Ricky Gervais celebrates 26 years since being made redundant, which led to standup success: “I was 37”
Ricky Gervais has celebrated the moment 26 years ago that he was made redundant at the age of 37, which led to him pursuing a career in comedy.
In 1998, Gervais was working at the London radio station XFM as head of speech, but was laid off when the channel was bought out by Capital Radio.
As he shared on X, the comedian reflected: “26 years ago, I was made redundant and given a few grand I decided that if I was careful, I could live off the money for six months trying to become a comedian before I had to get another job.”
26 years ago, I was made redundant and given a few grand. I decided that if I was careful, I could live off the money for 6 months trying to become a comedian before I had to get another job. I was 37. Worth a punt. pic.twitter.com/G41qtCxZcP
— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) October 24, 2024
“I was 37,” he added. “Worth a punt.”
Gervais spent the ensuing time appearing on late-night sketch shows including The 11 O’Clock Show, and writing a prospective pilot for The Office with Stephen Merchant, based on their own experiences of working in dead-end jobs. The first season of the show aired in 2001, launching huge careers for both of its writers.
Gervais has just kicked off his UK tour ‘Mortality’, starting at York’s Barbican on Tuesday (October 22). The dates are set to run until January 28 at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena, and you can find any remaining tickets here. Further European and North American dates will be announced in due course, with a Netflix special to follow.
The comedian also recently mocked the Broadcasting Standards Authority for banning a Halloween advert for his vodka Dutch Barn, which was deemed “highly offensive”. He shared the video of the ad anyway, mocking the decision to outlaw it.
Elsewhere, Gervais recently thanked “everyone who complained” about his Netflix stand-up special Armageddon for helping it win a Golden Globe and making it the “most watched special in the world”.
The Australian version of The Office, meanwhile, debuted on Amazon Prime Video last week, splitting audiences, with some viewers saying it made them “want to drink a pint of bleach” and “an insult to an iconic show”.
NME gave the “workaday Australian remake” a two-star review, describing it as being “dogged by déjà vu” but adding: “It took the US Office two seasons to stop being a bad cover version and hit its stride. In this cutthroat climate of streaming where series are prematurely culled, will this be allowed time to settle into its own unique rhythm? A fatalistic question that would probably be followed in The Office by a reaction cutaway shot to somebody’s eyes awkwardly darting from side to side.”
A Mexican version has also now been announced, to be helmed by Gary ‘Gaz’ Alazraki and Marcos Bucay.
If that wasn’t enough, a spin-off series from the US version, reportedly titled The Paper, has been announced to premiere on the streaming platform Peacock, too. Domhnall Gleeson, Tim Key and Gbemisola Ikumelo are among the cast.
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Max Pilley
NME
