Ricky Gervais: why my Humanity live stand-up tour is on hold... for now

In January last year Gervais said that he was planning a live tour called Humanity, his first stand-up show since his 2009 show Science. However the comedian now reveals that the show has been put on ice because of his large workload.

“I am doing three years work in the next two years,” he told RadioTimes.com - with projects among others including writing, directing and starring in the film Special Correspondents alongside Eric Bana and his David Brent film Life on the Road.

But he has hinted that the Humanity tour will still happen… eventually.

“It’s a thing that has been pushed back,” he added. “I think some people have forgotten that I am a stand up comedian. Once I put those tickets on sale I am never going to cancel so I better know I have got six months free, do you know what I mean?

“And then it doesn’t matter if Spielberg calls. If I am playing Soho theatre on a Monday night as a warm up I don’t cancel it. So I have really got to be sure I am ready. But I have got the notes. I have a big bag of Post It notes. I have probably 30, 40 minutes to explore already."

Gervais traditionally adopts grand-sounding titles for his stand up work such as Science, Politics or Humanity which are comically at odds with the material on offer.

“It is about the comedian I play thinking he is nailing something academic,” he said. "But then I go on to talk about glory holes.

“This one, Humanity, will be the most pompous. So I am talking about everything, I am the expert on everything to do with humanity and I will be saying, yeah, there was this one glory hole…. That’s the idea.”

Still, fans of Gervais' live persona were not left entirely bereft this year.

He appeared in the guise of David Brent singing songs with his band Foregone Conclusion which RadioTimes.com reviewed here.

The last episode of Derek airs at 10pm on 22nd December on Channel 4