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Stephen James Merchant (born 24 November 1974) is an English comedian, actor, director, presenter and writer. Alongside
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...
, Merchant was the co-writer and co-director of the British TV comedy series '' The Office'' (2001–2003), and co-writer, co-director, and co-star of both '' Extras'' (2005–2007) and '' Life's Too Short'' (2011–2013). With Gervais and Karl Pilkington, he hosted '' The Ricky Gervais Show'' in its radio, podcast, audiobook, and television formats; the radio version won a bronze Sony Award. He also provided the voice of the robotic "Intelligence Dampening Sphere" Wheatley in the 2011 video game '' Portal 2''. Merchant co-developed the Sky1 travel series '' An Idiot Abroad'' (2010–2012) and co-created '' Lip Sync Battle'' (2015–present). Merchant has performed as a stand-up comedian, which led to him writing and starring in the HBO series ''
Hello Ladies ''Hello Ladies'' is an American sitcom created by Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky. It stars Merchant as an Englishman looking for love in modern Los Angeles. The series premiered on the American network HBO on September 29 ...
'' (2013–2014), based on his stand-up material. He starred in his first play, Richard Bean's '' The Mentalists'', at London's Wyndham's Theatre in 2015. He wrote and directed Fighting with My Family in 2019, and in 2021 he starred in, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed the 12-part comedy crime series ''The Outlaws''. He also appeared as the mutant
Caliban Caliban ( ), son of the witch Sycorax, is an important character in William Shakespeare's play '' The Tempest''. His character is one of the few Shakespearean figures to take on a life of its own "outside" Shakespeare's own work: as Russell ...
in the superhero film '' Logan'' (2017), and as serial killer
Stephen Port Stephen Port (born 22 February 1975) is a British convicted serial rapist and serial killer. He is responsible for the murder of four men and for committing multiple rapes. Port received a life sentence with a whole life order on 25 November 201 ...
in the 2022 television drama '' Four Lives''. He has received numerous accolades, including two
Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
, three
BAFTA Awards The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
, a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, and four
British Comedy Awards The National Comedy Awards (known as the British Comedy Awards from 1990 to 2014) is an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom, celebrating notable comedians and entertainment performances of the previous year. The British Comedy Awards (1 ...
.


Early life

Stephen James Merchant was born in the
Hanham Hanham is a suburb of Bristol. It is located in the south east of the city. Hanham is in the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire. It became a civil parish on 1 April 2003. The post code area of Hanham is BS15. The population of thi ...
suburb of
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
on 24 November 1974, the son of nursery nurse Jane Elaine (née Hibbs) and plumber and builder Ronald John Merchant. He attended Hanham Secondary School and later the
University of Warwick , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (202 ...
in
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed ...
from 1993 to 1996, where he received a 2:1 for his BA in Film and Literature. He worked as a film reviewer on the student radio station Radio Warwick, where he began his broadcasting career. His group there included film critic James King. A number of tapes of ''The Steve Show'' have been rediscovered and distributed on various Merchant fan sites. Merchant was inspired to get into comedy by
John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...
. In 2019, he claimed that he had never met Cleese, but that his parents had recently met Cleese on a cruise ship and asked him to sign a book for Merchant; they also recorded a voicemail message on the phone in their cabin, which consisted of Cleese saying: "Hello there Mr and Mrs Merchant, I'd be more than happy to sign your book. I was just wondering is your Stephen Merchant the same Stephen Merchant who collaborated with
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...
on '' The Office''? Because I'm an enormous fan and please pass on my best regards." On hearing this, Merchant said, "I don't feel I need to meet him now. That's all I needed."


Career


Early career

Merchant began his career performing stand-up comedy at Bristol's Comedy Box, where, he recalled: "The first week I did really well. The second week I died on my arse. I realised that stand-up was not that easy after all." He also appeared as a contestant on a 1997 episode of the TV game show '' Blockbusters'' and worked for a short time as a DJ for Radio Caroline. Merchant met
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...
for the first time in 1997 when Gervais (in the position Head of Speech at the radio station XFM London), hired Merchant as his assistant. Gervais later said that he had called Merchant for an interview because it was the first CV handed to him. Merchant and Gervais hosted a Saturday afternoon radio show together from January through to August 1998, when both of them left XFM as it was bought by the Capital Radio Group. In the same year, Merchant was a finalist at the Daily Telegraph Open Mic Awards. Merchant worked for seven months at XFM 104.9. The Saturday show never had a large audience. Gervais said: "It's a tinpot radio station... It's not even the biggest radio station in the building." He created the features 'Hip Hop Hooray', 'Make Ricky Gervais Laugh' and 'Song for the Ladies'. After leaving XFM, Merchant began a production course at the BBC. As part of his coursework, he enlisted Gervais to perform in a 30-minute short film, "Seedy Boss", which became the earliest inspiration for their mock documentary '' The Office''. They collaborated on a sitcom pilot called '' Golden Years'' featuring a manager suffering a mid-life crisis. It aired on Channel 4's '' Comedy Lab'' series in September 1998, but the show failed to find further success.


''The Office'' and return to XFM

In mid-2001,
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...
aired the first series of ''The Office'', co-written and co-directed by Merchant and Gervais and starring the latter as paper sales office manager David Brent; the show initially received low ratings. Beginning in September 2001, Merchant and Gervais returned to XFM as co-hosts of '' The Ricky Gervais Show'', another Saturday afternoon programme, which led to their fruitful relationship with producer Karl Pilkington. They took a break from the radio show in mid-2002 in order to film the second series of ''The Office'', which aired that year; in addition to writing and directing the show, Merchant made a cameo performance in the episode "Charity" as a friend of Gareth Keenan's character and known by the name Oggy or Oggmonster. Merchant's father also appeared in multiple episodes as an office handyman named Gordon. Merchant also directed a sitcom pilot called '' The Last Chancers'', which aired on ''Comedy Lab'' in November 2002 and became a five-part series broadcast in December on E4. Merchant and Gervais continued to host ''The Ricky Gervais Show'' through 2003, taking another break to film ''The Office'' Christmas special, which aired that December. The radio show went off the air indefinitely in January 2004. During 2004, Merchant appeared in a recurring role as a chef on '' Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'' and in a cameo on '' Green Wing'', and served as a script associate on the Chris Morris and
Charlie Brooker Charlton Brooker (born 3 March 1971) is an English television presenter, writer, producer and satirist. He is the creator and co-showrunner of the sci-fi drama anthology series ''Black Mirror'', and has written for comedy series such as ''Bras ...
sitcom ''
Nathan Barley ''Nathan Barley'' is a British Channel 4 television sitcom written by Charlie Brooker and Chris Morris, starring Nicholas Burns, Julian Barratt, Claire Keelan, Richard Ayoade, Ben Whishaw, Rhys Thomas and Charlie Condou. The series of s ...
''. The same year, ''The Office'' aired in the U.S. to critical acclaim. It went on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy which both Merchant and Gervais accepted. This was followed in 2005 by a 4th series of the radio show, consisting of six episodes.


U.S. series of ''The Office''

In March 2005, the American version of ''The Office'' premiered, with Merchant and Gervais credited as executive producers. They would later co-write the third-season episode "
The Convict "The Convict" is the ninth episode of the The Office (U.S. season 3), third season of the American comedy television series ''The Office (U.S. TV series), The Office'', and the show's 37th overall. It first aired on November 30, 2006 in the Unite ...
", and Merchant would go on to direct the fifth-season episode " Customer Survey".


Podcast series

In December 2005, with sponsorship by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'', Merchant, Gervais and Pilkington began recording a weekly podcast (also called '' The Ricky Gervais Show''). Throughout its first series (through 20 February 2006), the podcast was consistently ranked the most popular in the world, and was certified as the most-downloaded of all time by
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
. Two more series and three special installments (the "Podfather Trilogy") were recorded in 2006, with the final episode released on Christmas Eve. In late 2008, they recorded four more podcasts and began a series of audiobooks examining Pilkington's perspective on various subjects.


''Extras''

In July 2005, following a brief return of the XFM radio show (filling in for Adam and Joe), Gervais and Merchant's new sitcom '' Extras'' premiered on BBC Two. The series features Merchant in a supporting role as
Darren Lamb The British television sitcom '' Extras'' centres on the main characters of Andy Millman, Maggie Jacobs and Darren Lamb, in addition to several more recurring characters. Main characters Andy Millman Portrayed by Ricky Gervais, Andrew "Andy" M ...
, the incompetent agent to struggling actor Andy Millman, played by Gervais. Series 2 of ''Extras'' aired in late 2006, followed by a Christmas special in December 2007; all three instalments aired on HBO in the United States. Merchant won a 2006 British Comedy Award for Best TV Actor for his performance as Lamb.


''The Steve Show''

In January 2007, Merchant began hosting his own radio show on
BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available on ...
, airing weekly on Sunday afternoons. Instead of comedy, ''The Steve Show'' focused on toast and music, particularly "new music", defined by Merchant as "music you've not heard before." Many of the songs on the show were suggested by listeners or co-presenters. The show also featured several of his friends, including his housemate, his childhood friend, as well as actor Rufus Gerrard-Wright (who also appeared in an episode of '' Extras''). A spring search for a "she-J" resulted in the addition of former '' Byker Grove'' actor Sammy T. Dobson joining the ensemble. "The Steve Show" aired for four series and concluded in May 2009.


Stand-up

Merchant began performing stand-up comedy in the late 1990s to critical success, though he decided to focus more on his work with writing partner
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...
after the success of ''The Office''. Merchant returned to stand-up with a nationwide tour of the United Kingdom in September 2011, under the title ''Hello Ladies''. The tour, which ended in New York, was later released on DVD. In late 2012, the tour continued in Australia and New Zealand. Merchant performed his first-ever stand-up tour of Scandinavia in October 2014, performing in 11 different cities as part of a European festival circuit. In an interview with
Marc Maron Marcus David Maron (born September 27, 1963) is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, actor, and musician. In the 1990s and 2000s, Maron was a frequent guest on the '' Late Show with David Letterman'' and has appeared more than fort ...
, Merchant listed Eddie Izzard, Stewart Lee, Ross Noble and Jimmy Carr as stand up comedians he admires and
John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...
as his main comedic influence.


''Hello Ladies''

Merchant's sitcom ''
Hello Ladies ''Hello Ladies'' is an American sitcom created by Stephen Merchant, Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky. It stars Merchant as an Englishman looking for love in modern Los Angeles. The series premiered on the American network HBO on September 29 ...
'' premiered on 29 September 2013 on HBO, in which he played Stuart Pritchard, a website designer in Los Angeles who unsuccessfully chases beautiful women. It was adapted from his stand-up show of the same name. Merchant's frequent partner Ricky Gervais was not involved in any part of the show which was instead written by Merchant, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. After its initial run of eight episodes, HBO did not renew the show for a second season but aired a special movie on 22 November 2014, that served as the series' last episode.


Other work

Merchant has played small roles in the films '' Hot Fuzz'' (2007), '' Run Fatboy Run'' (2007), and '' The Invention of Lying'' (2009). He has a supporting role in the 2010 film ''
Tooth Fairy The Tooth Fairy is a fantasy figure of early childhood in Western and Western-influenced cultures. The folklore states that when children lose one of their baby teeth, they should place it underneath their pillow or on their bedside table and t ...
''. On television, Merchant made a cameo appearance in a non-speaking role on the sixth-season premiere of '' 24''; he also starred as a sports commentator in the unaired pilot ''No Skillz''. In 2009, Merchant and Gervais collaborated on the film '' Cemetery Junction'', set in
working-class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colo ...
England in the 1970s, which received mixed reviews on release in 2010. Later in 2010, Gervais and Merchant wrote, and had cameo roles in, '' Life's Too Short'', a television show starring Warwick Davis. For television, Merchant and Gervais also produced '' An Idiot Abroad''. In 2011, Merchant lent his voice to the CGI film ''
Gnomeo & Juliet ''Gnomeo & Juliet'' is a 2011 computer-animated romantic comedy film directed by Kelly Asbury from a screenplay by Rob Sprackling and John Smith. It is loosely based on the play ''Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare and features the voic ...
'' and had a role in the Farrelly brothers' comedy '' Hall Pass''. In 2013 he starred in '' I Give It a Year'' as the best man. On 18 October 2013, he hosted an episode of the panel show '' Have I Got News for You'' and was featured in '' Short Poppies''. In 2014 he made an appearance in '' Modern Family''s "
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...
" episode. In January 2011, Merchant appeared alongside many other comedians at the 'Free Fringe Benefit' at the
Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 547 and offers a professional programme of innovative music, drama, come ...
, London, in a show of stand-up to benefit the Free Fringe at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. Merchant is the voice of Wheatley in
Valve A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...
's 2011 video game '' Portal 2'', a role which earned him widespread acclaim among reviewers. He has stated that while the project was "exhausting", he is also "very pleased by the response people have had to it. What I was really pleased by how people seemed to respond to it in the way they do with a movie they've enjoyed, or a TV show they've enjoyed." In 2013, he reprised this role as the voice of the Ap-Sap in ''
Team Fortress 2 ''Team Fortress 2'' is a 2007 multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve Corporation. It is the sequel to the 1996 ''Team Fortress'' mod for '' Quake'' and its 1999 remake, ''Team Fortress Classic''. The game was rel ...
'', a weapon based on the Wheatley core. Merchant has provided the voice-over since 2009 of advertisements for
Barclays Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...
and
Waterstones Waterstones, formerly Waterstone's, is a British book retailer that operates 311 shops, mainly in the United Kingdom and also other nearby countries. As of February 2014, it employs around 3,500 staff in the UK and Europe. An average-sized W ...
. In 2014, he starred in two commercials for
Newcastle Brown Ale Newcastle Brown Ale is a brown ale, originally brewed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Launched in 1927 by Colonel Jim Porter after three years of development, the 1960 merger of Newcastle Breweries with Scottish Brewers afforded the beer nati ...
and for the
Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed ...
2015 ATS Coupe. He is an executive producer for the Spike show '' Lip Sync Battle'' and, in July 2015, Merchant opened his first play, '' The Mentalists'' by Richard Bean alongside Steffan Rhodri in London's West End. He appeared in three episodes of '' The Big Bang Theory'' as Dave Gibbs, a guy Amy dates after she breaks up with Sheldon. He has portrayed George Washington and
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
on the
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy program ...
series '' Drunk History''. Through the show's first four seasons, Merchant is the only actor to play the same historical figure (Lincoln) twice. He hosted a special celebrity edition of the cult UK game show '' The Crystal Maze'', on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
on 16 October 2016, in aid of the network's
Stand Up to Cancer Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon th ...
campaign in partnership with
Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organization. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...
. In 2017, Merchant played Caliban in '' The Wolverine'' sequel '' Logan''. Merchant, along with
John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom '' The Office''. He also served as a producer and occasional director of the series throughout its ni ...
and Allyson Seeger, are executive producers of '' Dream Corp, LLC'', an animated series created by Daniel Stessen on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
. The series was announced as a pilot in May 2014, and a full season was approved in November 2015. Jon Gries of '' Lost'' fame will portray a principal character. On 31 March 2018, Merchant was a star guest announcer on '' Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway''. On Christmas Eve 2018, Merchant appeared with Asim Chaudhry in odd-couple Christmas road-trip comedy ''
Click & Collect ''Click & Collect'' is a British comedy television film directed by Ben Palmer, written by Joe Tucker and Lloyd Woolf, and starring Asim Chaudhry and Stephen Merchant. Plot Uptight Andrew Bennett lives in a semi-detached house in Bedford. When h ...
'' on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News ...
. Merchant also appeared as Nazi Gestapo leader Captain Deertz in director
Taika Waititi Taika David Cohen (born 16 August 1975), known professionally as Taika Waititi ( ), is a New Zealand filmmaker, actor, and comedian. He is a recipient of an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award, and has received two nominations at ...
's Oscar-winning '' Jojo Rabbit''. In 2019, Merchant wrote and directed '' Fighting with My Family'', a biographical sports comedy-drama film, based on the 2012 documentary ''The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family'' by Max Fisher. The film depicts the career of English professional wrestler Paige as she makes her way up WWE, and starred Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden, as well as
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
(who also served as a co-producer). ''Fighting with My Family'' grossed $41.5 million worldwide against a budget of $11 million. In 2021, Merchant starred in '' The Outlaws'', a 12-part comedy drama set in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
, which he also co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed. Merchant portrayed serial killer
Stephen Port Stephen Port (born 22 February 1975) is a British convicted serial rapist and serial killer. He is responsible for the murder of four men and for committing multiple rapes. Port received a life sentence with a whole life order on 25 November 201 ...
in the BBC drama '' Four Lives''.


Personal life

Merchant began dating American actress Mircea Monroe around 2017. They live in a home previously owned by
Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( ; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer. She starred in the sitcom '' Ellen'' from 1994 to 1998, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for " The Puppy Episode". S ...
in the Nichols Canyon area of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
. He also owns a home in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Standing 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) tall with a lanky frame, Merchant once had his dance moves likened by
Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms '' The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad ...
to an "upright lizard being given electroshock treatment". Gervais also described him as a "stick insect with glasses" and Beaker from '' The Muppet Show''. Karl Pilkington described Merchant's dancing as a "bit of weird art" but has since "got used to him", while
Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian and actor known for his flamboyant, loquacious style and manner. Brand has received three British Comedy Awards: Best Newcomer (2006), Best Live Stand-Up (2008), and the award for ...
likened him to a "graceful grasshopper". He has said that he prefers to liken himself to footballer Peter Crouch, who is the same height, and once impersonated Crouch in a BBC sketch broadcast as part of the pre-match build-up to England's opening game at the 2006 World Cup. Before the
2010 UK general election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom un ...
, Merchant was one of 48 celebrities who signed a letter opposing the Conservative Party's policy on the BBC. In December 2019, Merchant was the guest for an episode of
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of Talk radio, spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history fro ...
's ''
Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (us ...
''. His book choice was '' Roger's Profanisaurus'' by Roger Mellie from ''
Viz Viz may refer to: *''viz.'', a synonym for “namely” * ''Viz'' (comics), a British adult comic magazine **'' Viz: The Game'', a computer game based on the comic *Viz Media, an American manga and anime distribution and entertainment company *"V ...
'', his luxury item was a piano, and his chosen record was " Thunder Road" by
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...
.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Awards


References


External links

* *
Interviewed on BBC Radio Five LiveXfm: Biography
*

' – interview in '' The Telegraph'' – 8 August 2005
Interview with Barbara Ellen
in
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper Sunday editions, published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group, Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. ...
Magazine – 5 November 2006
An Englishman abroadStephen Merchant interview

Stephen Merchant
interviewed by Sophie Elmhirst on ''
New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members o ...
''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant, Stephen 1974 births Living people 20th-century English comedians 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English comedians 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the University of Warwick Audiobook narrators BAFTA winners (people) British male comedy actors British male television writers Emmy Award winners English comedy writers English expatriates in the United States English male television actors English male video game actors English male voice actors English podcasters English radio DJs English stand-up comedians English television directors English television producers English television writers Male actors from Bristol Showrunners Writers Guild of America Award winners Spike Video Game Award winners