Gervais 'rules out' third Office series

Gervais has hinted at a one-off special of the comedy

Ricky Gervais appears to have ruled out a further full-length series of his celebrated sitcom The Office.

Gervais said there "probably" would not be a third series of the show he co-wrote and starred in.

But he hinted that his character David Brent and colleagues would return to TV screens in a one-off edition of the BBC Two comedy.

Asked whether he was writing a third series, Gervais told the BBC's Liquid News: "To be brutally honest, probably not a series. But something.

Gervais and Merchant are still working on material

"It won't be the end. We've got to tell the story, but I just don't want to commit to a whole series."

He added: "We want to know what happens to Brent, and Tim and Dawn, etc, and how they are getting on with their lives. But I don't know that we need a whole series."

Gervais was speaking at London's Bloomsbury Theatre where he is performing a stand-up comedy show.

His own "boss" - BBC Two controller Jane Root - had said it was her new year's resolution to get Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant to complete a third series.

Ms Root is currently on holiday, and it is understood no final conversation has taken place between them to finally rule out a third full-length series.

The Office has won numerous awards

Last year's second series of The Office more than doubled its ratings from the first series, with 4.4m viewers tuning in to the final episode.

The first series achieved record DVD sales.

Gervais has said: "I'm flattered that people care about The Office and for the people who enjoyed the show, that is not where we leave it."

Gervais was recently named the most powerful person in UK television comedy in a Radio Times list describing his work as "legendary" and "peerless".

"Ricky Gervais owned TV comedy in 2002," the magazine said.

The Office won two leading prizes at the Bafta TV Awards in April, and Gervais was named best comedy actor at the British Comedy Awards in December.