Defrauding Ricky - Mar 05
The court case of a group of people who attempted to defraud TV star Ricky Gervais is set to begin. Kenneth Speight, Sharonjeet Snobber and three courier company employees face charges after they were discovered forging Ricky’s passport and siphoning money from his account. They had plotted to buy gold bullion worth around £350,000 with Ricky’s cash but, luckily, were caught in the act and arrested after taking £196,000 from the account. Reportedly the ruse fell apart when a gang member impersonated Ricky during a phone call to a bullion dealer who also happened to be a huge fan of The Office.

No 1 for Ricky - August 04
Ricky Gervais has denied rumours of a move to Radio 1.

The XFM DJ has been at the centre of rumours concerning a move to Radio 1 but Ricky has told press "I never worked as a pizza delivery man, I don’t have a boxing ring in my house, Steven Spielberg has never called me and I’m not moving to Radio 1." Currently taking a break from radio altogether Ricky is concentrating on his career in America.

Ricky’s a winner again- April 04
Ricky Gervais has cleaned up at the BAFTA’s for the third year running.

The comedian scooped Best Comedy Performance and Best Sitcom for The Office’ s Christmas special - a fitting end to what has been one of the best television comedy series’ for years. Ricky beat co-star Martin Freeman, who played lovesick puppy Tim in the show, to the Best Comedy Performance award despite telling press before the ceremony that he would be glad to see Freeman pip him to the post in the category.

Following the ceremony Stephan Merchant, co-creator of The Office and Ricky’s sidekick on his XFM radio show, told waiting press "The thing about Ricky Gervais is that he’s always been an arrogant obnoxious swine. That’s the great thing about him. He’s maintained his consistency - he’s always been loathsome!"

The Office has won the Best Sitcom trophy every year since it came to our screens in 2001 but other writers can breathe a sigh of relief as Gervais and his team decided to bow out with a two part Christmas finale after series two ended. they’ll just have to hope that the project he and Merchant are working on as we speak is a surprise disappointment! Somehow I doubt it...

Ricky wants Samuel for new show - April 04
Ricky Gervais badly wants the King of Cool, Samuel L Jackson, to appear in a cameo role in the pilot for his new comedy, Extras.

Extras is to be a comedy show about struggling television, er, extras and Ricky has put a call out to Samuel. "We desperately want Samuel L Jackson for the pilot episode, so if you can put the word out, get Sam to call me," he joked.

"Tell him Ricky Gervais wants him. The weather here is bad, we’re really badly paid and I make things up as I go along - if he doesn’t jump at that, then he’s a fool."

Ricky meanwhile was part of a charity show organized by The Who’s frontman Roger Daltrey for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Part of Ricky’s routiene included such cringing gems such as describing wheelchair-bound Stephen Hawking as "lazy", and stating that if you’ve got shares in Oxfam, you’ve done well, on the grounds that "there’ll always be famine".

Co star ’dripping with love’ for Ricky - March 04
Ricky Gervais recently played it straight for an episode of spy drama Alias, leaving star actress Jennifer Garner, a-hem, ’dripping’.