Xfm Series 2

Xfm Series 2

Xfm Series 2 ran from August 2002 to August 2003. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant were back from filming the second series of The Office, and Karl Pilkington was back having recently produced Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Xfm show.

Soon things were back to normal, with Ricky and Steve equally entertained and scornful of Karl's peculiar outlook on life. And as well as through his opinions and anecdotes, Karl also contributed to the series with several features such as 'Rockbusters', 'Monkey News' and 'Educating Ricky'.

There are 51 shows from Xfm Series 2 in circulation and each show has an individual page detailing its contents. They can be accessed by clicking the 'Title'( date) of each show.

List of Episodes

	Title	Xfm Label	Season	#
	24 August 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	24
	Ricky, Steve and Karl compare their individual journeys back from the Edinburgh Festival, and Karl mishears 'mammoth' as 'man moth'.
	31 August 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	25
	Ricky and Steve interview Karl to re-introduce him to the listening public. Karl starts a competition he calls 'What's The Song?', that in later shows becomes Rockbusters.
	07 September 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	26
	Karl gets annoyed that Ricky can't record links for next week's 'Best Of' show because he must leave immediately after the show to go on holiday.
	14 September 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	27
	With Ricky on holiday in Italy (see 07 September 2002), Karl is left introducing this 'Best of' compilation (aka Best Of #1). Karl introduces all the links ("Ricky's on holiday...and Steve can't be bothered")
	21 September 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	28
	Karl's 30th birthday on Monday leads him to think about the best thing he's ever done.
	28 September 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	29
	Claire Sturgess stands in for Karl, as his girlfriend Suzanne has taken him to the Canary Islands for his birthday.
	05 October 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	30
	Karl is away for another week as when he was on holiday his dad was admitted to hospital and he had to help with things.
	12 October 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	31
	Karl introduces the new feature Educating Ricky and it's the very first week of Rockbusters. Karl also suggestions for radio quizzes including 'Strike it Ricky' and 'Big Mother' (in which listeners would win a CD if they had a heavy mother).
	19 October 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	32
	Ricky's got a hangover, and the second week of Rockbusters.Karl wants to be Frog boy. Educating Ricky has its second installment.
	26 October 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	33
	Steve wants tickets for Bruce Springsteen. Karl explains how to escape from anacondas. Educating Ricky has its third installment. Karl gets all three 'educating' stories in back-to-back.
	02 November 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	34
	Karl trys to sell his futon and desk combo for £100 and has a small laughing fit during Rockbusters. Educating Ricky is back for its fourth installment.
	09 November 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	35
	Karl gets called a dickhead by a tramp and talks about cheating church. Ricky talks about his boxing. Educating Ricky has its fifth installment. Karl's now-famous utterances "I typed 'why' into the search engine to try and confuse the computer" along with "you never see an old man 'avin' a Twix" are in THIS show.
	16 November 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	36
	Ricky and Steve discuss Karl being labelled a genius in Heat Magazine. Rockbusters goes down a storm, and we get the 6th installment (the longest thus far at about 22 minutes total) of Educating Ricky.
	23 November 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	37
	MTV have offered Karl the opportunity to record a screen test but he's reluctant. Karl interviews a woman who claims to have a ghost living in her house in a feature called 'Pilkington'. Educating Ricky episode 7 is also featured.
	30 November 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	38
	Xfm have started an advertising campaign for the show but Karl didn't want to be inclduded. Ricky explains how Jonathan Ross sees him as "a predatory gay". Educating Ricky Episode 8 completes the show.
	07 December 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	39
	Karl records his screen test for MTV today. Ricky and Steve demonstrate how gullible Karl is when reading internet material.
	14 December 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	40
	Claire Sturgess is sitting in for Karl and talks with Ricky and Steve about The Fight.
	21 December 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	41
	Karl's not buying his girlfriend Suzanne anything for Christmas because he's taking her out for dinner.
	28 December 2002	n/a	Xfm Series 2	42
	A 'Best of' compilation show. aka Best of #2
	04 January 2003	Season 1, Vol. 1	Xfm Series 2	43
	Ricky and Steve are astounded to learn that Karl bought his girlfriend an industrial-sized box of condoms for Christmas.
	11 January 2003	Season 1, Vol. 2	Xfm Series 2	44
	Stephen has overheard some people slagging off Ricky in public, and Karl believes in ghosts of women seeing ghosts of themselves.
	18 January 2003	Season 1, Vol. 3	Xfm Series 2	45
	Ricky investigates the effects of blunt objects on the skull, Stephen's feelings are hurt and Karl explores his sexuality.
	25 January 2003	Season 1, Vol. 4	Xfm Series 2	46
	The now-famous (or infamous, as the case may be) “Monkey News” makes its debut. Ricky performs the jingle for the first time in the feature originally called “Chimpanzee That!”
	01 February 2003	Season 1, Vol. 5	Xfm Series 2	47
	Karl slags off clairvoyants, Ricky slags off God and Stephen slags off Karl (then punches him in the arm). The debut of Karl in a Film.
	08 February 2003	Season 1, Vol. 6	Xfm Series 2	48
	Karl gets excited about conjoined twins but less enthused about the literary implications of infinite monkeys.
	15 February 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	49
	Ricky is so disgusted with the show that he finally says, "that's it, we're taking two weeks off. No show for two weeks" or something to that effect.
	22 February 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	50
	A 'Best of' compilation. aka Best of #3. Ricky and Steve pre-record their intros to all the links.
	01 March 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	51
	Another 'Best of' compilation. aka Best of #4. Ricky and Steve pre-record their intros to all the links.
	08 March 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	52
	Claire Sturgess stands in for a sick Karl. Ricky and Steve start giving out digits of Karl's phone number, and eventually manage to get him on the phone.
	15 March 2003	Season 1, Vol. 7	Xfm Series 2	53
	Karl's been off ill - much to Ricky's disgust - a new feature is born and tension between Karl and Stephen comes to a head.
	22 March 2003	Season 1, Vol. 8	Xfm Series 2	54
	Karl is disappointed by the film 'Freaks', confused by transsexuals and slapped in the head live on-air by Stephen.
	29 March 2003	Season 1, Vol. 11	Xfm Series 2	55
	Ricky and Stephen are adamant that Karl should appear on the show's poster and more interest groups are offended.
	05 April 2003	Season 1, Vol. 9	Xfm Series 2	56
	Steve runs to the local McDonald's to fetch 5 hamburgers for Karl to stuff in his mouth in an attempt to break a world record. After failing miserably at that, Karl eats 62 grapes in three minutes; 71 shy of the record. Karl's explanation is that he has a "small throat".
	12 April 2003	Season 1, Vol. 10	Xfm Series 2	57
	Ricky, Karl and Steve break the law on-air for the first time as Karl gets curious about the extent of Derren Brown's powers.
	19 April 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	58
	Claire Sturgess fills in for Karl, who is in Madeira with Suzanne and her parents. The boys suffer from hypochondria; Ricky wears a white suit to the BAFTAs; Steve fancies Louise Woodward; reality shows; the Innovations Catalogue; "Call your friends and tell them it's a girl"; Karl is deemed superfluous.
	26 April 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	59
	Karl is back, bringing Rockbusters with him, and Ricky invents some new characters to liven up the show.
	03 May 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	60
	"It's the Sonys this week, so make it a good one." Rockbusters today. Karl got a message from someone wanting Steve to do voiceover work--"money for old rope"--but didn't pass it on to Steve until a week later.
	10 May 2003	Season 1, Vol. 12	Xfm Series 2	61
	Ricky is incensed that the show didn't win any Sony Awards and gives Karl money to perform degrading, homoerotic tasks.
	17 May 2003	Season 1, Vol. 13	Xfm Series 2	62
	Vowing to improve the show after last week's Sony failure, Ricky consults Dr. Fox and attempts to interact with the listeners.
	31 May 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	63
	Ricky has done his back in wrestling. Rockbusters contest today. Cheeky Freak of the Week--Lobsterman and the Siamese twins who got run over "why didn't he just look both ways?" Monkey News--chimp number 86, the magician's assistant hopped in the car at the gas station and drove to Spain. Of course it was possible--the car was an automatic.
	07 June 2003	Season 1, Vol. 14	Xfm Series 2	64
	Springsteen has an armpit fetish? Hankies in back pockets, Karl has the research. Karl won't leave the hotel room in Tenerife due to his state of arousal, discussion about dying, cloning, and one's last day on earth, the weekly episodes of Blockbusters, CFOTW (Cheeky Freak of the Week), and Monkey News--with two monkey stories this week--BONUS.
	14 June 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	65
	Karl going on Holiday to Cornwall this coming week---anxious about going to Monkey World--twice. "Bauhaus is not working, Bauhaus is not working!!" Ricky loses 400 quid out of his suit pocket, Steve recounts story at University about finding a cashpoint card in the machine, and rewarding himself 30 quid (Karl would have taken 20), the great flower/greeting card company conspiracies, warnings on fag packets, the boneless person, Monkey News (homeless chimp in Russia), Rockbusters, and CFOTW live on, Karl leaves early to catch the train.
	21 June 2003	Season 1, Vol. 15	Xfm Series 2	66
	Karl's holiday in Cornwall recap; Rockbusters and Monkey News now ended according to Ricky, but they do come back anyway; Monkey News from Karl's Dad and a Monkey News 'Extra' (Monkey Business)
	28 June 2003	Season 1, Vol. 16	Xfm Series 2	67
	Medical, zoo, charity, and taxi drivers talk. Shaving one's arse, feeling testicles, owl on a desk, Maggie the Magpie, "do you know the way to Camden?" Monkey News (bequeathing the monkey spa to the kids) and Rockbusters still alive but on very thin ice.
	05 July 2003	Season 1, Vol. 17	Xfm Series 2	68
	Steve's great New Year's party in Bristol: "It's just that...we've arranged to meet back at you." Plus Monkey News (chimps joining the army and doing the obstacle course?), Educating Ricky, Rockbusters, Auntie Nora, an' that.
	12 July 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	69
	Ricky and Steve pre-record a spot lampooning the Radio Authority, but the Managing Director of XFM bins that. Karl has to go along with the decision, even with the swearing bleeped out. Karl getting ready to go on holiday again. This time, it's Hastings. No more cheeky freak of the week is this week's Songs of Phrase. Monkey News--monkey prison in India. The boys have stories of winding teachers up in school.
	19 July 2003	Season 1, Vol. 18	Xfm Series 2	70
	Karl's kitchen re-doing, Steve's big feet. Songs of Phrase. Karl and babies. Steve's big TV. Wheelchair tennis and the Paralympics. Karl gets a kiss from Steve on the head. Karl recaps holiday in Hastings and specialty shops. Answers to Songs of Phrase and Monkey news--the chimp that won the 400 meter race in the 1908 London Olympics an' that.
	26 July 2003	Season 1, Vol. 19	Xfm Series 2	71
	People you hate, What do you like. The chinese language. Scruting the china-woman. Anteaters and the wax museum. Songs of phrase. KP looks after me. If Karl were PM or President. Winner of who is the most hated among the listeners. Monkey News--the chimp cyclist, on the tricycle, in the London-Brighton bike ride.
	02 August 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	72
	Bondage shop--Open. Cock soup and hermaphrodites. Lots of knob news (including theatrical castration, Hitler's penis and genital "torture devices"). Songs of Phrase; "I know you're just 16 but looking all of 21, that's because Chinese look older." Calling Moyles with golf songs. Educating Karl. Big eyelids. Freaks. Homeless & St. John's Ambulance people. Monkey news--monkey astronaut made a NASA trainer, then a colonel, got a pension, an' that.
	09 August 2003	n/a	Xfm Series 2	73
	Handling the heat wave. Nudist chat. frontal shots of sprinters, Monkey news--chimp prostitute. Karl laughs on air.
	16 August 2003	Season 1, Vol. 20	Xfm Series 2	74
	Last show of the series. Ricky and Steve filming The Office Specials in the interim. Will they return? More charity talk. Newton and Einstein. The Daily Telegraph is listening today! Monkey News extra -- Costa Rican monkey goalkeeper has a PhD in Physics.

External Links

• Xfm's Ricky and Steve Minisite