David Earl makes the embarrassment of wanting company funny without asking us to find it charming. In Brian and Charles, that makes for a warm, argumentative comedy, though eccentricity alone cannot keep it going.
Fi1m perspective
In Brian and Charles (2022), David Earl plays a man who builds a robot companion and then has to put up with its opinions. Brian wants a friend but has little practice at being one. Earl lets that difficulty remain awkward, without the reassuring signals that would tell us when to find him lovable. We were touched by his embarrassment at needing company, because Earl allows us to recognise the loneliness without asking us to pity him. The film is worth an evening, though its supporting story is thin.
Earl developed Brian Gittins in online videos and stand-up before taking the character into films and television. Ricky Gervais became a recurring collaborator, beginning with Earl's appearance as an obsessive fan in Extras (2006). Cemetery Junction (2010) gave Brian an early film appearance, while After Life (2019–2022) provided a longer television outing for the character. Alongside those acting roles, Earl co-created and performed in Rovers (2016) and The Cockfields (2019) with Joe Wilkinson. The useful turn in Brian and Charles is the space it gives Earl to develop a friendship, rather than relying entirely on the familiar discomfort of his characters.
Chris Hayward, who plays Charles and co-wrote the screenplay with Earl, is essential to that friendship. Their writing finds comedy in disagreements neither character has particularly good grounds for pursuing. Jim Archer directs the lonely inventor's situation seriously enough for those petty disputes to matter, and the deadpan exchanges give Earl something to respond to beyond Brian's own embarrassment. His performance catches the difficulty of accommodating the companion Brian wanted in the first place. The writing allows both characters to be unreasonable, which keeps their affection from becoming too cosy.
There is a risk of repetition in Earl's returns to socially awkward, isolated men. In Brian and Charles, the thin supporting story makes the repeated eccentricity harder to overlook, even when the central pair remain good company. We would like to see him given more people who can challenge his characters, rather than further opportunities simply to behave oddly. Start with Archer's film for Earl and Hayward together; patience with Brian on his own may be required.
Biography
David Earl is a British actor and comedian, best known for his comedy character Brian Gittins. He has appeared in several projects associated with Ricky Gervais, including roles in the series Derek (2012–2014) as Kev and After Life (2019–2022) as Brian, as well as smaller parts in Extras (2006) and the film Cemetery Junction (2010).
Earl frequently collaborates with comedian Joe Wilkinson. Together they co-wrote and starred in the sitcom Rovers (2016) and the series The Cockfields (2019–2021). He co-wrote and starred as Brian in the feature film Brian and Charles (2022).
