Ricky Gervais announces UK tour

Ricky has completed two films The Invention Of Lying and Cemetery Junction

Ricky Gervais has announced plans for a UK tour this autumn.

The Office and Extras star is set to hit the road for 21 dates for his new stand-up show Science.

The performance, which takes in cities in Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Glasgow, follows on from his previous set Animals, Politics and Fame.

He said: "With this show I'm just going back to my roots really and I am just chatting to the audience and telling them stories."

Gervais continued: "I've never done jokes or one-liners or puns and there's never been set pieces.

"With this one I'm trying to keep it loose for as long as I can. I have more fun that way."

I'm just going out and chatting to the audience Ricky Gervais

The Reading comic also said that he'd taken a lot of inspiration from veteran Scottish comedian Billy Connolly for his current show.

"He is one of my heroes and I love the way he goes out and he shambles and rambles and chats about stuff and I'm doing that at the moment," Gervais said.

"I'm just going out and chatting and I warn them that I've got some things to talk about."

The star, who has recently completed two films, The Invention Of Lying and Cemetery Junction, both of which he's starring in, co-writing and co-directing, also admitted that he has become more confident at stand-up over the years.

He added: "I've got more confident because I've only been doing stand-up for five years, which is nothing.

"There's people that only get good after 20 years."

Tickets for Science, which kicks off in Glasgow in August, go on sale on Friday 15 May at 10 am.