Karl isn’t stupid; he’s just one of the least curious people alive. The way he lives life in England is fine, and he sees no reason to learn another way. Karl stands atop the Great Wall of China, and wonders why anyone would want to see a bunch of shabby stones. Karl is the kind of guy who will land in Brazil and hang out at the local McDonald’s until his plane is ready to leave again. Nonetheless, Ricky and Stephen force the proud Englander to see some of the local tourist traps. As much as all of this seems to crack Ricky and Stephen up, Karl’s adventures won’t strike everyone as funny.
While I think Karl’s idiotic musings, and sullen looks are funny in small doses, watching an entire 43 minute episode of it is decidedly tiresome. I mean, he’s in these exotic, often beautiful locations, and all he does is complain! Obviously, plenty of folks get a kick out of large doses of Karl Pilkington, because the show has thus far been a huge success. After its 2010 debut on Sky1 in the UK where it became the most network’s most popular program in years, it played on the Science Channel (albeit, in an edited format) in the U.S. where it proved to be quite popular. If you haven’t seen the antics of Karl Pilkington, give it a go; you might like him…or not.
Presented in 1.78:1, this transfer is rather sharp for an SD presentation. There’s no artifacting or other digital anomalies present, and colors remain quite vivid throughout. There’s nothing to complain about here.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio tracks won’t blow you away, but they serve the dialogue centric series just fine English subtitles are available.
The following special features are included:
- A Preview Show (22:47) basically explains what the show is all about, and what Karl is about to do.
- The Review Show (43:50) is just what it sounds like: Karl reflecting on his travels.
- Deleted Scenes (13:51) eight more scenes involving Karl.
