He's been called a fantasist, an delusional buffoon, and no doubt worse – but to the millions-strong Big Brother 9 audience in the UK, Mario Marconi is a classic comedy character of the highest order and he's just being himself! For instance, comic genius Ricky Gervais, who co-wrote and played delusional buffoon David Brent in the BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award winning mockumentary The Office, declared “I like Mario — but only because he reminds me of Brent.” And just as "much of the comedy and pathos of the series centres on Brent's many idiosyncrasies, hypocrisies, self-delusions and shameless self-promoting (including, but not limited to, playing up to the 'documentary' cameras present in his workplace)," – so too for Mario and BB9.