Karl Pilkington – TV presenter, radio producer, visionary.
Perhaps the mid-2000s simply weren’t ready for a thinker of Pilkington’s genius but, in 2018, his brilliance is showing itself in a different form.
Pilkington made his name initially as a producer on Ricky Gervais’ XFM show before his bizarre non sequiturs saw him rewarded with a regular place on the mic alongside Gervais and co-host Stephen Merchant.
On a weekly basis, the Manchester native would find his theories laughed at by his fellow presenters, but who’s laughing now?
Pilkington is currently getting an awful lot of credit for some storylines in the new series of Black Mirror, the hit Netflix show.
The fourth season of Black Mirror hit the streaming service last week and viewers couldn’t help but find some of the storylines a tad familiar.
In the episode “Black Museum” [SPOILER ALERT], we’re treated to three short stories based on the concept of transplanting consciousness.
The “Pain Addict” portion of the episode sees a doctor benefit from a new neurological implant which enables him to experience first-hand the ailments of his patients.
Sounds a bit like this Karl theory to us.
Karl once said: “If there was some sort of kit that the doctor used and said: ‘How are you feeling Mr Pilkington?’ And I go: ‘I think I feel alright.’ And they go: ‘Well do you?’ And I go: ‘I don’t know. And they say: ‘Step into the machine.’
“I get into the machine and if he could, somehow, transfer my feeling into his body so I could feel how he feels and then he could feel how I feel and then he’ll go: ‘Oh, you’re not well at all. Your heartbeat’s irregular for a start.”
Another part of the episode is eerily similar to one of the famous film pitches of KP.
Black Museum. pic.twitter.com/cuq0zV1izY
— Black Mirror (@blackmirror) November 29, 2017
Pilkington wanted to produce a film in which a happy couple, whose lives had been destroyed by a car accident, somehow combine consciousnesses by having one person’s brain transplanted into the other’s head.
Gervais’ trademark shriek-laugh followed Pilko’s pitch but, again, the proud creator of Bullshit Man has been proven a Tour de Force of imagination.
And one thing’s for sure, Charlie Brooker definitely missed a trick in not casting Rebecca De Mornay.
https://twitter.com/_AndreasWalther/status/946868949899272192
https://twitter.com/Jake_Bullett/status/946855106837872642
UM THE WHOLE DOCTOR FEELING THE PATIENTS PAIN IS EXACTLY WHAT KARL PILKINGTON PITCHED????? #BlackMirror #BlackMuseum
— gothxgf (@executive_goth) December 29, 2017
So #BlackMirror4 ep6: first 2 mini stories are BOTH #KarlPilkington theories!! The doc who feels what his patient feels is from an XFM show & the person in a coma, who has their consciousness put into their lover’s brain is from the @rickygervais podcasts!! #ALoveOfTwoBrains 1/2
— Ben Watts (@BenjStratton1) December 30, 2017
https://twitter.com/humpjbear1/status/947281866196901888
I hope so much that when it says Written By it says Charlie Brooker AND Karl Pilkington #karlpilkington #BlackMirror4 #BlackMuseum #ALoveOfTwoBrains
— Ben Watts (@BenjStratton1) December 30, 2017
How THE FUCK did Penn Jillette get a story credit for #BlackMuseum but Karl Pilkington, who pitched his "two brains" movie in 2007, did not? https://t.co/LDTspLn0qH PS: The acting was great but…was Clive Warren unavailable? #BlackMirror pic.twitter.com/pRXLjmp095
— Dru Moorhouse (@DruMoorhouse) January 2, 2018
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