Chimp Off the Old Block

Before finding fame as David Brent Ricky Gervais and Office cowriter Stephen Merchant used to host a Saturday afternoon radio show on London based XFM.

Whilst working on the show they uncovered possibly one of most unique characters ever to work in entertainment in mancunian producer Karl Pilkington.
Like a far more abstract version of Larry Sanders, Karl's stories of growing up in Manchester would not be believed had they not originated from his innocent, half witted mind.

Pilkington has unwittingly influenced many of Gervais' comedic efforts over the past decade and has been referenced in a number of Ricky's stand up performances.

One of the most popular features of the XFM show was Monkey News, an item where Karl sprouts unbelievable stories about monkeys obtained from a dodgy source on the internet. The funniest part is that he actually believes it is all true.

Here is one of my favourites, that was subsequently animated and released as part of the world record holding Ricky Gervais Show Podcast.