So do the Little Britain duo

It may have been nine years since The Office made Ricky Gervais one of comedy’s biggest stars – but only now has he made it into the hallowed pages of Who’s Who.

He joins Little Britain duo Matt Lucas and David Walliams – who themselves came to prominence seven years ago – and almost 1,000 other new entries in the 2010 edition of the weighty book.

Walliams lists swimming among his hobbies, while Lucas is slightly less active, stating that he enjoys ‘eating crisps, watching football, eating chocolate, watching stage musicals, sleeping, eating crumpets’.

The tome, now in its 162nd year, celebrates people who have both ‘reached the pinnacle of excellence in their field’ and ‘demonstrated lasting significance’. That description now applies to 33,000 entrants – including other newcomers Ant & Dec, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman.

Once you are included, you remain there for the rest of your life.

A Who’s Who spokesman said: ‘It does seem a high number of comedians compared to previous years, but all have reached the height of their fame and influence at similar times, it is serendipity that they have come up for consideration altogether.’

Published: 7 Dec 2009