He is the show's most hotly-anticipated guest star since, well, ever, really. Yes, Sky One viewers finally got to see Ricky Gervais in the Simpsons last night.
The Guardian's Sam Wollaston "enjoyed it very much", as did Gerard Gilbert in the Independent, while Dominic Maxwell in the Times said it was only a "middling Simpsons episode", but still better than most other stuff on the box.
For those of you who didn't see it, Homer sent Marge off to a Wife Swap-style reality TV show where she met Charlie, voiced by Ricky Gervais, who was David Brent in all but name.
"The languid timing that Gervais brings to Extras and the Office was wrong here," said Maxwell. "Gervais's shtick ran rampant through the second half, turning regulars into extras."
"There were a few little Gervaisisms from his character, but then he's a guest star, he's allowed to be himself a bit," said Wollaston.
But Gilbert was less impressed with the storyline which featured Homer desperate to buy a high definition television set. HDTV, you may already know, has just been launched by Sky in the UK. "What I don't expect is non-ironic product placement," said the Independent's reviewer.
Over at the Daily Mail, Peter Paterson said it was a "lot of fun", but said Gervais lost some of the irony of the original and "virtually ignored that vital element of the Simpsons - the children".
The Daily Star reports that Gervais went down so well that he has become "the only star to be asked back to appear on the Simpsons".
Never mind the second one, we're still talking about the first one. What did you think? Classic, corny, or competent?
