Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais

Date of birth: 25-06-1961

A late entrant to the world of comedy, Gervais only started to try to tap his talent for making people laugh in 1998, at the age of 36.

Before that, he had spent seven years spent as an entertainments manager for a student union.

And his initial ambitions were musical, playing in a failed Eighties band called Seona Dancing.

He later, briefly, managed the band Suede, before landing a job on London's XFM radio station where he started developing a taste for comedy, and a character called Seedy Boss who would later become The Office's David Brent.

 

Read More
© Netflix / Matt Crockett

Ricky Gervais up for a Golden Globe for his stand-up

Armageddon shortlisted... even though it's not out yet

He’s hosted enough of the ceremonies, and now Ricky Gervais is up for a Golden Globe for his stand-up.

His new special Armageddon has been nominated in the new category of ‘best performance in stand-up comedy on television’ – even though it has not been released yet.

The show, out on Netflix on December 26, has already attracted controversy as a preview clip showed Gervais using the R-word – prompting dismay among mental health campaigners.

Also competing for the  Golden Globe are:

  • Trevor Noah for Where Was I
  • Chris Rock for Selective Outrage
  • Amy Schumer for Emergency Contact
  • Sarah Silverman for Someone You Love
  • Wanda Sykes for I’m An Entertainer

It is almost identical to the Grammy shortlist for best comedy album – although the Recording Academy also had Dave Chappelle on their list of nominees, but not Gervais.

All the Golden Globes nominees are for Netflix specials, except for Silverman, whose show was released on HBO.

Winners will be announced on January 7.

Read More

Published: 12 Dec 2023

T-hee shirts | Comics turn designers for charity

T-hee shirts

Unique T-shirts designed by Johnny Vegas, Ricky Gervais,…
24/04/2003

Magic moments

David Brent's assessment of one of his employees in…
2/02/2003

Agent

We do not currently hold contact details for Ricky Gervais's agent. If you are a comic or agent wanting your details to appear here, for a one-off fee of £59, email steve@chortle.co.uk.

We see you are using AdBlocker software. Chortle relies on advertisers to fund this website so it’s free for you, so we would ask that you disable it for this site. Our ads are non-intrusive and relevant. Help keep Chortle viable.