Why Don’t Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant Work Together Anymore? – TVovermind

Ricky Gervais And Stephen Koopman were once one of the biggest comedy duos in entertainment. They broke through with the groundbreaking sitcom The office in 2001, which they co-created and co-directed with Gervais in the lead role. Neither man was particularly well-known at the time, but they quickly became sensations.

After the success of The officethe couple continued with Extraswhich they wrote and directed together again. This time around, Merchant took a supporting role in the show and proved himself as a talented actor and writer/director. From there, the dynamic duo worked together on a number of projects, including the popular travel series An idiot abroadthe groundbreaking podcast The Ricky Gervais Showand the feature film Cemetery Crossing. However, in recent years they have gone their separate ways, leading to speculation that there is a rift between them. So let’s investigate why Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are no longer working together.

Is there a feud between the iconic duo?

Life is too short (2011)

After the huge success of The office, which became the first British TV series ever to win a Golden GlobeGervais and Merchant kept the ball rolling and continued with ExtrasThis show pushed them even further into the mainstream spotlight as they managed to get a plethora of Hollywood stars to star in the show, including the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Robert de Niro, Kate WinsletAnd Orlando BloomDuring this time, the duo created a formula for their work that consisted of two seasons and a special.

As they rose to fame, Gervais quickly became the superstar of the two, landing roles in major Hollywood films such as Night at the museum And Ghost town. At the same time, Gervais began a journey into stand-up comedy, selling out arenas around the world. In the meantime, Gervais and Merchant also became pioneers in the podcast world with their XFM show, The Ricky Gervais ShowThis is where they introduced the world to Karl Pilkingtona radio producer whose wild thoughts and unique outlook on life intrigued the two so much that they invited him to the radio and he became the star of the show. Here the dynamic duo morphed into a trio and the TV travel series An idiot abroad was born. Now Gervais and Merchant had tackled every aspect of TV together and seemed unstoppable. Merchant, however, was absent as a presenter for the third season of An Idiot Abroad and went to LA to write, direct and star in his own show, Hello ladies.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant last worked together on the TV series Life is too shortThe show broke from the usual formula and ran for only one season and one hour-long special (which aired in 2014). The two have never worked together again since thenThis has led many to speculate that there is some sort of rift between the two. However, neither man has confirmed this.. Both men appear on podcasts and talk shows quite frequently, and Merchant is never shy about talking about his days with Gervais. But then again, Gervais never talks about Merchant or Karl Pilkington. Fuel was added to the fire that there was a rift when Merchant took to Twitter (now X) to take a brutal swipe at Gervais. When the question was asked: “What’s your least favorite bit of movie shorthand?” The merchant replied: “Watching old home videos of deceased child/wife = inability to move on.”which happened to be the main theme in Gervais’ hit Netflix series After life.

What have they been doing since they broke up?

While Ricky Gervais ventured into stand-up comedy after he became famous, Stephen Merchant had already been working hard before he became famous. As Gervais continued to climb the ranks of stand-up comedy, Merchant also returned to the art form. During his show Hello ladieshe made a joke about Gervais and said he did the show so he wouldn’t have to share the money with others “you know who”.

Outside of stand-up comedy, both stars have worked on their own projects. Gervais signed a deal with Netflix and released The stretch, After lifeand his stand-up specials on the platform. Merchant began playing roles in Hollywood films such as Pass, LoganAnd Jojo RabbitWhile Gervais remained tethered to England, landing roles in films such as Mission Impossible franchise.

After working with Hollywood stars, Merchant also returned to his roots with his TV series, The bandits. The comedy thriller was filmed on location in his hometown of Bristol and aired on the BBC. The show ran for three seasons and has also found success overseas, where it is available to stream on Prime Video. Although the pair have been apart for over a decade now, there are similarities in their work, with both stars beginning to tackle more poignant themes and delving much deeper into the dramatic.

Will Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant ever work together again?

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

Many have given up hope that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will ever work together again, especially since Gervais is unwilling to even talk about it. Furthermore, Karl Pilkington has often been asked if the trio will ever get back together. But he too has gone out on his own, writing and starring in the TV series. I’m sick of itHowever, Merchant has offered a glimmer of hope that the idea isn’t entirely incomprehensible.

When Merchant spoke to Newsweek in 2022, he was asked to work with Gervais again. He said: “I really owe my career to Ricky. I have nothing but admiration for him and I think we can do something really interesting together.” He then added: “I think there are areas that I’m interested in that aren’t the same for Ricky, so I’m glad I’ve been able to explore other avenues. But that doesn’t mean that if the idea comes up, it wouldn’t be fun to do it again.” Want to read more about Ricky Gervais? Here are 5 things we love about the actor and comedian.

Watch The Office (UK) on Apple TV+