The Larry Sanders Show in its use of celebrity guests, its lack of laugh track, and its comedy of embarrassment by "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "The Office" and "Arrested Development". Shandling's performance is a precursor to Larry David's in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Ricky Gervais ("The Office", "Extras") as David Brent. Gervais said in "Variety" that he was heavily influenced by the show and that "It taught me that flawed characters can be compulsive viewing — seeing them squirm and get their comeuppance." Armando Iannucci said that his political satire "The Thick of It" strove to mix comedy and authenticity in a similar manner to
Paul Garner (comedian) also written extensively for comedian Jimmy Carr. Garner created, wrote and starred in E4/Channel 4's "The Pilot Show" which lured celebrities and members of the public into appearing on what they thought were genuine TV shows such as 'Lapdance Island' and 'Who Wants To Be A Spaceman?' A 16-part series of "The Pilot Show", (renamed "BSTV") was then made for American television with Garner once again starring in it, writing and executive producing. Garner has also appeared as an actor in various shows such as "Pulling" and "The Jim Jeffries Show". Most notably, Garner played the part of "Dave Millman",