...with Karl Pilkington acting

Ricky Gervais has been filming a pilot of a new series set in an old folks’ home.

The ensemble piece features his sidekick Karl Pilkington in his first proper acting role as well as Cemetery Junction actor David Earl – known on the comedy circuit for the character Brian Gittins.

It’s believed the show revolves around Gervais’s character Derek Noakes, a mentally challenged aspiring comedian who loves animals and still lives with his mum.

Gervais has been dropping hints about the show on his blog and on Twitter, without giving too much away, but including a photograph of Pilkington in character.

He wrote: ‘Finished filming the little pilot with Karl today. We both had the best time ever. He really got a buzz out of acting. He was playing a complete weirdo div useless miserable bald-headed Manc twat. He nailed it.

And in a separate tweet he added: ‘Couldn't get through a scene with David Earl being a letch and Karl as a celibate..."I'm not bothered" Everyone corpsing, every take.’

Earlier this month Charlie Hanson – who produced Extras, Life’sLife’s Too Short, and Cemetery Junction – revealed that Gervais was about to start work on a secret new Channel 4 project.

He refused to be drawn on details, but told the Cofilmic comedy film conference in Manchester: ‘It may well change yet. Ricky will be in it and be one of the main people, with a couple of others.’

It will be the second attempt to make a sitcom set in an old folks’ home in recent years. David Walliams and Rob Brydon wrote a series that was to star Ronnie Corbett, but nothing came of it.

Published: 25 Nov 2011