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Gervais' Office Anniversary Video Snubs Merchant, Sparks Rift Talk

7/11/2026

Summary

Gervais Omits Merchant

Ricky Gervais posted a 64-minute YouTube video on July 9 2026 marking The Office’s 25th anniversary, but it omitted Stephen Merchant, prompting criticism.
Stephen Merchant responded by sharing the unaired pre-pilot presentation, a clip that shows both creators and secured the BBC commission.
Both have denied a feud, yet Ricky Gervais’s 2018 remark that Ricky Gervais avoids mentioning Stephen Merchant to tease fans fuels ongoing speculation of a creative rift.

Summary

Gervais Thanks Merchant

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant first collaborated at XFM, recording improvised sketches on a dictaphone.
At the 2010 Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award, Gervais thanked Merchant and called their work his “day job.”
Merchant said the duo drifted apart after more than ten years.
Merchant posted an Instagram clip for the 25th anniversary while Gervais had already scheduled his Brent-focused YouTube special before any BBC involvement.

History

Historical Context

In 1975 Monty Python released *Holy Grail*, debuting in London on 3 April and financed by rock acts Led Zeppelin (£31,500) and Pink Floyd (£21,000) for a total budget of £175,350. The film’s cult success and the troupe’s low-budget, collaborative model set a precedent for later creative splits, foreshadowing the group’s final BBC episode and dissolution in the late 1970s.

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Gervais Omits Merchant

Ricky Gervais posted a 64-minute YouTube video on July 9 2026 marking The Office’s 25th anniversary, but it omitted Stephen Merchant, prompting criticism.
Stephen Merchant responded by sharing the unaired pre-pilot presentation, a clip that shows both creators and secured the BBC commission.
Both have denied a feud, yet Ricky Gervais’s 2018 remark that Ricky Gervais avoids mentioning Stephen Merchant to tease fans fuels ongoing speculation of a creative rift.

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