America, meet Manchester, England's Karl Pilkington. The 38-year-old former Head of Production at Xfm in London was discovered by the United Kingdom's stellar writers-and-performers, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Pilkington had been assigned to produce their Xfm radio show, a job which he admitted in an interview with NYTimes.com, caused him some anxiety.
"[T]he boss was like, 'Karl, it’s your turn to work with the next people who come in' – who happened to be Ricky and Steve. I was like, 'This is going to be trouble, this.' Because when there’s two people and they’re mates, they’re just going to gang up."
And gang up, they did. While songs played, Gervais and Merchant would prod Pilkington to answer questions. The comedy duo quickly decided that Pilkington must talk about his atypical ideas on the air. When Pilkington obliged, a third wheel sprung up - and everyone knows that a tricycle is nothing without its third wheel.
Karl Pilkington: the man, the (not so) myth, the legend.
Not branded as a comedian, or even a performer, Karl Pilkington is a rare gem who endlessly provides belly-laughs for the millions of listeners who have tuned into the trio's podcasts for the better part of the past decade. Some maintain that Pilkington is nothing more than a character created by Gervais and Merchant. The two vehemently deny the allegations, stating that there is no way that they could have created a character like Karl. Furthermore, Merchant added during an on-air interview, "If we had created Karl, I would not have squandered a character that good on this poxy radio station." Unlike the Andy Kaufmans, or, in more recent times, the Joaquin Phoenixes, Pilkington is a real, honest, and refreshing talent.
So what is it about Karl Pilkington's character that is so unique?
Pilkington has a peculiar way of viewing the world. He is fascinated by insects, monkeys, and oddities which he deems "freaks." His opinions are voiced, almost always, with lethargic, monotonous intonation. He is not flashy, loud, or goofy, unlike America's beloved idiot savants: The Office's Michael Scott, Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David; and, as such, the not-so-beloved: politician-turned-reality star Sarah Palin, for example.
Pilkington's brain, measured at an IQ of 83 and contained in an abnormally spherical, orange-esque cranium, seems to barrel down an obtusely philosophical path when asked a question. One can almost see clockwork, rotating in reverse, before Pilkington offers an answer. Of the Universe's origin, he drawls, "They say it all started out with a big bang. But, what I wonder is, was it a big bang or did it just seem big because there wasn't anything else drown it out at the time?" Such statements shock and delight Gervais and Merchant, who have given Pilkington plenty of opportunities to shine. From book deals to television programs, Pilkington has taken the world by storm, and shows no signs of stopping.
The world of Karl Pilkington.
Karl Pilkington currently has two American "homes": he is animated, Hanna-Barbera style, along with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, on HBO's The Ricky Gervais Show, which airs Friday nights at 9pm EST. The program is merely their podcasts in cartoon form, but what some fail to realize is that these conversations are completely free-form and follow no script. It is where Pilkington rose to fame.
The other program, hosted on the Science channel, is An Idiot Abroad. It airs Saturdays at 10pm EST, and chronicles Pilkington's visits to The Seven Wonders of the World. He acts as our tour guide, and maintains an honest, if not cynical, outlook about every wonder he encounters. As such, he has dubbed the Great Wall of China, "The Alright Wall of China," postulating that it has been re-done in the 1980s, which took away some of its greatness. There will be a follow-up series to An Idiot Abroad, tentatively titled, An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List. The program is set to debut in late 2011, and will once again follow Pilkington around the world as he crosses activities off of his bucket list - an agenda of things that people should do before they die.
For refreshing and hilarious material that never gets stale or tired, look no further than the round-headed, pop culture icon known as Karl Pilkington.
Kristina Montesano - That's Kristina with a 'K.' Kristina Montesano is a 25-year-old writer with a Bachelor's Degree in Writing from the College of Staten ...
