Fame Souvenir Program Podcast/transcript

Unless You've Downloaded This Illegally Off The Internet

Ricky: Hi. Welcome to ah - The Ricky Gervais Show, with me Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant...

Steve: Hello there.

Ricky: And the shaven monkey with a head like a fucking orange that is Karl Pilkington.

Karl: Alright.

Ricky: Well um, this is uh, uh, uh, a special edition - a free, a give-away podcast, um, uh that people who, uh came to see my show Fame in London got - put on their seat - gratis. Thanks for coming. Well unless you didn't even come and still got this free. Unless someone went "Well I don't want it he was rubbish", and gave it to you - you're listening to it for free -- OR you've sort of downloaded it illegally -- it was free anyway! Ahh... forget it! Um, we've been away for a while, now we're back together...

Steve: The old team.

Family Reunion

Ricky: The old team back together, in a little room in Central London. Karl! Looking back on the year, what's happened? I remember last year the most memorable thing that happened was you saw a grub eating a biscuit. So uh-

Steve: That was a highlight, I uh...

Ricky laughs.

Steve: That made it into his diary.

Ricky: Yeah! So uh, what's the big thing of this year, what's the big thing so far of 2007 that, as - if if I say 2007 you'll go "Oh yeah that was the year that--"...

Karl: Uhh...

Ricky: You know in 10 years time-

Karl: In years to come?

Ricky: Yeah, I'll go I'll go "Remember 2007?", you'll go "Course I do! It was the year that--"...

Pause

Karl: I haven't really been following what's going on cos' of other-other like personal issues-

Ricky: Well yeah what's the big - OK what's the big thing-

Karl: Just me boiler. The boiler's playing up still. Sick of it.

Steve: Yer what?

Karl: Me boiler.

Steve: Your boiler?

Karl: The boiler. That heats the water up and stuff - except it doesn't.

Steve: You know what I'd do in that situation, I'd instantly get a repair man out to sort it.

Karl: Done that. Done that. Twice. It was 80 quid-

Ricky snorts.

Karl: for him just to say "Yeah it looks like you need a new one". 80 quid call-out.

Ricky: Why don't you get a new one then?

Karl: Because, you, then you wondered are you meant to believe him or is he out to sort of-

Ricky: Well he's the expert.

Karl: Yeah but is he?

Ricky: Well I don't know.

Karl: It's like you need to get a second opinion aren't you like-

Ricky: So that was the first time then, so what was the second time, who came out the second time?

Karl: Same fella.

Ricky: Well what did he say-

Steve: I thought you were going to get a second opinion!

Ricky: Yeah, and also-

Karl: I called up the company and they just sent him again. Because-

Steve: Well call a different company!

Karl: No, no-

Ricky: What-what-what was his second opinion?

Ricky sniggers.

Ricky: 80 quid.

Ricky giggles.

Steve: "I under-charged you, it's 150."

Karl: No because they - they must look in the book and sort of go "Oh, you know - Harry, Harry went round there" or whatever. And uh, they must think "Well he went there last time, so he knows the situation-"

Steve: Yeah.

Karl: And.. got the same fella again-

Ricky: Well - well and you got the same opinion, I assume?

Karl: Same, same answer, yeah.

Ricky: So - so okay, so that's - that's two - so twice you've called someone out, they've said "You need a new boiler." He had the overalls on holding a monkey wrench again, he came in a van, he charged ya. He's the professional. Why haven't you got a new boiler?

Karl: Because then he went to - he went on to say that, you know it's a dangerous setup I've got...

Ricky snorts.

Karl: Uh, it shouldn't be setup the way it is, it's dangerous.

Ricky giggles.

Karl: Something about gas leaking out of it.

Ricky giggles.

Karl: He said, "You don't - you don't sleep close to this, do you?"

Ricky torts.

Karl: And it's like, well, "The bedroom's there." It's not a big flat - you've seen it Steve."

Ricky laughs.

Karl: Everything's on-suite, innit?

Ricky and Steve laugh

Karl: So, so, like, so, so, he - he went on to say-

Ricky: "Everything's on-suite", oh dear..

Karl: So ah, so anyway, so he - he's just sort of said "Look", you know, he doesn't want to touch it, he said "You need to get someone in who can sort this out for you, but-

Steve: What, and it took him two visits and 160 quid to figure that out?

Karl: Yeah. This is what they do innit?

Steve: Yeah..

Ricky: So, so, what's his advice?

Karl: Um, he just said, you know "There are people out there who will touch it, if you pay the right money."

Ricky: Well okay, so you're going to get an expert in who does this thing and sorts it out so-

Karl: Well no, I called up me dad.

Ricky: Oh yeah?

Steve: Oh yeah?

Karl: Because he always knows someone who can sort stuff out. And he said uh, "Oh one of yer cousin's is a boiler man." And uh.. yeah, they're - they're comin' round - but I've never met em'-

Ricky quietly chuckles.

Karl: And it turns out that person - because like the whole family - you know I'm, I'm not into sort of keeping in touch with people?

Steve: Sure.

Karl: I haven't spoken to me brother for like, I dunno, 12 years, and-

Ricky snorts.

Karl: Sister about 15 years, and that. So, the idea of this cousin, who I've - uh, uh, I mean, he might as well have not have said he's my cousin, because I'm not going to know him anyway, I mean - that last fella - Harry, might as well have been related to him.

Ricky and Steve laugh

Karl: So, so they're going to turn up, and now it turns out that because I haven't seen the rest of the family, they're going to like use this as a reunion.

Ricky: Ahh..

Steve: What, so they're all going to come round whilst-?

Karl: They're all, they're all - they're all comin' round.

Steve: Whilst he fixes the boiler?

Karl: Yeah. And I hate it. I hate, I hate family things anyway.

Ricky: So they're come round and just look at you.

Karl: Well, yeah, apart from the one who's fixin' it, he'll be fixin' it, and the other's will just be sat around sort of goin' "So, how've you been?", and it's like, well, "Where do you start?"

Ricky and Steve quietly chuckle

Karl: I haven't - I haven't seen, I - seriously, I mean they are strangers.

Ricky laughs

Karl: When they buzz, I - I could be letting anyone in.

Ricky and Steve laugh.

Karl: When they buzz the door. So-

Steve: And so you're going to entertain them all in your - in your flat, your tiny little flat?

Karl: Well I said to me dad that I might just say that "I've gotta go to a meeting", let em' in, and then shoot off.

Ricky: I love that. So now, they're strangers that you're letting in your flat and you're not even being there.

Steve: Yeah.

Ricky: That's, that's the best thing, that's such security.

Steve chuckles

Who The FUCK Is Clive Warren?!

Ricky: Now, Karl says he'll remember this year for his boiler, um being a bit of a pain. But, now everyone knows over the past sort of like few years, my big pet project -- it hasn't been my own career - it's been 'Get Karl Famous'.

Steve: Yeah.

Ricky: I want people to recognize him in the street, come up to him and say "You bald-headed Manc twat." Make his life - I - I want-

Steve: Well, let me tell you now Rick-

Ricky: Go on.

Steve: I've been out and about and a lot of people have said to me - they've come up to me and said "Has Karl Pilkington got a head like a fucking orange-

Ricky: Well I've-

Steve: And I've had to instantly confirm the answer to be "Yes".

Ricky: Well, I'm in eh - America quite a bit, and it doesn't matter if I'm talking to David Bowie, The Simpsons, all these people, people on 24, all these people - who have got these amazing careers and lives - say "Is Karl Pilkington really like that?" I say "Yes", he's, he's "not two short planks, he's three or four fucking short fucking planks."

Steve: Thick planks. Thick, but short. Short, but thick planks.

Ricky: Yeah. Fucking lumps of thickness. But... he's had a call. He had a call recently, from a film company asking him if he's got any ideas for movies. Now, how desperate, how - in what dire straits must be British film industry be that they're going-

Steve: They're turning to Karl Pilkington-

Ricky: Yeah, "We need Karl Pilkington." We have hit rock bottom. And he went along for an interview.~

Steve: So what, and you went in, and you...

Karl: I went - I went along and um... had a meeting... uhh... in a Café. And uh, they just said "Right, you know, got any ideas?" And uh, I sort of said you know "What you thinking? What sort of thing are you after, are you after Action, Thriller, whatever?"

Steve: Because you can provide any of that, sure.

Ricky: I love that, that he's playing it cool, like you've come to the right person-

Steve: Yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah.

Ricky: "My time's precious, what do you need?"

Steve: Yeah.

Ricky: "Yeah I'm Karl Pilkington, yeah yeah, they-they eh, they call me The Movie Doctor, what'd you need pucker?

Karl: So I thought of this idea, sort of on the spot, um...

Steve: Good. Planning.

Karl: No, but sometime's that's how good ideas come up don't they, just-just random-

Steve: A lot of yours have come up, yeah...

Karl: No, but when - if you just talk, I find that your mouth... comes out with stuff.

Ricky laughs.

Ricky: Right there's another quote! There is another quote.

Steve: Right, right. "If you talk, your mouth comes out with stuff."

Ricky: That, that, that, that to me, is - stands along with "What are those things in Gremlins called?", "Does your brain rule you, or do you rule your brain?", uh-

Karl: No, but what I mean - if, if you sit there, and try to use your brain to do it-

Ricky: Right.

Karl: It doesn't work the same. Just - just keep talking, just keep your mouth talking. And eventually it will come out with something pretty good.

Ricky: That is exactly what Plato said.

Karl: So uh.. so anyway-

Ricky: To Aristotle, he said "Sit down I've got an idea for you". Aristotle said Plato "How do I-?" He said "Right. Just keep talking and eventually your brain will come out with stuff."

Karl: So what I thought, I just started off by saying like actors names, and that, who I thought should be in it, cos' then that's giving - giving more - it's building.

Ricky and Steve: Right who did you say?

Ricky: Who did you say?

Karl: So I said, right I'm seeing uh... Clive Warren.

Ricky laughs

Ricky: WHO THE FUCK'S CLIVE WARREN?

Steve: Who's Clive Warren?

Karl: The one who was in, Closer.

Ricky and Steve: Clive Owen.

Karl: Right, alright-

Ricky: Did they look at you like you're a fucking idiot?

Karl: Well I-

Steve chuckles.

Steve: So they - they all started trying to figure out "Who's this Clive Warren we've not heard about? He must be amazing!"