BBC Radio 4 broadcast: 7th April 2019
Another chance to listen to the comedian, Ricky Gervais speaking to Kirsty Young in 2007.
In just twelve episodes, his show The Office changed the face of British television comedy. At its centre was the comic monster, David Brent, a middle-manager being filmed for a mock-documentary who saw the ever-present cameras as his route to popularity and fame. Ricky Gervais's performance was both excruciating and unmissable - one critic called the programme "among the most affecting and invigorating works of fiction since the turn of the century".
As he discusses with Kirsty Young, comedy was the language he grew up with - the youngest of four children, being able to come up with a gag or a smart rejoinder was the linguistic currency of his home. That, he says, is where the 'show-off performer' was born. Now with seven Baftas, two Golden Globes and an Emmy to his name, Ricky Gervais is gratified that his work is recognised and says his aim has always been to bring art into comedy.
Favourite track: Lilywhite by Cat Stevens
Book: A coffee table book of art
Luxury: Vat of novocaine - a non-addictive pain-killer.
Bob Dylan - If You See Her, Say Hello [Columbia]
Cat Stevens - Lilywhite [Island]
Sex Pistols - Anarchy In The UK [Virgin]
Neil Young - After The Gold Rush [Reprise]
Radiohead - Bones [Parlophone]
David Bowie - Letter To Hermione [EMI]
Jimmy Webb - Galveston [Guardian]
Willie Nelson - Always On My Mind [Global Television]
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