Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant (born November 24, 1974 in Bristol, England) is the co-writer and co-director with Ricky Gervais of the popular British sitcom The Office. He currently lives in Finchley, London and is 6'7" tall.

Related Topics:
November 24 - 1974 - Bristol - England - Ricky Gervais - British sitcom - The Office - Finchley - London

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In 1997, Merchant was hired by Xfm to work with the "Head of Speech", Ricky Gervais. Soon they were given their own slot on Sunday evenings. During one show, Gervais and Merchant attempted to bleep the Super Furry Animals song "Man Don't Give A Fuck" live by pulling down the fader and making a noise in place of each of the fifty-plus mentions of the word "fuck" in the song. However, the pressure became too much for Gervais, who messed up and swore in frustration. In 1998, Merchant and Gervais were sacked after the Capital Radio Group bought out Xfm.

Related Topics:
1997 - Xfm - Ricky Gervais - Super Furry Animals - Fuck - 1998 - Capital Radio Group

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In summer 2001, the first series of The Office was broadcast on BBC 2. Also in 2001, Merchant and Gervais were rehired by Xfm and soon discovered the unique "talents" of Karl Pilkington.

Related Topics:
2001 - The Office - BBC 2 - Karl Pilkington

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Merchant appeared as the minor character "Oggy" (also known as "The Oggmonster", though his real name is Nathan), a friend of Gareth Keenan, in the second series of The Office in 2002. His father, Ron Merchant, also appears as a character named "Gordon", who becomes transfixed by the pseudo-documentary cameras whenever he walks into shot.

Related Topics:
Gareth Keenan - The Office - 2002

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In 2002 Merchant directed a one-off comedy called The Last Chancers for Channel 4's Comedy Lab strand. In 2003, he had a recurring role in Garth Marenghi's Darkplace as a Chef. In 2004, he worked as a Script Associate on the Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker sitcom Nathan Barley, and had a cameo in Green Wing. Merchant was also credited as an executive producer for the American version of The Office, which stars Steve Carell.

Related Topics:
2002 - Channel 4 - 2003 - Garth Marenghi's Darkplace - 2004 - Chris Morris - Charlie Brooker - Nathan Barley - Green Wing - The Office - Steve Carell

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The new Merchant-Gervais sitcom, Extras, premiered on BBC2 on July 21, 2005. Merchant stars as Darren Lamb, the "useless" agent of Andy Millman (Gervais).

Related Topics:
Extras - July 21 - 2005 - Gervais

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