After Life's Ricky Gervais confirms show will end after season 3

Speaking to The Sun, Gervais said that he had "already made his mind up" that there wouldn't be a fourth season despite the Netflix show's huge popularity.

"You never say never but you put those things out there to make you remember because it’s tempting, it’s very tempting," he said.

"The audience think they want another one but they don’t know, they’re not sure, so you’ve got to be careful.”

After Life is the fourth sitcom Gervais has created following The Office, Extras (both of which were co-created with Stephen Merchant) and Derek, and his first for Netflix - with whom he recently signed a multi-project deal.

He stars in the series as Tony, a recently bereaved man who attempts to come to terms with the recent loss of his wife Lisa - and the series has been praised for its poignancy and the manner in which it handles themes such as grief.

It boasts a large supporting cast, including Tom Barsden, Tony Way, Diane Morgan, David Bradley, Mandeep Dhillon, Penelope Wilton, Joe Wilkinson, Roisin Conaty and Kerry Godliman.

Before series three had been confirmed, Gervais exclusively told RadioTimes.com, "For the first time ever, I would do a series three, because the world’s so rich.

“I love the characters, I love all the actors in it, I love my character, I love the town, I love the themes… I love the dog!”

“So I would do a third, but it’s got to be a real demanded-for encore. I’m not gonna just do it.”

Series 1 and 2 of After Life are currently available to stream on Netflix - find out what else is on with our TV Guide.