Gervais & Merchant making BBC2 dwarfism sitcom with Warwick Davis!!

By Matt Holmes / April 22, 2010

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are developing a new BBC2 sitcom based on the life of 3 foot 6 inch tall actor Warwick Davis, titled "Life's Too Short". The Hollwyood Reporter say it will be a "single-camera 3o minute comedy" that will shoot in the summer. On his blog, Gervais says it will likely be a six episode series. The show will be Gervais & Merchant's third for the BBC after making the multi Award Winning "The Office" and "Extra's". "Life's Too Short" will be an observational comedy that closely follows Davis and the troubles a 40 year old man of his size has to face each day. In a way, it will be a spin-off to "Extra's" as the actor appeared in a memorable episode of the second season as himself...Gervais says;

"We're having so much fun working with Warwick. Pound for pound he is one of the funniest men I know,"

BBC says;

''It's a frustrating world, but an optimistic and warm one. This is a comedy where truth and big laughs sit side by side,''

Gervais said last week;

''It's a cross between Extras and Curb your Enthusiasm and One Foot in the Grave but with a dwarf. That is out and out funny.''

Gervais & Merchant will be confined to cameo appearances in the show. Davis is best remembered as "Willow" in the LucasFilm fantasy of the 80's or as the villainous "Leprechaun" but he got his break as an 11 year old in"Star Wars IV: Return of the Jedi" where he portrayed Wicket the Ewok. He has more recently appeared in the "Harry Potter" and "Narnia" franchises, and he was the man in suit for the paranoid android Marvin in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". The project is hardly surprising in the oeuvre of Gervais/Merchant. "The Office" and "Extra's" was built on edgy humour, with the awkwardness of mentioning someone's disabilities or unusual physical appearances, and having the ability to laugh at it and be comfortable around it, coming up in nearly every episode. In "The Office" series 1, Brent leaves a female employee who is in a wheelchair at the top of the stairs during a fire drill as it is too awkward to help her down. In series 2, actor Andy Millman finds it difficult to socially be around a woman who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. We are guessing this kind of humor, but from the other side of the coin, is what the show will be about. Warwick is hoping that Gervais/Merchant's podcasting partner Karl Pilkington makes a cameo appearance, as the K-Man has had something of a fascination with the actor. Pilkington was said of Davis on their podcast;

"The first time I see him, I'd be a little like, what should I say, what shouldn't I say? Whereas once you get to know him I'm sure he'd be a lovely little fella."

Gervais & Merchant's first feature film together "Cemetery Junction" is in U.K. theatres now. Rob Beames reviewed it, and interviewed Gervais/Merchant.