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An idiot abroad

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Did anyone catch the first episode of this on Sky 1 last night?

It was brilliant.....................

 

Karl Pilkington, the little balding chap who works with Ricky Gervais & Steve Merchant, is sent off by the other 2 to see the Seven Wonders of the World,after he declared them all 'a bit rubbish'

 

He is generally deeply unimpressed with everything,& its made worse for him by the others setting up little 'treats' along the way.

Last night he went to the Great wall of China,& had a traditional massage involving him being rubbed with a flaming glove.

 

I am not generally a fan of Ricky 'The Ego' Gervais, but this series is really well done & very,very funny.

 

More info here: http://sky1.sky.com/an-idiot-abroad

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I was going to watch but got distracted by my Kindle :lol: Now I will watch.

 

It looks like its on again tonight and am going to watch as I think its Taj Mahal, have been twice, with a 25 year gap and it was much dirtier the second time probably due to all the industrialisation ?. I have a picture of me sitting on the seat Princess Diana sat on the first time(I got there first).The next time we went 25 years later we couldnt get near the same seat unless you paid, as the photographers monopolised it all because of the famous picuture. But it is a truley beautiful monument to a queen Mumtaz and something special about it as well.

 

You have to go to see the palace where king Shah Jahan was kept on the opposite side of the river overlooking the Taj by the son who was upset his father spent so much money/years etc having the Taj built as a memorial(he was sort of imprisoned). Also as the King had a harem he shouldnt have shown any favoritism to this particular wife.The king was going to have a Taj built in black marble identical on the opposite side of the river but his son prevented him. Apparently she died in child birth.

 

My memory was that we went inside but I came out as it was so hot and busy.When my OH returned he said to me did you see the photo of her inside, so I went back in to look for the photo :doh: Look it was the 16th Century..photo my foot :lol:

 

I think the programme was named specially for me

 

Cant wait Donald :)

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I'm not sure about it really.....it's a bit like Forrest Gump....let's take the weewee out of a thicky/vulnerable adult :?

I know I sound a bit PC....I'm not really- honest, but I'm not sure what the point is really? Is it to point out other's inadequacies and prejudices a'la Borat..( who I can't stand!) or just to take the wee out of someone who is or purports to be thick? Maybe I'm missing the point....I have a really good sense of humour, and love comedy ( once proposed marriage to Noel Fielding- well, I shouted it from the audience) and don't mind Ricky Gervais, think he is really good a puncturing pomposity, and over stepping boundaries ........so can someone explain it to me? Please? :think:

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Just seen it because OH recorded it - I didn't want to watch it at first but I came in on it by accident and watched it to the end. I can only say it appealed to my warped sense of humour and so I found it reallllllly funny. I have to admit the best bit was the invention of a radio with headlamps and he said something like "if you saw that on Dragons Den you'd say I'm out"! But I much preferred the Great Wall in the remotest parts - now that's more my style away from tourists and seeing life proper - they had chickens!

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Hi

 

Just watched the Great Wall and I think it was a very honest programme. Culture shock if you have never been anywhere where they are culturally different! Not at all like Borat, good honest account even at the introduction Ricky Gervais is not being insulting or demeaning etc.

 

Great experience and how can anyone not compare our life with their life. Whats normal for them ie that they seem to eat pretty much anything :?: is not normal for us.

 

The thing that always gets me is that I always assumed that other people in poorer undeveloped countries want to live

like us in the West. But often they are happy with their lot as they dont know any different.

re the spitting made me laugh as in India there are No Spitting signs everywhere and I was constantly making sure my trousers didnt touch the floor(even in the religious places I was constantly dodging it).

 

Fascinating programme and will be watching the next ones.

 

Brilliant donald :lol:

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I loved it too! I had already came across him via a book, 'The world of Karl Pilkington' I bought it to read on a plane journey, because I dont like flying and its short stories were enough to take my mind off the flight (I just cannot concentrate on following stories when you are expecting to drop out of the sky at any moment!! :shock: ) It was hilarious, it was the scripts taken from the podcasts he did with Ricky Gervais and Stphen Merchant and was his take on the world as put to him by Ricky and Stephen.

 

He really is funny and so deadpan about it!, some of his quotes I had to stifle my laughter as people would think me mad! If you liked the idiot abroad you really should read it!

 

Michelle

Ps the show also gets put on sky anytime for a few days after airing , so if you forget to record it :wink:

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Did anyone see Taj Mahal?

 

Very good programme again. The only thing is he obviously stayed at the worst places that most visitors wouldnt stay at accomodation wise. India is a very beautiful country so I did think it was pointing out some worse aspects of it. If you are rich in India you are also living with such poverty, very hard to escape it. Parts of India are like A passage to India. Fantastic country to visit, can understand why the British never fully conquered it , it really is a culturally diverse country. A backward country I dont think it is. I would go back tomorrow and highly recommend a visit but stay somewhere a bit nicer!

 

What did anyone think of what they watched? Donald :)

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Digging up this old thread,as I was watching a re run last night & there was an ad for series 2 :clap::clap::clap:

 

It is called 'An Idiot Abroad 2, The Bucket List' & I guess it focuses on things to do or see before you die, rather than the wonders of the world.

I have heard that Whale watching in Alaska is one of them, & on the repeat I saw yesterday Karl said that he would love to see a Tornado.....so maybe they send him off with a team of chasers???

 

Anyhow,I know it will be marvellous & I cannot wait :P

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Digging up this old thread,as I was watching a re run last night & there was an ad for series 2 :clap::clap::clap:

 

It is called 'An Idiot Abroad 2, The Bucket List' & I guess it focuses on things to do or see before you die, rather than the wonders of the world.

I have heard that Whale watching in Alaska is one of them, & on the repeat I saw yesterday Karl said that he would love to see a Tornado.....so maybe they send him off with a team of chasers???

 

Anyhow,I know it will be marvellous & I cannot wait :P

Yes, somewhere on the internet is the audio from Karl leaving a voicemail on Ricky/Stephen's phone - they put him on a trawler with professional fishermen and he did NOT like it. :lol:

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Why do they eat cooked chicks in shells? It's repulsive anyway, but even more to think that they have been in an incy for good time at optimum temperature for bacteria & bugs to grow. I know they are cooking the eggs after - but not all bugs will be killed surely? :vom:

I have seen ' egg men' in Thailand & always wondered if they have chicks in the boiled eggs or not. I don't think so from what I've seen- but you never know if I just saw one that wasn't fully formed.

Not seen this programme.

Emma.x

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I've found this series strangely endearing; but I can't concentrate enough to sit down & watch the full series...has anyone read the book? How does it translate the humour & Karlishness of it all?

 

 

He's quite good at writing in his own voice - I bought my OH all his books for his birthday and the great thing about them is they're ones you can dip in and out of at leisure and still get a huge guffaw each time.

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