Ricky Gervais sitcom 'Life's Too Short' gets second series, despite bad reviews - Daily TV round-up

Ricky Gervais’ sitcom ‘Life’s Too Short’ has been commissioned for a second series, despite a raft of bad reviews and poor ratings including this review from Yahoo! TV.

The controversial comedian and writer confirmed that the show will return on Twitter, and also nailed down the mooted ‘An Idiot Abroad’special featuring ‘Life’s Too Short’s star, Warwick Davies.

“FAQ Second Series of Life's Too Short Planned for spring 2013 An Idiot Abroad Special: The Short Way Round planned for end of 2012 (sic),” he wrote.

The show, which starred Davies as the dislikeable owner of a dwarf talent agency, got roundly poor reviews from TV critics.

[See also: Christmas TV highlights]

The Independent’s Robert Epstein called it ‘shoddily derivative’, adding that it was also degrading, while Gwilym Mumford in the Guardian said it was ‘strikingly lazy stuff, comprised of little more than a predictable checklist of taboos and social faux pas’.

The ratings for the show started well, but soon dropped below one million, a 35% decrease on the average for its timeslot.

Also in today’s press

Ant & Dec have taken part in their first Bushtucker Trial. The pair took on ‘Celebrity Cyclone’, last seen in the last series of ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’, for the 'Text Santa' charity show, due to go out on ITV on Christmas Eve. [The Mirror]

[Plus: Can you guess the most screened movie at Christmas?]