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Stephen Merchant Reveals Status of Ricky Gervais Friendship
8 Jan
Summary
- Merchant and Gervais created The Office, a classic British comedy.
- They are not in frequent contact but haven't ruled out future work.
- Merchant addressed speculation about a tweet referencing After Life.

Stephen Merchant has provided insight into his current relationship with Ricky Gervais, his creative partner on the iconic British comedy, The Office. The duo, who met in 1997, collaborated on the series that first aired in 2001. Merchant explained that even when they worked most closely, they maintained quite separate lives, and currently, they are not in extensive contact.
While a revival of The Office is not on the horizon, as Merchant believes they could not surpass its success and chose to pursue different creative paths, he did not entirely close the door on future projects with Gervais. The pair also collaborated on other projects, including The Ricky Gervais Show podcast and the series Extras.
Merchant also addressed a 2020 tweet that caused speculation, which some interpreted as a critical comment on Gervais's show After Life. He explained that this was a misinterpretation and that he had no intention of subtly criticizing his former collaborator, emphasizing that assumptions of animosity are often made when creative partners drift apart.




