Ross McCafferty, an Opinion and Analysis Editor, writes that Ricky Gervais has ruined The Office for him by consistently erasing co-creator Stephen Merchant from the show's history. McCafferty, who says he made The Office his personality, describes communicating with friends entirely in quotes from the show and losing Hinge dates over debates about the US versus UK version.
Gervais omits Merchant from anniversary reflections
Marking the 25th anniversary of the debut episode this week, Gervais shared posts and an hour-long reflection on Thursday without mentioning Merchant once. McCafferty notes this is not the first time: Gervais has gradually replaced references to 'we' and 'us' with 'I', 'me', and 'mine' in interviews and social media.
Since the end of Life's Too Short in 2013, the last project the duo worked on together, rumors of a split have circulated. McCafferty says he was reassured by interviews where the duo referenced different time zones or solo projects, but the release of Gervais' spin-off movie David Brent: Life on the Road in 2016 marked a turning point.
Merchant publicly distanced from spin-off
In an interview on Good Morning Britain around the film's release, Merchant corrected hosts who asked about 'the film of The Office,' telling them 'it's Ricky doing a film about David Brent' and confirming he wasn't involved. McCafferty says Merchant seemed sceptical and was right to be.
According to McCafferty, Life on the Road set the seeds for Gervais' behavior in the following decade, with edgy humour, cartoon characters, relentless fatphobia, and a need for his character to always win the argument. He recalls telling a friend after watching the movie: 'if The Office is a work of art, that was the equivalent of spray painting a dick on the Mona Lisa.'
Gervais rewrites history
In a July 2017 Facebook post, Gervais talked about creating Brent as a character in 1995. McCafferty acknowledges Merchant agrees the 'seedy boss' character Gervais performed at the radio station where they worked was the archetype, but from there the character was moulded by the duo in a pre-pilot video made as part of a BBC course Merchant worked on.
Since then, Gervais has repeatedly claimed sole credit. In his stand-up shows, after making jokes about the Holocaust and rape, he reportedly tells audiences 'don't forget I wrote The Office.' The trailer for his new animated Netflix show Alley Cats bills him as the sole creative brain behind The Office.
Merchant takes the high road
On Thursday, Merchant made a point to call The Office a collaborative effort. McCafferty writes: 'I was pleased to see him not stoop to Gervais level (though at 6ft7 he's always stooping).' He concludes that Gervais, with his edgy standup, stolen gags, and keen sense that even in fictional shows everyone should like him, has become more like the character he created.
McCafferty says he will always use Office quotes as a second language, but finds it hard to enjoy the show 25 years on because the co-creator can't help making it all about himself. He quotes Brent: 'you're still thinking about the bad news aren't you?'
