Editing Ricky Gervais (section)

===Radio===
Gervais worked as an assistant events manager for the [[Student Central|University of London Union]] (ULU), then was head of speech at the alternative radio station [[Radio X (United Kingdom)|Xfm]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/comedy/2010/12/ricky-gervais-ince-office |title=Ricky Gervais: They Call Me Entertainment |work=[[New Statesman]] |access-date=25 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402184855/http://www.newstatesman.com/comedy/2010/12/ricky-gervais-ince-office |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Needing an assistant, he interviewed the first person whose [[curriculum vitae]] he read: [[Stephen Merchant]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/arts/television/14gervais.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |title=Three Mates Laughing (Well, Two Are) |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=25 January 2015 |first=Dave |last=Itzkoff |date=12 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402203432/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/14/arts/television/14gervais.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998 Gervais's position was made redundant when the station was taken over by the [[Capital Radio]] group.<ref>{{cite web|last=McMorrow|first=Graham|date=11 May 2010|title=XFM & The Podfather: Ricky Gervais Week|url=http://www.cityoffilms.com/reel-news/the-podfather-ricky-gervais/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121193147/http://www.cityoffilms.com/reel-news/the-podfather-ricky-gervais/|archive-date=21 January 2015|access-date=21 January 2015|work=City of Film}}</ref> Around this time he was also a regular contributor to [[Mary Anne Hobbs]]'s Radio 1 show, performing vox pop interviews in unlikely locations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Worthington |first=Tim |date=2012 |title=Fun At One: The Story Of Comedy At BBC Radio 1 |publisher=Lulu Press }}</ref>

After the first series of ''[[The Office (British TV series)|The Office]]'', Gervais and Merchant returned to Xfm in November 2001 for a Saturday radio show, where they began working with [[Karl Pilkington]], who produced the shows and later collaborated with them on their series of [[podcast]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gigwise.com/news/5930/ricky-gervais-and-stephen-merchant-return-to-xfm |title=Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant Return to Xfm |work=Gigwise |access-date=21 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402140534/http://www.gigwise.com/news/5930/ricky-gervais-and-stephen-merchant-return-to-xfm |archive-date=2 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2017, Gervais began hosting the weekly radio show ''Ricky Gervais Is Deadly Sirius'' on [[Sirius XM]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Spangler |first1=Todd |title=Ricky Gervais on New SiriusXM Talk Show: They 'Made Me an Offer I Couldn't Refuse' |url=https://variety.com/2017/digital/news/ricky-gervais-siriusxm-comedy-talk-show-1202593641/ |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=21 October 2017 |date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020143531/http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/ricky-gervais-siriusxm-comedy-talk-show-1202593641/ |archive-date=20 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> which ran until 2019.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |last=Yossman |first=K.&nbsp;J. |date=1 March 2022 |title=Ricky Gervais' 'Absolutely Mental' Podcast Returning For Season 3 (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/ricky-gervais-absolutely-mental-season-3-1235192896/ |access-date=17 March 2022 |website=Variety }}</ref>

====Podcast====
{{See also|The Ricky Gervais Show|List of The Ricky Gervais Show episodes}}
On 5 December 2005, ''[[Guardian Unlimited]]'' began offering free weekly podcasts, including ''[[The Ricky Gervais Show]]'' featuring Gervais, Merchant and Karl Pilkington.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4479230.stm |title=Gervais radio show to be podcast |date=28 November 2005 |publisher=BBC |access-date=25 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030005952/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4479230.stm |archive-date=30 October 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout January and February 2006 the podcast was consistently ranked the number 1 podcast in the world. It appeared in the 2007 edition of the [[Guinness World Record|Guinness Book of World Records]] as the world's most-downloaded podcast, with an average 261,670 downloads per episode during its first month.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/feb/06/radio.newmedia |title=Gervais podcast in the record books |work=The Guardian |date=6 February 2006 |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928220401/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/feb/06/radio.newmedia |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Two more series, each with six podcasts, were released between February and September 2006.

In late 2006, three more free podcasts were released. Together called "The Podfather Trilogy", they debuted individually at Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Podfather-Trilogy-Season-Gervais/dp/B002SPXUZC |title=The Podfather Trilogy |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |access-date=31 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511103655/http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Podfather-Trilogy-Season-Gervais/dp/B002SPXUZC |archive-date=11 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> These three were known by Gervais and Merchant as "The Fourth Season". In October 2007 another free full-length podcast was released through iTunes, after being originally given out for free during a performance of Gervais's ''[[Fame (comedy)|Fame]]'' stand-up tour in London. On 25 November 2007 Gervais, Merchant and Pilkington released another free podcast of just over one hour.

In August 2008, Gervais, Merchant and Pilkington recorded their fifth series of [[audiobook]]s with four chapters released on 16 September 2008, and described as the ''Guide To...'' series.  There are 12 'Guides' to Medicine, Natural History, Arts, Philosophy, The English, Society, Law & Order, The Future, The Human Body, The Earth, The [[2010 FIFA World Cup|World Cup 2010]] and [[Comic Relief]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+ricky+gervais+guide+to |title=The Ricky Gervais Guide to... |publisher=Amazon.co.uk |access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref> The conversations typically begin on topic and go out on tangents about other subjects. In 2021, Gervais launched a paid-for audio series, ''Absolutely Mental'', of his conversations with philosopher [[Sam Harris]]. Season 2 was also launched in 2021, followed by season 3 in March 2022.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Spangler|first=Todd|date=24 September 2021|title=Ricky Gervais Launches 'Absolutely Mental' Season 2 Podcast, Priced at $15|url=https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/ricky-gervais-absolutely-mental-s2-podcast-1235073466/|access-date=29 September 2021|website=Variety}}</ref>