# Life's Too Short (2011)

> A mockumentary sitcom following a struggling dwarf actor whose showbiz ambitions keep colliding with his own vanity and an indifferent industry.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/35190

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 7
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Warwick Davis
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Warwick Davis, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Jo Enright, Steve Brody, Shaun Williamson, Rosamund Hanson, Liam Neeson
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1641247/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: deadpan, cringe, awkward, affectionate, satirical

## What critics say

Audiences rate the single series positively, valuing its cringe-inducing mockumentary humor and Warwick Davis's self-deprecating performance.

## Synopsis

Life's Too Short (2011) is a British mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Warwick Davis for BBC Two. Across a single seven-episode miniseries, Warwick Davis plays a fictionalised version of himself, a struggling actor of short stature who chases roles and respect in a showbiz world that treats him as a novelty. Gervais and Merchant appear as versions of themselves, and the camera follows Davis through auditions, agent meetings and awkward encounters with his longtime associates. The engine is his determination to be taken seriously paired with a vanity that keeps sabotaging him, so each episode builds from small professional humiliations into bigger social disasters. Shot with handheld, talking-head confessional style, the show plays its cringe humour against a warm undercurrent of loyalty and self-deception. Its tone is deadpan, sharp and affectionate, with the feel of a British office comedy turned toward celebrity. Fans of The Office, Extras and Curb Your Enthusiasm will find resonance in its mix of mockumentary realism and self-mocking celebrity cameos, and the short run makes it an easy one-sitting watch.

## Shows like Life's Too Short

- [The Ricky Gervais Show (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/32475)
- [The Office (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/2849)
- [Hello Ladies (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/47769)
- [Extras (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/2558)
- [The Comeback (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/1890)
- [Derek (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/54140)
- [Teachers (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/9801)
- [Come Fly with Me (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/31843)
- [The IT Crowd (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/2363)
- [Nathan Barley (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/101)

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