Breaking the US, life coaching, amateur dramatics - David Brent's future according to Ricky Gervais
The man behind the former manager of Wernham Hogg paper merchants tells RadioTimes.com where the character could go in years to come...
David Brent is back, resurrected after ten years for last year's Comic Relief sketch and now on a nationwide tour with his band, Foregone Conclusion.
Last weekend brought us the news that his creator, Ricky Gervais, was plotting a Spinal Tap-style mockumentary following the former boss of Slough's Wernham Hogg paper company as he toured UK venues. Exciting stuff, even if it is early days.
But what's the future for Brent? Is this renaissance for good? Under which guise will we see him next? It turns out Gervais has a few ideas up his sleeve...
"Because David Brent is a real person, you can put him anywhere," explained The Office and Derek creator in an interview with RadioTimes.com. "He can go from one job to the next, he can try and make it here, he could go to America to try and make it. He could do anything."
Before you get all excited, there's more. "He could be ripped off in some sort of Ponzi scheme. He could do his own online business - something like, I suppose, life coaching. Imagine David Brent trying to set that up? Imagine him starting his own am-dram society?"
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And, while we're terrifically excited by the idea of Brent unleashing his inner thesp, apparently the opportunities are endless. "You can literally take him anywhere but the important thing is the character and the realism - it's got to resonate and I think with David Brent being 50 and still trying to make it, that's even funnier and sadder than being 40 and trying to make it."
Although, Gervais is keen to make a point of not overdoing his famous character's comeback: "I don't want to literally kill David Brent because it's something that can be returned to when I feel like it. Even if it's only for Comic Relief or a charity gig."
Watch this space... and in the meantime, look out for Gervais's next appearance on screens in series two of Derek. Check out the trailer below:
