Karl Pilkington's a bit less of a grump

He found fame through his pals Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant but serial moaner Karl Pilkington is a star in his own right, says Susan Griffin

KARL Pilkington has made a career out of moaning. His grumpy attitude to life and straight-talking comments tickled his friends Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant so much, that they invited the radio producer to take part in conversations on air, and then podcasts.

An Idiot Abroad followed, the series which saw Gervais and Merchant — while tucked up in comfortable surroundings on home turf — pack Pilkington off to ever more ‘exotic’ and interesting far-flung places, in the hope that his sheer lack of excitement would make great telly.