Recorded Live at The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, the show was part of a small tour which Gervais did in the United States. Although billed as stand-up (and I guess, technically it is), Gervais is more of a storyteller, as he relates funny anecdotes about his life. In the interview included on this DVD, he states that he enjoys playing an obnoxious boor on-stage and we get a lot of that, as Gervais loves to talk about himself here. He discusses his work with charities, his views on nursery rhymes and fables, his addiction to The Discovery Channel, and how and why people get fat. He isn't above using props, as he produces a post-card which gives safe-sex tips, and proceeds to read it aloud. Taking many breaks to drink from a huge can of Foster's, Gervais is very animated and prowls the stage in front of a giant set of lights which spell out the word "Ricky".

The problem is that most of this isn't very funny. Gervais has proven himself in the past to be very clever and quick-witted, but most everything here is aimed at the lowest common denominator. While his use of profanity didn't bother me in the least, I was surprised by the fact that he often went for "shocking" material. He mocks cancer patients and the obese, and then does the very long bit with the safe-sex postcard which is all linked back to a series of jokes about AIDS. Frankly, all of this seems beneath him. Also, at times, his delivery left much to be desired. The long-drawn out piece about his penis has me reaching for the fast-forward button.

The truly sad thing is that there are some funny moments here. As with many comics, when Gervais settles down and isn't trying too hard to be funny, clever lines and jokes actually make their way into the show. For example, he ends the show with a series of jokes about animal facts. Most of this is pedestrian stuff, but when he questions the syntax about one of the facts, we get a glimpse of the kind of sharp-witted British humor which I had expected from this show. In other cases, he simply doesn't go far enough. He tells a story about a teenaged boy in a bathroom stall and when he delivered the punch-line, I kept waiting for what I thought was the logical next line, but it never came.

Ricky Gervais: Out of England: The Stand-Up Special doesn't wear any underwear on DVD courtesy of HBO Home Entertainment. The show has been letterboxed at 1.78:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The image is sharp and clear, showing no grain and no defects from the source material. The image implies that the show was shot on HD. Still, there is some artifacting here, and some mild pixellating. Also, jagged lines are visible around Gervais shoulders. The colors are good and the image is never overly dark or bright. The DVD features a Dolby 2.0 audio track. Gervais' voice is always clear and audible and he's never overwhelmed by the sound of the audience. Still, given his accent, I would have loved subtitles.