1. Ricky Gervais on The Office

Ricky Gervais is the man who created, wrote, directed, and starred in what is, by any metric you’d care to measure it, one of the most influential sitcoms of the 21st century - The Office.

Ricky shares the inside story with TV veterans Peter Fincham and Jon Plowman.

Discover what Ricky's challenges were of getting The Office commissioned and made, and the very real fear that the audience would think it was just another docu-soap, and simply wouldn’t realise it was a sitcom.

Ricky also talks about how he crafted many of the show’s most famous moments and reveals how a combination of Homer Simpson, James Cagney, and a bloke with a pony tail who worked at a temp agency in Reading, all helped inspire the character of David Brent.

What’s Funny About is the series where Peter and Jon talk to the writers, producers, and performers behind Britain’s biggest TV comedy hits, and hear the inside story of how they brought their programmes to the screen.

Producer: Owen Braben

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Expectation Productions, and first broadcast in September 2021.