Although I have never seen her stand up show, I’m quite a fan of Francesca Martinez, who appeared on last night’s episode of Extras. It seems logical to me that the more disabled people appear on t.v, the better, provided it is done in an unpatronising manner. To present us crips as the ‘typical’, fallible humans we are can only be a good thing. This is why I was pleased to see Martinez appearing on Extras last night. Gervais’ humour is, by and large, founded on the principle that the more the audience cringes, the better, so the inclusion of disability humour was an excellent choice. Most of the comedy came from the way that Martinez’s character always showed the bias in Gervais’, thwarting her chances of going out with her sister. He highlighted some of the prejudices in able-bodied society. Thus, mr Gervais is to be applauded.

However, one thing sits uneasily – why was she made into a religious person who hoped to be cured in heaven? This, however, was the only blemish on a commendable episode.