Ricky Gervais has posted a clip from his forthcoming Netflix animation Alley Cats – in which his character discussed The Office, and the genius behind it.

’I love the man guy. Proper genius - writer, director, stand-up,’ he adds. ‘He is brilliant. Created The Office ten Extras, then Derek – really showed his range in that.’

Then the other feline characters, also voiced by Gervais’s regular collaborators, sing the praises of their former roles, too.

‘Well I think the best thing in Derek was the guy who played Kev,’ says David Earl. ‘Very vulnerable, but with a heart of gold. 

Then the cat played by Tom Basden chimes in: ‘Oh, After Life, now that was an amazing show. Mainly down to the sensitive portrayal of Matt, Tony's boss and brother-in-law, stitched the whole show together, in my humble opinion, and handsome fellow, too.’

While the feline Diane Morgan adds: ‘I love Kath, great character. A bit dim, but the actress who plays her in real life is eally clever. 

‘Ratty's the best, he says it like it is, not like that whiny fucking lead character,’ adds Andrew Brooke, before mocking Gervais’s alter ego on the show by saying: ‘"Oh, me wife's died, I’m all depressed" – well snap out of it then you sad little fat cunt.’

The self-referential script reaches a peak when the Basden character says: ‘ I've heard that he always uses the same actors because he's too lazy to find new talent.’

‘Oh, did you?,’ the Gervais cat replies. ‘ That's funny. Because I heard he always used the same actors because they're his mates and they're too fucking useless to get anywhere without him. So can we watch The Office now, please? It’s the one with the funny dance.’

Alley Cats premieres globally on Netflix on Friday, August 7.