Ricky Gervais

Working at radio station Xfm in the 1990s, he met Stephen Merchant and the duo collaborated on a pilot for a sitcom: Golden Years, which aired on Channel 4 in 1998.

In 1999, Gervais joined The 11 O'Clock show, while he and Merchant contributed material to Radio 1's The Breezeblock.

He then fronted the poorly received Meet Ricky Gervais, while writing for sketch comedies Bruiser and The Jim Tavere Show.

While on a BBC production course in 1999, he and Merchant shot a docu-soap parody about "seedy boss" David Brent. The tape gained currency and in 2000 resulted in the first series of The Office.

One of the most critically-acclaimed sitcoms of the day, the duo followed it up with two series of Extras.

Now considered comedy royalty, Gervais continues to pick up awards for his numerous multi-media projects.