David Bowie and Ricky Gervais both dominated headlines yesterday, although sadly for very different reasons.
Fans the world over were crushed to learn that the iconic Bowie had died at the age of 69, losing an 18-month fight with cancer that he had kept a secret.
Tributes poured in, including one from Gervais himself, fresh off his Golden Globe Awards hosting gig, who described the singer as his hero:
I just lost a hero. RIP David Bowie.
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) January 11, 2016
The internet, of course, was quick to remind everyone that Bowie and Gervais had actually worked together before, a decade ago, in a brutal (even by Ricky’s standards) episode of his sitcom Extras.
By the second season of the show, Gervais’ struggling actor character Andy Millman had gained fame by writing and starring in an abysmal and widely-hated comedy series.
When Andy met his idol, the actual David Bowie, in a London bar, he sidled up and asked for lessons in respect and credibility, from one celebrity to another.
The singer instead excoriated him, coming up with an impromptu song called ‘Little Fat Man’, and performing it on the spot, encouraging the whole bar to sing along with lyrics about the “fat waste of space” before him.
Bowie was, by all accounts, a lovely bloke, which is probably why he agreed to go along with this joke. Refresh your memory with this painfully hilarious scene:
R.I.P. David Bowie, you’ll be missed.
Photo: G Gershoff / Getty
