| "Golden Years" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Comedy Lab episode | |||
 Gervais in character impersonatingDavid Bowie | |||
| Episodeno. | Series 2 Episode 6 | ||
| Directed by | Blake Bedford | ||
| Written by | |||
| Cinematography by | Alastair Meux | ||
| Editing by | Richard Halladey | ||
| Original air date | 8 September 1999 (1999-09-08) | ||
| Running time | 23 minutes | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
| |||
"Golden Years" is the sixth episode of the second series of the British comedyanthology seriesComedy Lab. It first aired on 8 September 1999 onChannel 4. Written byRicky Gervais andStephen Merchant, it stars Gervais as the co-owner of a video rental company who has aDavid Bowie obsession. The episode follows him as he prepares for his appearance on the talent showStars In Their Eyes.[1][2][3][4]
"Golden Years" is filmed in amockumentary style.[5] Certain scenes feature "talking head" interview segments with Gervais's character, interviewed by Merchant off-screen, which is a format similar to that used inThe Office.[5]
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Gervais plays Clive Meadows, the main character who has aDavid Bowie obsession. Clive Meadows is the 32 (or 37, he is somewhat unclear) year old co-owner of 'Video Zone', a video rental company based in Reading. The show follows Clive as he prepares for his appearance on the ITV talent showStars In Their Eyes.
Vulture's Ramsey Ess wrote that the episode is "mostly uneven" in its humour, feeling like a demo tape for Gervais and Merchant's later series,The Office. Ess noted that Gervais's character has no redeeming qualities, which makes sympathising with him when he reaches his lowest point a difficult task. He concluded by writing that, "Without this show, there probably wouldn’t have been anOffice, so in that regard, it’s a good thing that it was made. But beyond that,Golden Years offers only the spark of what Gervais and Merchant would create together."[5]
The documentary style of the show and in particular the behaviour of Gervais's character present like prototypes forThe Office and its lead characterDavid Brent.[5]