"I decided that if I was careful, I could live off the money for six months trying to become a comedian before I had to get another job" Ricky Gervais has celebrated the moment 26 years ago that he was made redundant at the age of 37, which led to him pursuing a career in comedy. READ MORE: ‘The Office’ review: Amazon’s workaday Australian remake is dogged by déjà vu In 1998, Gervais was working at the London radio station XFM as head of speech, but was laid off when the channel was bought out by Capital Radio. As he shared on X, the comedian reflected: “26 years ago, I was made redundant and given a few grand I decided that if I was careful, I could live off the money for six months trying to become a comedian before I had to get another job.
” 26 years ago, I was made redundant and given a few grand. I decided that if I was careful, I could live off the money for 6 months trying to become a comedian before I had to get another job. I was 37.
Worth a punt. pic.twitter.
com/G41qtCxZcP — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) October 24, 2024 “I was 37,” he added. “Worth a punt.” Gervais spent the ensuing time appearing on late-night sketch shows including The 11 O’Clock Show , and writing a prospective pilot for The Office with Stephen Merchant, based on their own experiences of working in dead-end jobs.
The first season of the show aired in 2001, launching huge careers for both of its writers. Gervais has just kicked off his UK tour ‘Mortality’ , starting .
