Gervais: David Brent will be back

Ricky Gervais has said the return of Office boss David Brent for Comic Relief may not be the end of his much-loved comedy creation.

Slough's infamous paper salesman will return to television screens after a 10-year break on Friday in a one-off special for Red Nose Day called The Office Revisited.

Brent is seen employing his talents as a music producer as he attempts to launch the career of young urban artist Dom Johnson.

The former Wernham Hogg manager appoints himself producer and agent as he tries to worm his way back into the music industry.

The episode includes a full version of Brent's self-penned song, The Serpent Who Guards The Gates Of Hell, which briefly featured in the original series of The Office, as well as a video for his new reggae tune, Equality Street.

Gervais revealed he wrote another three songs while filming for the TV special which he may showcase again as Brent for Comic Relief.

"I had an absolute blast bringing back my old friend David Brent," he said. "And of course, as a failed pop star myself, my favourite bit about the whole experience was having an excuse to 'go and get the guitar', and actually write the songs I mentioned in The Office.

"The really funny thing is, that while I was at it, I wrote three more brand new songs too. So if Comic Relief is around in another 10 years you might get to hear those as well."

A star-studded line-up of comedians including Michael McIntyre, John Bishop, Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand will gather for this year's Comic Relief telethon, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Red Nose Day.

Trailers for The Office Revisited can be viewed at youtube.com/rickygervais.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.