Ricky Gervais: Three Part Interview

There's a great series of interivews with Ricky Gervais in the NY Times Arts Beat. Part 1, 2, and 3:

Most comedians spend years on the stand-up circuit in hopes of landing their first television role. But as he’s often done in his career, Ricky Gervais took a slightly different approach. After he and his writing partnerStephen Merchant created the BBC sitcom“The Office” (which Mr. Gervais starred in, and which spawned an American remake on NBC) and the HBO series “Extras” (in which they were both featured), Mr. Gervais then decided it was time to spin one-liners in front of live audiences. Lured by the promises of creative freedom and free glasses of water, he starred in the HBO stand-up special“Ricky Gervais: Out of England,” which will have its DVD release on Tuesday.