Ricky Gervais on US Office: 'It wasn't my baby'

Ricky Gervais as David Brent in his UK version of 'The Office'. Photo / Supplied

Ricky Gervais isn't emotionally attached to the American version of 'The Office'.

The 51-year-old British comedian - who created the original BBC series - admits he has only watched the NBC version, starring Steve Carell, a few times and is only a fan because it has made him more money than any of his other TV shows.

He told the June issue of GQ magazine: "I don't think I've seen much of it.

"It wasn't my baby. It was my rights, so I cashed the cheques. I think it was good, but I didn't have the same emotional attachment to it.

"I [have made] more [money] than anything else probably I've ever done. It's the gift that keeps on giving, syndication."

Ricky insists he is not worried about the lukewarm response his new show Derek has received from his fans.

He said: "I don't worry about it at all. I think I'm pretty self-aware. I think I know what I'm doing.

"You know when you've been a prat, you know when you're being a prat, you know when something sounds pretentious.

"They mean they don't like Derek as much as Extras? Science as much as Animals [two of his stand-up specials]? They mean they don't like me. That's what they mean. So they're trying to justify their dislike in a critical response."

The actor is set to reprise his role as David Brent in monthly YouTube episodes that see his hapless alter ego giving musical tips.

Learn Guitar with David Brent – which begins in June – will see the character introduce an album's worth of new songs, talk about the inspiration behind them and tell his life story, with each episode also featuring complete versions of his self-penned songs.

- Bang! Showbiz