Ricky Gervais has claimed The Office might have been made differently today, because “the BBC have got more and more careful”.

Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. Stephen Merchant, Ricky Gervais, Karl Pilkington Ricky Gervais has denied that he’s fallen out with writing partners Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington. In collaboration with Ricky Gervais, he was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series The Office (2001–2003), and co-writer and co-star of both Extras (2005–2007) and Life's Too Short (2011–2013). Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. The show was developed using original podcast recordings from The Ricky Gervais Show starring Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington. The Ricky Gervais Show is an animated TV show that debuted on US cable network HBO on 19 February 2010. The hit sitcom, which ran for … In the UK, the first series began airing on 23 April 2010 on Channel 4. The Ricky Gervais Show. Ricky Dene Gervais (born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician and writer.