a mental illness, but a super power instead, because they can remember everything.
*If vampires have no reflection in a mirror, why is Dracula's centre-parting always so neat?
*Karl believes that because jellyfish are 97% water, we should "give 'em another three percent and make 'em water - it's more useful".
*Had an uncle when he was growing up named Tattoo Stan, who did all of his own tattoos himself. Consequently, because he was right handed, all of the tattoos on his left arm were brilliant. The ones on his right...rubbish.
*Karl Pilkington doesn't know why we've got beetles.
*With identical twins, there is always "a little snidey one".
*We are going backwards as a people, mainly because people spend time in the sea, where we came from, and the Gadget Shop now sells a clock powered by a potato.
*There are dogs which have been trained to sense when their owner is about to have a fit. The dog will then wrap itself around the owner's head as protection should he or she fall during the fit. It should be noted that the dogs are "the right size for the job, not Alsatians or anything like that".
*Seals would probably not be missed if they became extinct, because they are "already between a fish and a dog". He also fails to see why seals continue to "hang about" in the Arctic - "Why aren't seals going 'Do you know what - it's cold, I'm sick of it here, it's windy all the time and whathaveyou... and I'm getting a club on the head'?"
*Believes dinosaurs and man co-existed because "there must've been a cross-over point."
*Pavlov used to keep hitting his dog on the head with a stick until one day, the dog said "I'm sick of this" and left.
*Karl thinks the human digestive system should go "from the throat, to the belly, straight line down, out me arse", and believes the intestines are "miles long" because ages ago we were eating dinosaur meat which is quite tough. Now we are eating yoghurt, so don't need them.
*Karl would give the following advice to chameleons: "Stay green, stay in the woods, stay safe."
*Old people wouldn't be happy if they had to move to Mars because they're already "set in their ways".
*Karl believes global warming is just a case of the Earth getting older and going bald; "treat the Earth like a head..."
*"Out of all the people in the world... to 'ave a chat with", Karl would like to talk to both Professor Stephen Hawking ("about the Universe and stuff, cos I can't get my head 'round it") and someone he calls "Guns Traven". It can only be assumed he means Dr. Gunther von Hagens, the doctor who "cuts people up and that on telly".
*"There's a dishwasher that's been found on Mars". Karl provides ample evidence for this by first discussing "that fella who was messing about, saying 'I can get stuff to Mars'" in reference to the Rover Probe which is still up there "rotting away", and then the fact that there must be a dishwasher on board spaceships because they don't have a sink.
*Disabled people should not be allowed to play tennis, mainly on the basis that "they can't get a rally going." Karl suggests "giving them something they can do, like swingball."
*You only get married to have the same name.
*Believes that moths are "depressing little things," and went on to say "If you 'aven't got eyes, you shouldn't 'ave wings."


[[Category:The Pilkingtons|Karl]]
[[Category:The Pilkingtons|Karl]]
[[Category:Karl Pilkington| ]]
[[Category:Xfm Presenters|Pilkington, Karl]]
[[Category:People|* Karl Pilkington]]
[[Category:Pilkipedia]]

Latest revision as of 09:51, 19 January 2021

Karl Pilkington

Alright?
Date of Birth 23 September 1972
Place of Birth Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Education Ashton-on-Mersey School
Occupation Radio Producer, Head of Production and Author
Partner Suzanne Whiston
Parents Karl's Dad, Karl's Mam

"Come together and annoy Karl. He is your leader. He is your messiah! He is your god! And he fucking hates it." - Ricky Gervais

Karl Pilkington (born 23 September 1972 in Manchester, England) is an English radio producer, author, television presenter, actor and general round-headed buffoon. Having previously been known for producing The Ricky Gervais Show on the radio station Xfm, Pilkington reached an international audience through his appearances with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant on the similarly titled, record-breaking podcast series. He has since been the presenter of Sky 1 documentary An Idiot Abroad, and starred as caretaker Dougie in Derek.

Career

Before Ricky and Steve

Karl went to work as a printer after leaving school at age 15, and was made to work a 24-hour shift pressing CDs for the band Smokey. He partly attributes his baldness to this grueling schedule. Karl also briefly hosted an overnight phone-in show on a Manchester radio station where he was something of an agony uncle.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 19 January 2002</ref> It was in Manchester that he met long-time girlfriend Suzanne. He later moved on to work as Head of Production at London radio station Xfm, where he worked for seven years and would first cross paths with Ricky and Steve. Karl was given the job of producing their second run of shows at the station, shortly after the first series of The Office ran on BBC2. At first he merely "pressed the buttons", but his quirky antics and unique worldview soon prompted Gervais and Merchant to make him a third member of their team.

Karl might sometimes wish he never met Ricky

On-Air

Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant

Having been assigned to produce The Ricky Gervais Show with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, Karl began his on-air role by occasionally interjecting during the broadcast. As more of his anecdotes and opinions were revealed, he became more of a focal point of the show. Eventually, he began to take part in and create segments. The first feature introduced that focused on Karl was White Van Karl, where Karl gave his thoughts on current events and minor news stories. Then, following the live revelation that Karl only passed one GCSE, Ricky began Educating Karl on key topics in history and literature. As Ricky and Steve started to put less effort into the show, Karl began creating his own segments such as Educating Ricky, Monkey News, and Rockbusters. Having masterminded these bits, Karl's relative status on the show grew, with Ricky eventually saying it should be called "The Karl Pilkington Show". After the end of the Xfm show, Karl remained part of the trio, giving up his position as head of production at Xfm to make podcasts with Ricky and Steve and work on his writing. When Danny Wallace debuted his Saturday show on Xfm on 9th February 2008, Karl recorded a message for him containing advice and support on how to do a radio show and revealing that he had only received an extra thirty pounds for each show he did with Ricky and Steve.

The Russell Brand Show

Karl also co-hosted four radio shows with Russell Brand on BBC 6Music. Three shows aired after Christmas in 2005 with Karl and Russell substituting for Nemone. Another aired on 09 April 2006, the beginning of the Russell Brand Show. After this show, Karl no longer had a speaking role, but was talked about on air and seen on the webcam during the next couple of shows. There is speculation that Karl's participation in the show was discontinued due to his contract obligations with Ricky and Steve. Russell Brand remained on BBC 6Music with new co-presenters Matt Morgan and Trevor Lock (which Karl once was guest on over the phone on 11 June 2006) until November 2006 when he moved on to BBC Radio 2. Brand has recalled his stint with Karl with affection but also described Karl, perhaps facetiously, as "difficult to work with" at the same time.<ref>The Russell Brand Show, BBC6 Music, 13 August 2006</ref>

Podcasts

"...but his head come off."

Karl was undoubtedly the star of the podcasts in which he appeared alongside Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The first series ran for 12 weeks, from 05 December 2005, with one episode released each Monday. Before setting out to do the podcasts, Karl quit his job as Head of Production at Xfm, receiving a digital camera as his leaving present, which he gave to his long-term girlfriend Suzanne for Christmas.<ref>BBC Radio 2, 24 December 2005</ref>

The podcasts featured Ricky and Steve probing Karl's world-views similarly to how they had done during the radio show, as well as e-mails containing questions and facts sent in for Karl to answer or react to due to his unfailing nontraditional perspectives. Karl consequently became the centrepiece of show, and the podcasts were a massive success. The show received a Guinness World Record in 2007 for being the Most Downloaded Podcast ever, and in September 2006 the BBC estimated that the show had been downloaded 18 million times.

Highlights of the first series included Monkey News, Karl's famous quote of "I could eat a knob at night", and the introduction of Karl's Diary. In 2006 a second series of the show began, albeit the podcast now cost a small fee as opposed to being free. After finishing a third series later on that year, the show was put on a brief hiatus, but returned with three seasonal specials. A fifth series began in 2008, before a format change that saw the trio return in an audiobook series called The Ricky Gervais Guide To.... The last episode, The Ricky Gervais Guide To... Comic Relief, was released in March 2011.

The most recent podcast Karl appeared on was Learn English with Ricky Gervais, a 20-minute YouTube video in which Karl and Ricky discussed the English language. The episode was billed as a pilot, but since its release there has been no word on a full series.

Ricky was once quoted as saying, "It shouldn't be called the Ricky Gervais Show, it should be called the Karl Pilkington show, I mean it's ridiculous, I'm so lazy, I just turn up now and prod him".<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Podcast, 06 February 2006</ref> The stardom that Karl received from the shows helped him launch his subsequent television career, although Karl still felt having recorded the podcasts "I haven't done anything of any worth".

TV Appearances

Karl's first appearances on television were on Flipside TV during the Xfm years. In line with the show's format, Karl commented on various television programs, mainly staying focused on shows featuring the paranormal and oddities. In a later radio show, Ricky said Karl quit participating in the program because he did not like the fact that his parents or relatives might be watching him.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 15 November 2003</ref>

In August 2006, Karl created four short films for 3 Minute Wonder, a documentary shorts strand that followed Channel 4 News on weekdays. The segments were titled Some Thoughts by Karl Pilkington and were essentially Karl's musings and observations on subjects like life, travel, health, and animals. Locations included a museum, in a tent while camping, his house, and the zoo. The documentary that followed Karl through a museum drew some strong criticism from Sunday Times reader Wendy Robinson, which is referenced in Series 3 Episode 4 of the Podcast series. Despite this, in October 2007, Karl appeared in a feature-length Channel 4 documentary entitled Karl Pilkington: Satisfied Fool. In it, he interviews scholars and writers ("brainy people," as he says) in an attempt to discover whether intelligence is the key to happiness.

After years of working with Ricky and Steve, Karl finally had a cameo in one of their shows at the end of 2007, when he appeared as an autograph seeker in the Christmas Special of Extras. Karl also made a number of contributions to BBC Two's The Culture Show having first been interviewed on the show in late 2006.

In February 2010, HBO began airing The Ricky Gervais Show (HBO). The programme uses the audio from The Ricky Gervais Show podcasts and The Ricky Gervais Guide To... audiobooks, and animates them in a retro style similar to that of The Flintstones. The show also began airing on Channel 4 on April 23rd 2010, and introduced a whole new audience to the genius/idiocy of Karl Pilkington. There animations lasted for three series before Ricky decided to end them. Karl sometimes admits that the animated version of the podcast is the only time he can listen to or watch himself.

In 2010 Karl began filming a series called An Idiot Abroad for Sky 1, a show that would see Karl tour seven wonders of the modern world in an effort to see if any of them would impress him. The show aired in 2010 and received very strong viewing figures. Karl appeared to have an awful time during most of the journeys, but agreed to do a second series as long as 'he could choose what he got to do'. With that, the premise of An Idiot Abroad 2 was born, with Karl this time choosing items off of a bucket list. Ricky, however, tweaked the majority of his picks and once more Karl found himself suffering throughout his trips. The series began airing on the 23rd of September 2011 (Karl's birthday). Highlights of series 2 included Karl being molested by monkeys, refusing to bungee jump and lying to Ricky about it even though he was on camera, and being tricked into receiving his first ever prostate exam while secretly filmed by Ricky and Steve.

A three-part special, entitled An Idiot Abroad: The Short Way Round was filmed and broadcast at the end of 2012. In this final series, Karl teamed up with Life's Too Short star Warwick Davis and the two of them travelled the Marco Polo route from Venice to China. Along the way Karl and Warwick appeared to have a fractious relationship, and Karl displayed an occasionally astonishing ignorance of Dwarfism, culminating in him asking Warwick 'do you have knees?'. Ricky confirmed that this would be the final series of An Idiot Abroad, but it was recently confirmed that Sky 1 would be commissioning a new series called The Moaning of Life, in which Karl will be exploring the world without Ricky's guidance.

Written Work

Karl has penned five books since leaving Xfm and banding with Ricky and Steve. The first, The World of Karl Pilkington, was essentially transcripts of the first series of podcasts along side drawings done by Karl. Several new anecdotes and diary entries were included in the book as well. The second book, Happyslapped by a Jellyfish, is a travelogue that documents the many holidays Karl has taken in his life. The third book Karlology is about what Karl has learnt in his life. The fourth is the companion book to An Idiot Abroad, released in 2010. Karl followed this up with The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad. To promote the release of his fifth book, Karl held book-signings in Watford and Manchester, in which lucky fans were able to meet the round-headed twonk in person. Karl was given gifts of cards, Munchies and Revels during the day.

Film Appearances

Karl appeared as an extra in The Invention of Lying in a caveman sequence that did not make the final cut of the film. He filmed the role in Boston, Massachusetts during the summer of 2008 and a behind the scenes special appeared on The Culture Show. Although the scene was cut, it appeared as a DVD extra.

Karl also has a small non-speaking role in the film Cemetery Junction, a film written and directed by Ricky and Steve. Ricky mainly used the opportunity to put Karl in a ridiculous wig, a justification that would later see Karl appear in Derek. The film was released on 14 April 2010.

Childhood

Many of Karl's anecdotes are centered around his childhood. Several stories are so ingrained in Pilkington fandom that even the people and places in them have become notorious. During the time of the Xfm shows, these anecdotes were a prime source of Karl's comedic ammunition, causing his co-presenters to be captivated, amazed, and roaring with laughter at the stories he told from his past.

School

Karl lived in Manchester for most of his life. The descriptions of his childhood suggest he had an unconventional upbringing. Growing up on a council estate, he was educated at Ashton-on-Mersey School but was regularly absent due to family holidays, arranged by his parents during term-time when it was cheaper to do so. He claims that during his school years he was given two attendance awards in an attempt to persuade him to remain in school. This strategy failed, and Karl continued his excessive absences. He now contends that he was never encouraged by his teachers and was even told by one (Mrs Matthews) that he would "never be a high flier".<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 09 March 2002</ref> Moreover, he disliked school because his teachers were "profiting" from his education and complains that in class he was regularly given menial and pointless tasks, such as attaching as many stickers to Thomson brochures as possible in 30 minutes.

One year, Karl participated in his school's Christmas production. He was playing the drums and had to wear a little hat. Whilst sat at his drums he started playing along to "Little Donkey" (although he wasn't supposed to) and the crowd went wild. However, Karl was scarred by the incident as his father was filming the event and quipped "He looks like a right twat". Karl attributes this to a fear of performing<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 23 February 2002</ref>.

Karl's school was near a chemical plant<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 23 March 2002</ref>. This might explain the large number of "weird looking" pupils there, including two students who had big heads and webbed hands. Karl claimed they were unrelated and that they were not friends because that would be "too obvious". Another boy at the school had a "pigeon's chest"<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 31 August 2002</ref>. These early childhood memories may help explain Karl's inherent fascination with "freaks".

Karl was never particularly good at football as a child; He remembers scoring only 1 goal, and that was only because he was being chased by a bee at the time.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Episode 12, Xfm London, 16 February 2002</ref>

Near Death Experiences

Karl's arch nemesis

Karl had a number of near-death experiences as a child. The most serious, he feels, was when he nearly choked to death on a Mr. Freeze pop. Karl believed he was so close to death during that incident that in the next few days he felt like "a special person". As well as this, he almost plummeted to his death one snowy morning when he was forced to climb out of an upstairs window to do his paper round. His mother had locked the front door to stop him from delivering papers in blizzard conditions, and Karl fell out of the window and had to hang on until his Dad arrived, who at first thought he was a burglar. In another incident, Karl "kicked his height" (kicked his leg as high as his head) and then fell hard on his back because he forgot to put his foot down. Karl believes that this is why he now has back troubles.

Karl has also described how a church worker "nearly killed him in a car crash" when trying to take him to Crusaders on a Sunday. There is also the infamous "bad cream" affair, in which Karl got a stomachache after consuming too many day-old cakes. The family doctor, after being told that Karl had overindulged on tainted sweets, facetiously told his mum that he didn't have long to live. The joke went over his mum's head, causing a panic until Karl's dad called the doctor later to clarify. Then there was the occasion at his brother's wedding, where he was walking while reading and almost fell off a cliff. Another time, Karl started running down a large hill and couldn't stop. He said he tried to throw himself on the floor but he was going so fast that he just bounced up again. His Father's friend had to rugby tackle Karl to the ground. Finally, in 2006 Karl underwent a operation to have kidney stones removed. Though routine, through the experience he felt as though he were hovering between life and death.

GCSE Results

Karl left school without collecting his exam results. On an Xfm show, Karl recalled that he had taken multiple exams, but could not remember exactly which ones. He thought he had done art (where he'd made a "little clay man putting his arms into a car"), maths, and a few others. After some investigation, Ricky Gervais revealed on live radio that Karl had attained a single "E" GCSE grade in History. This came as a surprise to Karl as he had no recollection of actually taking that particular exam. The "excitement" of this news was tempered somewhat by the discovery that he had not received grades for any of the GCSEs he did remember taking. It seems he had not registered for those exams.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 02 March 2002</ref>

Jobs

Karl went through a number of jobs as a child, his favourite of which was a paper round. To this day, he claims that this was the best job he ever held. The main reason he enjoyed it was because he was his own boss. When Steve pointed out that the newsagent was technically his boss, Karl replied with "nah", maintaining his original opinion.

Karl also had a job in a local grocers called "Cordon Bleu". He did not particularly excel at his position. Once when stocking packages of chicken, a drumstick fell out onto the ground. Karl, rationalizing that someone might just want one chicken drumstick, labeled it with a price and stocked it on the shelf. His superiors were upset at this but did not fire him. On another occasion, Karl sat in a trolley and pushed himself into a puddle in the back lot. He ended up stranded, unable to get out in fear of getting his new trainers wet. When his manager told him to get out or he would lose his job, Karl refused and he was sacked on the spot. He sat in the puddle for 30 minutes further before he decided to get out. Taking a giant leap, he hopped out only getting one foot wet.

Karl has also mentioned the time that he worked at a Printers. Karl lamented how difficult it was when they were using gold ink, stating that "you really had to get your rollers clean".

Family

Karl draws Auntie Nora

Over the years, Karl has described the members of his extended family in vivid detail. Karl's dad is portrayed as a very short-tempered man. While working as a bus driver, he had difficulty controlling a mentally challenged passenger, so he decided to place him in a wheelie bin. He also once dropped a group of elderly women off on the side of the road because they were too demanding and was subsequently fired. Furthermore, he once clouted Karl for suggesting that they should knock down a castle. It has also been revealed that Karl's dad regularly steals from the other residents of the Welsh village in which he lives.

Karl's mum is notable for her strange behaviour towards pets. When one of the family budgies died, she glued some of its feathers to a rock and placed it in the cage to keep the other bird company. She also dealt with a frequently ill cat by shaving it, which made it easier to clean. She was somewhat overprotective of Karl in his youth, once making him stay home from school because it was windy and she was afraid Karl might get "blown into the road", and once locking him in the house to stop him from doing his paper round while it was snowing.

Karl has an older brother and sister from whom he appears to be estranged. His brother Mark was something of a womanizer. Throughout Karl's youth, strange women would come to the Pilkington home claiming that Mark had gotten them pregnant. Mark also served in the British Army, joining up just before the Falklands War. Karl claims that he did not have to fight in the conflict because his Mum had sent the Lieutenant a letter saying "can you leave him out of this one?". He was discharged after he drove a tank to a nearby store to buy cigarettes. Karl once ran into his sister in a parking lot, but their reunion was somewhat hampered by his lack of interest in pictures of her newborn son.

Arguably, Karl's most infamous family member is his Auntie Nora. Karl recalled that on one occasion she phoned his mother complaining that she had been breaking wind for five minutes<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 12 October 2002</ref>. When Karl was a child, he accidentally glimpsed up her dress, and later described what he saw as resembling a "ripped tennis ball". In the last series of the Xfm shows, Karl claims to have gotten in trouble with his family for discussing Auntie Nora in an interview with a magazine. Her other antics include wanting an astro-turf lawn, putting a valance on everything, and mashing up all her food.

Karl also has a lesbian aunt whom he calls Uncle Hazel.<ref>The Ricky Gervais Show, Xfm London, 23 March 2002</ref>

Books

Book Info Cover Synopsis (from Amazon)
The World of Karl Pilkington
Published: Autumn 2006 		This is a collection of the best moments from the "Ricky Gervais Show" podcasts - the world's number one podcast - with additional musings and original drawings by Karl Pilkington, the show's unlikely star. In this pithy and hilarious book, Karl is in conversation with (the often bewildered) Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the writers and stars of "The Office" and "Extras", outwitting even these comedy Goliaths with his take on such contentious issues as charity, the lack of Chinese homeless people, re-incarnation, the rights of monkeys and favourite superpowers. Featuring Karl's original illustrations, imaginative scribblings, full colour pictures sent in by fans, the best conversations of the first 12 podcasts, and to be published alongside the second series of the internationally acclaimed and Guinness Record-winning "Ricky Gervais Podcast Show" (downloaded over 4,000,000 times - the most popoular podcast ever), this is a unique trip into the world of one of our most innovative thinkers, visionaries and prophets, or as Gervais and Merchant know him, 'the funniest man alive in Britain today'.
Happyslapped by a Jellyfish
Published: Autumn 2007 		A hilarious guide to travelling, from the man behind The World of Karl Pilkington - one of our most innovative thinkers, visionaries and prophets, or as Ricky Gervais knows him, 'the funniest man alive in Britain today'. Pack your suitcase and take an irreverent trip with the unlikely star of "The Ricky Gervais Podcast Show", Karl Pilkington, to the furthest corners of Europe. From sunbathing in t-shirts and lizards the length of Toblerones, to a toxic apartment in Ibiza with a used loo that can't be flushed - these witty musings could put you off travelling forever! Gain insight into the curious life of this comic genius from pithy anecdotes. Find out about his mum's obsession with keeping gnomes indoors and his experiences getting high on dope chocolate, to his childhood dentist who filled his perfect back teeth to give them 'extra protection'. This book features Pilkington's original illustrations and imaginative scribblings.
Karlology
Published: Autumn 2008 		This book offers an irreverent look at culture and learning from cult author Karl Pilkington. Drawing from visits to national museums, galleries and places of cultural interest, Karl Pilkington explores the world of knowledge from his own unique viewpoint. Read Karl's irreverent exploration of each subject, approached with his inimitable combination of innocent wonder and cheeky wisdom. Karl quizzes the world's top experts and teasing out insights with hilariously naive and muddled questions. This is a hilarious new book from the author of bestselling "The World of Karl Pilkington" and "Happyslapped by a Jellyfish".
An Idiot Abroad
Published: Autumn 2010 		Karl Pilkington isn't keen on travelling. Given the choice, he'll go on holiday to Devon or Wales or, at a push, eat English food on a package holiday in Majorca. Which isn't exactly Michael Palin, is it? So what happened when he was convinced by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to go on an epic adventure to see the Seven Wonders of the World? Travel broadens the mind, right? You'd think so...Find out in Karl Pilkington's hilarious travel diaries.
The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad
Published: Autumn 2012 		The nation's favourite idiot is back. Safely home from his latest travels, Karl has decided it is time to share his hard-earned wisdom of the world. Taking the Bucket List of '100 Things to Do Before You Die' as his starting point, Karl combines brilliant stories from his recent adventuresto Alaska, Siberia and beyond with entertaining, highly-opinionated views on what other people aspire to do with their lives. * Why on earth would anybody want to run with the bulls in Pamplona? * Go 'storm chasing' through Tornado Alley? * Have lunch with the Queen? * Or touch hands with the Pope? The Further Adventures of An Idiot Abroad is a fitting finale to two years of eventful globe-trotting. Frank, funny and strangely inspiring, this is Karl's final word on travel.

Quotes and Opinions

Ricky squoze Karl's head

See also: Karl Pilkington Quotes, Karl's Theories, Dictionary of Karl Pilkington, Flaws in Karl's reasoning

It was Karl himself who best summed up his worldview: "I don't like fun". He is not a fan of holidays, parties, traveling, or anything that has to be planned in advance. Maintaining relationships with family and friends is a tremendous hassle for him. He is also largely indifferent to some of life's great pleasures, like sex and music.

Another of Karl's most memorable quotes was from The Ricky Gervais Show Podcast. In the first series in episode 3 Karl announced "I could eat a knob at night" during a discussion about a reality TV show, "I'm a celebrity get me out of here". Since this a number of merchandise has been produced from t-shirts to thongs with this quote printed on them. In addition after Karl said this quote Stephen and Ricky asked if there was any DJ's out there who would make a mix of this quote. The response to this was strong with Ricky, Stephen and Karl receiving hundreds of tracks. At the end of series 1 episode 5 they played their favorite track that they had received.

As well as his specific views, ideas and philosophies, Karl also has a unique way of speaking. Karl's idiolect is made up of old-fashioned sayings (eg. "have it away"), Mancunian slang (eg. "knockin' about"), and correct English that has been misspoken (eg. "squoze").

See Also

External Links

References

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