Outspoken comedian and actor Ricky Gervais is known for touching on taboo topics with his stand-up routines and TV roles. But he left The One Show hosts Alex Jones and Jermaine Jenas almost lost for words when his interview on the BBC chat show took an unexpected turn.
The Office, Extras and After Life star appeared on The One Show to talk about his new Netflix stand-up special SuperNature. Explaining what the show is about, he said: "I debunk the supernatural and conclude nature is super enough."
And he explained: "We don't need unicorns, we've got the octopus. It's nature, humanity, warts and all. The best and worst things about being alive."
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Asked about how the audience 'laps up' jokes about his wealth he explained it's because 'they know what I'm doing.' "I go out with bad jeans, drinking out of a can of beer. We're jesters so we have to be down with the audience laughing at the king," he said.
He continued: "I do that in two ways. One I let them peek behind the curtain. I say all the terrible things that happen to me, the terrible tweets, the terrible press. I also do it by talking about things where they're better off than me."
And the chat took a dark turn as he added: "I'm fat and old and I'm going to die soon." "No you're not," Alex corrected. "I am," he told her. Clocking a change in mood he asked: "I've brought it down haven't I?"
As Jermaine jokingly urged "quick, lift it" Ricky continued with the subject. "Every day I'm closer to death," he told them. "Well we're all a bit closer to death," Alex told him. And warming to his theme he added: "Every day is a bigger percentage of the rest of your life and we don't know what percentage that will be. If I die tomorrow today was 50 per cent."
A stunned Jermaine admitted: "I didn't see this coming. This is not a part of the show I thought was going to happen." And Alex finally changed the subject by saying he's a 'softie at heart' who raises money with ticket sales for animal charities.
In the dark comedy After Life, which came to an emotional ending when it was screened on Netflix in January, Ricky explored the subject of death as widower Tony Johnson. Over three seasons Tony attempted to take revenge on the world for his wife Lisa's untimely death.
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