I've been thinking about those Gary-and-Samantha skits again, thinking that they differ from the rest of Bruiser in several ways. The characters seem considerably more fleshed out. Both their bickering and the underlying affection are realistically portrayed. And even though they are shown just going about their everyday home life, they acknowledge the presence of the camera.
As those who've seen an entire episode may have noticed, the main "Written By" credit lists only Mitchell & Webb, but several other names are listed under "Additional Material by," including Ricky Gervais, who would shortly thereafter become half the creator team for The Office.
All of the above leads me to wonder whether "Gary and Samantha" might have been Gervais's doing. It seems to me that those skits have more in common with The Office than with the rest of Bruiser. So I'm also wondering whether Freeman's performances as Gary, in particular, might have lead Gervais to think of casting him as Tim -- not that the two characters are anything alike!
Last edited by Carol the Dabbler (December 28, 2012 3:23 pm)