Stephen Merchant

Ricky Gervais today marked the 25th anniversary of the hit BBC sitcom with a countdown of his favourite 25 David Brent moments.

Ricky Gervais has crowned David Brent’s dance his favourite moment of The Office – but admitted it could have left him needing hospital treatment.

The co-creator of the show, along with Stephen Merchant, has marked the 25th anniversary of the hit BBC sitcom with a countdown of his favourite 25 David Brent moments.

In a specially curated retrospective on his YouTube channel Gervais had a training role play scene, Brent’s song Freelove Freeway and the dance by Brent as his top three.

Speaking about the crazy dance and how the scene was made, Gervais revealed: “It probably is the most famous single thing I’ve ever done, and when we had to do that, that’s three takes cut together, the first time they laughed, the second time I laughed, and then the third one we got to the end, and and then just cut it together in the edit using people looking like bewildered, but it sort of looked like one take.

“I sort of knew the type of thing I was gonna do. It’s totally improvised, obviously. I quite like the fact that it looked nearly real. Some of them looked a bit like dance moves, and I can’t believe how low I got when I did the crab, I couldn’t do that now.”

And anymore takes might have been dangerous. He added: “I remember after I filmed it, I was sat in a corner on a chair and they were fanning me.

“I was, I think I was the blobbiest I’ve ever been. I think I was like 14 stone, no muscles to speak of, just a blob, and you know, there was a small chance of heart failure.

“So, I think people were genuinely worried the way I was breathing afterwards. Tom Cruise jumps off buildings. Do I want to do a little dance? I’ll have go. It would f***ing kill me now. I’m glad I recorded it to show I did it once.”

The Gervais special is not the only celebration of the show, as the BBC also aired a programme called Remember… The Office.

On the second show Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook reflected on their time on the TV show. The pair spoke about how some of the scenes features small bits of improvisation which helped make them even more magical.

Freeman said: “The writing on it that they did was brilliant. But you only need to know us a little bit or know the process of it. We’re also in there, you know? It doesn’t mean it’s a co-credit. Doesn’t mean it’s improvised, but it’s nicely loose.”

Freeman, who played Tim, also said he had a good feeling about the show from the beginning.

He explained: “At the read-through, I remember thinking, ‘This script is really good, it’s brilliant’.”Despite huge success The Office was just two series long along with several Christmas specials. It inspired the award-winning US version, which ran for nine ­seasons

* The full countdown of David Brent moments is available to watch on Ricky Gervais’ YouTube channel.

Fans missing Netflix’s hit comedy-drama series After Life should definitely mark their calendars for Ricky Gervais’ next project

The popular Netflix dramedy concluded four years ago.

Netflix has shared an exciting new look at Ricky Gervais’ next series and it looks like a must-watch for After Life fans.

It’s the star’s first series for the streamer since the hit dramedy wrapped up in 2022, concluding the tragically funny story of bereaved journalist Tony Johnson.

This time, Ricky is returning to the world of animation for an original animated series that will definitely have fans of The Ricky Gervais Show with Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington feeling nostalgic.

Alley Cats is created and directed by the Office star, who also takes on the leading role as a member of a gang of stray cats.

Netflix teases “the series follows the trials and tribulations of a group of feral British cats who seek companionship while ruminating about the struggles of everyday life”.

“From the funny to the absurd, the series is packed with Gervais’ signature style of heart and social commentary that audiences have come to expect,” the streamer’s synopsis adds.

It also boasts exceptional 2D animation by award-winning British animation studio, Blink Industries (Dead End: Paranormal Park, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared).

This week, Netflix confirmed the release date for the new series as Friday, 7th August, with all six episodes of the first season dropping at once.

Co-starring with Ricky is a stellar line-up of British talent, including some frequent collaborators who have worked with him on After Life and other projects.

Tom Basden (The Ballad of Wallis Island), Andrew Brooke (PhoneShop), David Earl (Derek), Kerry Godliman (Trigger Point), Jo Hartley (Adolescence), and Diane Morgan (Motherland) complete the main cast. All of them have also previously appeared in After Life.

Natalie Cassidy (EastEnders) and Tony Way (After Life, Mandy) will also be taking on featured roles.

The new image features fans’ first look at the cast of cats, nestled together next to some wheelie bins as they look out over a city skyline.

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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows.

This includes the brand new UK drama Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Christopher Eccleston.

Netflix’s announcement has already sparked excitement amongst fans, who can’t wait for the After Life cast to return to Netflix for more laughs.

One X user said: “I’m laughing at this already after reading the cast.. This is going to be fun.”

“If it’s created by Ricky Gervais, I’ll give it a shot,” someone else replied. And another fan predicted: “Ricky Gervais doing adult animation? That cast is ridiculously stacked. Alley Cats might be the sleeper hit of August.”

Alley Cats premieres Friday, 7th August on Netflix.