Comedy Lab
| Comedy Lab | |
 Unofficial Logo | |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Running time | 25 mins. |
| Creator(s) | Laurence Rickard & George Sawyer |
| Writer(s) | Various |
| Starring | Various |
| Country | UK |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Original runs | 1 November 1998 – 28 August 2008 |
| No. of episodes | 90 |
| [[1]] | |
Comedy Lab is a British Television program on Channel 4. A season usually consists of 6-12 Pilot episodes of often experimental comedy shows. The show has been a platform and often a UK Television debut for many popular comedians such as Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr and Dom Jolly.
Ricky Gervais on Comedy Lab
In 1999 Ricky Gervais appeared the second season of Comedy Lab with a show titled "Golden Years" which is also the title of a David Bowie song. In the show successful mid-thirties businessman Clive Meadows, a dedicated David Bowie fan, becomes obsessed with the idea of performing as his hero and auditions for Stars in Their Eyes. The reaction of his colleagues at the video store range from supportive (his secretary Zoe) to obstructive (his partner Barry), but Clive perseveres. Then he fails to get the TV slot and alienates Zoe by his gauche treatment of her as a sex object when showing off to a fellow 'artist' - Freddie Mercury-lookalike Ian Croft. The episode was written by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant. Some of the content in Golden Years was re-used in their first sitcom The Office. The scene where Zoe aks Clive if he has a piercing and Clive admits that "it really stings", was recreated word for word with David Brent and secretary Dawn Tinsley in the Party episode.
