Ricky Gervais: I'm not killing off David Brent - I'm keeping him alive and kicking

Gervais said he could keep the alter ego going until he is 75
A rocky road: Ricky Gervais as singing salesman David Brent
Ian West/PA
Alistair Foster12 August 2016
The Weekender

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Ricky Gervais has reassured fans he won’t be killing off his character David Brent — and revealed he could keep going until he is 75.

Earlier this week, the comedian caused consternation by suggesting he would “have to kill him off soon”.

His creation has returned in the film David Brent: Life On The Road, which catches up with the former office manager 12 years after the last episode of The Office. He is now a travelling salesman but has not given up on his dream of becoming a rock star and is trying one last stab at fame with his band Foregone Conclusion.

But Gervais, 55, said his quotes earlier this week had been taken too literally and he would not be killing the character off, despite the movie receiving mixed reviews from critics.

He told the Standard: “I think people took that like, ‘He’s going to get hit by a bus’. It’s not a drama, I don’t think I’d ever kill him off.

“But I just think I meant one day … I can’t keep coming back. I can’t come back and try and be a funny rep at 75, or can I?

“It’s really sad now that at 55 he’s still trying to be a rock star, so I just think I’d be pushing it a little bit. So I think I’d have to find something else to do. It’s not out of the question — I’m not going to kill him off, he’s not going to die. But I think I’ll keep laying him to rest and if I do do something, it would probably only be one more thing and it wouldn’t be this.

“And this film is going to take two years. I’ve got to promo it here, the album’s coming out, the song book, the gigs. So this reincarnation is two years long, and when you think about it, with The Office and this, we’ve only had about nine hours of David Brent.”

David Brent premiere

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The movie had its premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday night, where Gervais performed four Brent songs from the movie live with his band. He will now be busy promoting the film, playing further live dates including two at Hammer- smith Apollo and an album of Foregone Conclusion’s music.

Gervais has been inundated with other offers but has said no to focus on a stand-up tour, Humanity, his first for six years... “then I’ll do another series or film in two years’ time.”

David Brent: Life On The Road will be released in UK cinemas on August 19.

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