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[[Image:Steve3.jpg|thumb|right| Stephen Merchant - Comedy Giant]]
{| class="toccolours" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 22em; font-size: 85%;"
'''Stephen Merchant''' (born 24 November 1974 in Bristol, England) is co-writer and co-director with [[Ricky Gervais]] of the ''[[The Office]]'' and ''[[Extras]]'', as well as being a co-host on [[Xfm]] London and [[The Ricky Gervais Show]] podcast. Steve is 6'7" (2.06 metres) tall. He currently lives in Swiss Cottage, London.
|-
| colspan="2" style="font-size: larger; text-align: center; background:#9999ff;" | '''Stephen Merchant'''
|-
| align="center" colspan="2" |[[Image:SMGlastohand2.jpg|200px]]<br /><small style="font-size: 91%;">Stephen Merchant, comedy giant.</small>
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Date of Birth'''
| 24 November 1974
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Place of Birth'''
| Bristol, England
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Education'''
| University of Warwick
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Occupation'''
| Actor, Writer, and Director
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Parents'''
|[[ Ron Merchant]], [[Elaine Merchant]]  
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
| '''Children'''
| None
|}
 
 
'''Stephen Merchant''' (born 24 November 1974 in Bristol, England) is co-writer and co-director with [[Ricky Gervais]] of the ''[[The Office]]'' and ''[[Extras]]'', and also co-starred in Extras as incompetent agent [[Darren Lamb]]. He was a co-host on [[Xfm]] London and [[The Ricky Gervais Show]] podcasts, and hosted a [[The Steve Show|radio show]] on BBC 6Music. He has also toured around the nation performing stand-up comedy. He lives in Hampstead, North London.


== Childhood ==
== Childhood ==
Steve was born and raised in Bristol. His parents are Ron and Elaine and he has a younger sister Alex (who served as the art director on ''[[The Office]]'').
Steve was born and raised in Bristol. His parents are [[Ron Merchant|Ron]] (who made a few brief appearances in [[The Office]]) and Elaine Merchant. He has a younger sister [[Alex Merchant|Alex]] who served as the art director on The Office.


During his childhood as described through the Xfm shows and podcasts, Stephen was shy and tended to focus on school work; his yearbook projected he would be highly successful. Stephen has also confessed that during his youth he was particularly shy around girls whom he had affection for.  This was due to the fact he often developed an infatuation for them before formally speaking.
During his childhood, Stephen was shy and tended to focus on school work rather than sport. He usually kept his glasses on during gym class, greatly hindering his athletic performance. Stephen has also confessed that he was very awkward around girls, and often developed an infatuation for them before formally speaking.


Steve has described his childhood as relatively normal. He leaned towards studies as opposed to sports, which is corroborated by the fact that he participated in Physical Education still wearing his spectacles.
=="Lanky, Goggle-eyed Freak"==
[[Image:Lanky.jpg|thumb|left|150px|]]
Steve is 6 feet, 7 inches tall and has quite large, bulging eyes. Stephen's shoe size is UK 14 (US 15). His unusual appearance is the source of much discussion on both the Xfm shows and the podcasts, largely because [[Karl]] can never resist an opportunity to make fun of him. Karl was mildly disturbed by Steve's looks when they first met, but he "got used to" him over time. People often stare at Steve in the street, Karl once pointed out, but it's a "stare of fear" rather than recognition. When Karl mentioned something he'd read about a monkey whose eyes protrude 1.6 centimetres out of its head, he asked Ricky to get a ruler to gauge how Steve's eyes compared. Karl also once relayed a story about a woman who was disturbed by Steve's picture on the train -- an anecdote that seemed to make Steve genuinely upset.


==On His Height==
Steve's sole appearance in [[The Office]] was as [[Oggy]], a friend of [[Gareth Keenan]]'s whose feelings are hurt when [[David Brent]] calls him a "lanky goggle-eyed freak."
On an Xfm show, Steve reported that when he was 16 and at a New Year's Eve party, he was holding some balloons and two girls approached him. They asked him if he would be at the party for awhile and excitedly, Steve said yes. The girls replied "Good, because we are planning to meet back at you in an hour."


Steve claims his height should be considered a disability.
Once, at a New Year's Eve party in Bristol, Steve was holding some balloons and two girls approached him. They asked him if he would be at the party for a while and Steve excitedly said yes. The girls replied, "Good, because we are planning to meet back at you in an hour".


==The Volvo and The Pig==
Steve claims his height should be considered a disability as he is forced to buy larger and more expensive items, such as cars, furniture, clothes and shoes.
[[Image:Steve4SkySports.jpg|thumb|left|]]
''(As featured on Xfm show -19th January 2002)''


When Steve was 17, soon after he passed his driving test, Merchant borrowed his parent's Volvo estate to go to a party with the intention of wooing a girl he was keen on. At the party, sober Merchant followed the girl around to no avail. But when his friends suggested that they 'pick up Vera', he agreed to drive them because the girl of his infatuation was coming along. However he was slightly annoyed that a boy who the girl had been speaking to, was also coming with them. While driving through the country lanes of Somerset, his friends told Steve to drive into a field. Not wanting to appear uptight in front of his crush, he obliged. Steve stopped the car and his friends ran into darkness shouting for Vera. Some time later his friends returned to Steve who had been alone in the car, with a Vietnamese Pot Belly Pig. Again, Steve bowed to peer pressure and allowed them to bring the pig into the car. When Steve attempted to turn the car around to go back to the party, he wedged the car horizontally in a country lane. After many attempts, Steve was unable to shift the car. Steve began to panic, and the stolen squeaking pig in the back did not help. Especially when the local farmers arrived. Such was his terror, all Merchant could think was that they were going to have to send a helicopter with a magnet to lift the car free. It was at this point that Stephen Merchant began to cry. The situation was rectified when the boy that the girl fancied got into the driving seat and freed the car, while Stephen Merchant sat in the back gently sobbing.
==Troubles With Women==
Steve has a long history of unrequited love affairs, and has told many self-deprecating stories about his bad luck with the ladies. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the "Volvo and The Pig" story. Around the age of 16, Steve borrowed his parent's Volvo to go to a party. During the festivities, his friends suggested that they leave to "go pick up [[Vera]]." He agreed to drive them because a girl he liked was coming along. Unfortunately, another boy whom the girl apparently fancied also joined them. They directed Steve to a field and then ran off to grab Vera, a Vietnamese potbellied pig. Not wanting to appear uptight in front of his crush, he let his friends put the pig in the car. On the way back, he wedged the Volvo horizontally in a country lane. Steve began to panic, and soon started to cry. The situation was rectified when Steve's rival got into the driving seat and freed the car, leaving him tear-soaked and emasculated in the backseat.
 
While in sixth form, Steve became infatuated with a girl he met while performing in a school play. He started reading the philosophical novel ''Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'' during rehearsals in an attempt to impress her. His plan proved unsuccessful, however, as the girl he fancied eventually wound up with [[Martin Wells]], who liked to dance around without his trousers on.
 
Other instances include a trip to Rio that caused him much frustration because the beautiful women there ignored him; the time a girl recognized him on the street only to tell him that her boyfriend was a big fan of his; and a <i>Pygmalion</i>-esque infatuation with a homeless girl.


==University==
==University==
He is a graduate of the University of Warwick and a former film reviewer on the student radio station, Radio Warwick.  The station's 1995/96 yearbook, which tipped him for great things:
[[Image:SteveShowflyer.jpg|175px|thumb|right|Original Steve Show flyer]]
Steve is a graduate of the University of Warwick where he was a film reviewer on the student radio station, Radio Warwick.  The school's 1995/96 yearbook tipped him for great things:


:'''Merchant, Steve''': The man behind the funniest show on W963, the "Steve Show", highlights of which included an inspired take-off of the IRN news ('we spoke to Gerry Adams...'), an advert for Coventry Library ('Coventry Library makes no claims to be infinite'), attempting to give away an Aerosmith video to people on the toilet in Rootes hall of residence, telephoning the library bridge security post to ask if they had seen a lost ball, as well as a series of snippets entitled 'At home with Rosemary and Fred West'.  This show stood out from the crowd, as it was actually genuinely good.  It's only a matter of time before Steve and his posse follow in the footsteps of Newman and Baddiel.
:'''Merchant, Steve''': The man behind the funniest show on W963, the "Steve Show", highlights of which included an inspired take-off of the IRN news ('we spoke to Gerry Adams...'), an advert for Coventry Library ('Coventry Library makes no claims to be infinite'), attempting to give away an Aerosmith video to people on the toilet in Rootes hall of residence, telephoning the library bridge security post to ask if they had seen a lost ball, as well as a series of snippets entitled 'At home with Rosemary and Fred West'.  This show stood out from the crowd, as it was actually genuinely good.  It's only a matter of time before Steve and his posse follow in the footsteps of Newman and Baddiel.


==Personality Quirks==
==Personality Quirks==
*In his younger years, Steve occasionally would take up a unique habit such as smoking a pipe or wearing a bowtie. Of the latter, he remarked that it made him feel like P.G. Wodehouse's creations, Jeeves and Wooster. He would like a [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GQ40KMO0CNWUZQFIQMGCFGGAVCBQUIV0?xml=/arts/2005/08/08/btmerchant08.xml&page=5 dachsund named Max] in his later years.
*As a teenager, Steve wore a bow tie for about 6 months to be appear sophisticated. He says this made him feel like a P.G. Wodehouse character.  


*Steve appears to have a running streak of unrequited love affairs, as evidenced in the above <i>Volvo and the Pig</i> story. Other instances include a <i>Pygmalion</i>-type of infatuation with a homeless girl, Britney Spears, and a young lady he tried to impress by reading <i>Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance</i>. A 2006 trip to Brazil provoked anger with all the beautiful women who wouldn't look at him. On his 2007 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/stephen_merchant/ 6Music] debut, he affirmed love for [http://www.jennylewis.com Jenny Lewis] of [http://www.rilokiley.com Rilo Kiley], a woman who previously dated Jake Gyllenhaal, star of ''Brokeback Mountain''. That movie was at the center of [http://www.pilkipedia.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Video_Podcast#Episode_Five Video Podcast 5].
*He is notoriously "careful" with his money. He was gutted when he discovered he could have saved 20 pounds on a video game system he had just purchased. He asked Ricky to give him 20 pounds to make him feel better.


*Steve is notoriously "careful" with his money. He was gutted when he discovered he could have saved 20 pounds on a video game system he had just purchased.  He asked Ricky to give him 20 pounds to make him feel better.
*Steve refuses to mosh at concerts for fear of losing his glasses. Steve also admits that if he were ever in a fight, the other person only needs to remove his glasses to win.


*Steve never uses a Y-front properly and doesn't think any man does.  Also, he will not relieve himself in the ocean while wearing his swimming trunks and doesn't think any man should.
*He admitted to once hiding in his garage because there was a gang of teens outside his flat.


*He refuses to mosh at concerts for fear of losing his glasses.  He also admits that if he were ever in a fight, the other person need only remove Steve's glasses and they would have won.
*Steve will not relieve himself in the ocean while wearing his swimming trunks.


*Steve admitted to once hiding in his garage because there was a gang of teens outside his flat.
*He is, with no reason in his understanding, barred from all casinos in London.


*He enjoys hip hop, which he often cheerfully refers to as "hippity hop."
==Career==
[[Image:Steve6.JPG|right|175px|thumb]]


==Career==
[[Image:Steve6.JPG|thumb|right|]]
'''Xfm'''
'''Xfm'''
*In 1997, Steve was hired by London radio station Xfm as the assistant to the "Head of Speech", Ricky Gervais. Soon they were given their own slot on Sunday evenings. In 1998, Steve and Ricky took voluntary redundancy after the Capital Radio Group bought out Xfm.
*In 1997, Steve was hired by London radio station Xfm as the assistant to the "Head of Speech" Ricky Gervais. Soon they were given their own slot on Sunday evenings. In 1998, Steve and Ricky took voluntary redundancy after the Capital Radio Group bought out Xfm.


*In 2001, Steve and Ricky were rehired by Xfm to present a two hour show on Saturday afternoons. It was through this show they discovered the unique "talents" of their producer [[Karl Pilkington]].  
*In 2001, Steve and Ricky were rehired by Xfm to present a two hour show on Saturday afternoons. It was through this show they discovered the unique "talents" of their producer [[Karl Pilkington]].  
Line 49: Line 78:
'''The Office'''
'''The Office'''


*After taking voluntary redundancy from Xfm, Steve enrolled in a production course at the BBC. To complete part of the course, Steve enlisted Ricky to act in a short film called 'Seedy Boss'. This 30min film became the impetus for 'The Office', with much of Ricky's improvisation making it into the script.  
*After taking voluntary redundancy from Xfm, Steve enrolled in a production course at the [[BBC]]. To complete part of the course, Steve enlisted Ricky to act in a short film called '[[Seedy Boss]]'. This 30 minute film became the impetus for 'The Office', with much of Ricky's improvisation making it into the script.  


*In Summer 2001, the first series of ''The Office'' was broadcast on BBC 2. Though a co-writer and co-director, Steve didn't appear on screen, cameoing only as a voice in a loudspeaker telephone conversation. However, Steve did appear in the second series as the minor character "Oggy" (also known as "The Oggmonster", though his real name is Nathan). Steve's father Ron Merchant also appears as a character named "Gordon", an office handyman who becomes transfixed by the pseudo-documentary cameras whenever he walks into shot.
*In Summer 2001, the first series of ''The Office'' was broadcast on BBC 2. Though a co-writer and co-director, Steve didn't appear on screen, cameoing only briefly as a character named Paul whose phone message [[David Brent]] listens to. However, Steve did appear in the second series as the minor character [[Oggy]] (also known as "The Oggmonster"). Steve's father Ron Merchant also appears as a character named [[Gordon]], an office caretaker who becomes transfixed by the documentary cameras whenever he walks into shot.


*On 6th February 2006, it was announced that Merchant and Gervais were returning to ''The Office'' to script an episode for the third season of the US version of the programme.[http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=190702006]
*On 6th February 2006, it was announced that Merchant and Gervais were returning to ''The Office'' to script an episode for the third season of the US version of the programme.[http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=190702006]


*Merchant and Gervais are Executive Producers for the American version of ''[[The Office]]'', which stars Steve Carell.
*Merchant and Gervais are credited as Executive Producers [[The Office (US Series)|for the American version]] of ''The Office'', which stars [[Steve Carell]].


'''Extras'''
'''Extras'''
*Steve and Ricky also co-wrote and co-directed Extras. This time around however, Steve's role is bumped up as he appears in a number of episodes as Andy Millman's (Ricky Gervais) hapless agent Darren Lamb.  Darren works part-time at the Carphone Warehouse and did not notice when the phone at the agency was unplugged for two days.
*Steve and Ricky also co-wrote and co-directed Extras. In Extras, Steve's role was bumped up as he appears in most episodes as [[Andy Millman]]'s (Ricky Gervais) hapless agent [[Darren Lamb]].  Darren works part-time at the Carphone Warehouse and did not notice when the phone at the agency was unplugged for two days.


'''The Last Chancers'''
'''The Last Chancers'''


*In 2002 Merchant directed a one-off comedy called ''[[The Last Chancers]]'' for Channel 4's ''Comedy Lab'' strand.  
*In 2002 Merchant directed a one-off comedy called ''The Last Chancers'' for Channel 4's ''Comedy Lab'' strand.  


'''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'''
'''Garth Marenghi's Darkplace'''
Line 70: Line 99:
'''Bromwell High'''
'''Bromwell High'''


*Steve voices Mr.Phillips on the short lived Channel 4 cartoon, "Bromwell High". Merchant voices the gym teacher
*Merchant voiced the gym teacher, Mr. Phillips on the short lived [[Channel 4]] cartoon, "Bromwell High".


'''Nathan Barley'''
'''Nathan Barley'''


*In 2004, he worked as a Script Associate on the [[Chris Morris]] and [[Charlie Brooker]] sitcom ''[[Nathan Barley]]'', and had a cameo in ''[[Green Wing]]''.  
*In 2004, he worked as a Script Associate on the Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker sitcom ''Nathan Barley'' ([http://4footbeds.co.uk 4 foot beds]), and had a cameo in ''Green Wing''.  


'''No Skillz'''
'''No Skillz'''


*In 2005 Merchant starred as a radio football sports commentator in comedy sitcom ''[[No Skillz]]''. Steve's real-life flatmate and friend [[Dan Warren]] acted as the co-commentator.
*In 2005, Merchant starred as a radio football sports commentator in the sitcom pilot ''[[No Skillz]]''. Steve's real-life flatmate and friend Dan Warren acted as the co-commentator.


'''Podcast'''
'''Podcast'''
[[Image:SMat6music.jpg|right|120px|thumb]]
*In 2005/2006, Merchant partnered with Gervais and Pilkington in a series of episodes of their [http://www.guardian.co.uk/rickygervais podcasts].  The podcasts are a follow-up to their award-winning radio shows on Xfm, and were ranked the #1 most downloaded podcast in the world. Following the success of the first 12 shows, Steve, Ricky and Karl continued to produce the programme as an audiobook.
'''6 Music Radio Show'''
*See [[The_Steve_Show|The Steve Show's Wiki Page]] for more info.
'''Life's Too Short'''
*In 2010, Merchant and Gervais began work on their third television series starring [[Warwick Davis]] as a showbiz dwarf.
'''Films'''
*In 2007, the film ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' was released, featuring an appearance by Merchant who plays "Peter Ian Staker" (P.I.Staker - Piss taker), whose swan has run away. Later that year, he made a further cameo in "Run, Fatboy, Run", another [[Simon Pegg]] movie.
*Merchant has a prominent role in the film ''[[Tooth Fairy]]'' starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The film was released in January 2010.
*In 2009, Merchant filmed ''[[Cemetery Junction]]'', which was co-written and co-directed by Gervais. It is their first feature film together and Merchant's directorial debut. The film was released in the UK on 14 April 2010 and went straight to DVD in the US on 17 August 2010.
*In 2011, Stephen was the voice of Paris in the children's film ''Gnomeo & Juliet''. Later that year, Merchant appeared in a supporting role in the Farrelly brothers' ''Hall Pass''. Stephen will be appearing in their next film, currently titled 'Movie 43', due to be released in 2012.
'''Stand-up Tour'''


*In 2005/2006, Merchant partnered with Gervais and Pilkington in a series of episodes of their [http://www.guardian.co.uk/rickygervais podcasts].  The podcasts are a follow-up to their award-winning radio shows on XFM, and were ranked the #1 most downloaded podcast in the world. Following the success of the first 12 shows, Steve, Ricky and Karl continued to produce the programme as a paid-for audiobook.
*In 2011, Stephen returned to his stand-up roots with a nationwide tour entitled '[[Hello Ladies]]', mainly under the assumption that the tour would help him find a wife. It didn't, but the tour was a success and has since been released on DVD.


'''6 Music Radio Show'''
'''Voice-over work'''
* Since 2009, Stephen Merchant has been the voice of the Barclays adverts.
 
* In the video game Portal 2 (2011), Stephen was the voice of Wheatley. It took about 16 hours of recording time, including various ad-libs he had to perform.
 
'''Hello Ladies'''
 
* In 2013, Stephen returned to television (without [[Ricky Gervais]]) to produce, direct, write and star in his own sitcom for American television channel HBO. The show, entitled [[Hello_Ladies_(sitcom)|Hello Ladies]], is loosely based on the stand-up tour of the same name.


*See [http://www.pilkipedia.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=The_Steve_Show The Steve Show's Wiki Page] for more info.
'''Awards'''
*Merchant is a BAFTA, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning writer, director and actor. For a full list of his awards and nominations see [[Awards: Stephen Merchant]]


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.hbo.com/extras/cast/actor/stephen_merchant.html Complete credits for Stephen Merchant, including Writing, Directing, Performance and Radio Credits]
*[http://www.stephenmerchant.com/ Stephen Merchant's official website]
*[http://www.hbo.com/#/the-ricky-gervais-show/cast-and-crew/stephen-merchant/index.html Complete credits for Stephen Merchant, including Writing, Directing, Performance and Radio Credits]
*[http://www.pfd.co.uk/clients/merchans/a-act.html Curriculum Vitae of Stephen Merchant]
*[http://www.pfd.co.uk/clients/merchans/a-act.html Curriculum Vitae of Stephen Merchant]
*[http://knol.google.com/k/jared-stone/stephen-merchant/2p13883foalx3/5 A google Knol on Steven Merchant]
*[http://xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=86251 Xfm: Stephen Merchant Biography]
*[http://xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=86251 Xfm: Stephen Merchant Biography]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/stephen_merchant 6 Music homepage]
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/stephen_merchant 6 Music homepage]
*[http://www.stephenmerchant.com StephenMerchant.com]
*[http://radio.warwick.ac.uk RaW: Radio Warwick]
*[http://radio.warwick.ac.uk RaW: Radio Warwick]
*''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/08/08/btmerchant08.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/08/08/ixartright.html Tall man, taller success story]'' - interview in The Telegraph - August 8, 2005
*''[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/08/08/btmerchant08.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/08/08/ixartright.html Tall man, taller success story]'' - interview in [[The Daily Telegraph]] - August 8, 2005
*[[imdb:nm0580351|Stephen Merchant]] at the Internet Movie Database
*[[imdb:nm0580351|Stephen Merchant]] at the Internet Movie Database
*[http://morethanweimagine.com/sm/smerch.html Man Alive! The Stephen Merchant Love Page]
*[http://morethanweimagine.com/sm/smerch.html Man Alive! The Stephen Merchant Love Page]
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/91524692@N00/ Smerch picture collection] on Flickr
*[http://www.flickr.com/photos/91524692@N00/ Smerch picture collection] on Flickr
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLj3Q5g7-Ag Merchant stars as a radio football sports commentator in comedy sitcom 'No Skillz']
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLj3Q5g7-Ag Merchant stars as a radio football sports commentator in comedy sitcom 'No Skillz']
*[http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/05/12/stephen-merchant-wheatley-portal-2-portal-3/ Stephen Merchant talks about his 'exhausting Portal 2 performance']


[[Category:Stephen Merchant| ]]
[[Category:Stephen Merchant| ]]
[[Category:Xfm Presenters|Merchant, Steve]]
[[Category:Xfm Presenters|Merchant, Steve]]
[[Category:People|Merchant, Steve]]
[[Category:People|*Steve Merchant]]
[[Category:The Steve Show| Steve]]
[[Category:Pilkipedia]]
[[Category:The Merchants|Merchant, Steve]]

Latest revision as of 01:51, 16 October 2013

Stephen Merchant

Stephen Merchant, comedy giant.
Date of Birth 24 November 1974
Place of Birth Bristol, England
Education University of Warwick
Occupation Actor, Writer, and Director
Parents Ron Merchant, Elaine Merchant
Children None


Stephen Merchant (born 24 November 1974 in Bristol, England) is co-writer and co-director with Ricky Gervais of the The Office and Extras, and also co-starred in Extras as incompetent agent Darren Lamb. He was a co-host on Xfm London and The Ricky Gervais Show podcasts, and hosted a radio show on BBC 6Music. He has also toured around the nation performing stand-up comedy. He lives in Hampstead, North London.

Childhood

Steve was born and raised in Bristol. His parents are Ron (who made a few brief appearances in The Office) and Elaine Merchant. He has a younger sister Alex who served as the art director on The Office.

During his childhood, Stephen was shy and tended to focus on school work rather than sport. He usually kept his glasses on during gym class, greatly hindering his athletic performance. Stephen has also confessed that he was very awkward around girls, and often developed an infatuation for them before formally speaking.

"Lanky, Goggle-eyed Freak"

Steve is 6 feet, 7 inches tall and has quite large, bulging eyes. Stephen's shoe size is UK 14 (US 15). His unusual appearance is the source of much discussion on both the Xfm shows and the podcasts, largely because Karl can never resist an opportunity to make fun of him. Karl was mildly disturbed by Steve's looks when they first met, but he "got used to" him over time. People often stare at Steve in the street, Karl once pointed out, but it's a "stare of fear" rather than recognition. When Karl mentioned something he'd read about a monkey whose eyes protrude 1.6 centimetres out of its head, he asked Ricky to get a ruler to gauge how Steve's eyes compared. Karl also once relayed a story about a woman who was disturbed by Steve's picture on the train -- an anecdote that seemed to make Steve genuinely upset.

Steve's sole appearance in The Office was as Oggy, a friend of Gareth Keenan's whose feelings are hurt when David Brent calls him a "lanky goggle-eyed freak."

Once, at a New Year's Eve party in Bristol, Steve was holding some balloons and two girls approached him. They asked him if he would be at the party for a while and Steve excitedly said yes. The girls replied, "Good, because we are planning to meet back at you in an hour".

Steve claims his height should be considered a disability as he is forced to buy larger and more expensive items, such as cars, furniture, clothes and shoes.

Troubles With Women

Steve has a long history of unrequited love affairs, and has told many self-deprecating stories about his bad luck with the ladies. Perhaps the most well-known of these is the "Volvo and The Pig" story. Around the age of 16, Steve borrowed his parent's Volvo to go to a party. During the festivities, his friends suggested that they leave to "go pick up Vera." He agreed to drive them because a girl he liked was coming along. Unfortunately, another boy whom the girl apparently fancied also joined them. They directed Steve to a field and then ran off to grab Vera, a Vietnamese potbellied pig. Not wanting to appear uptight in front of his crush, he let his friends put the pig in the car. On the way back, he wedged the Volvo horizontally in a country lane. Steve began to panic, and soon started to cry. The situation was rectified when Steve's rival got into the driving seat and freed the car, leaving him tear-soaked and emasculated in the backseat.

While in sixth form, Steve became infatuated with a girl he met while performing in a school play. He started reading the philosophical novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance during rehearsals in an attempt to impress her. His plan proved unsuccessful, however, as the girl he fancied eventually wound up with Martin Wells, who liked to dance around without his trousers on.

Other instances include a trip to Rio that caused him much frustration because the beautiful women there ignored him; the time a girl recognized him on the street only to tell him that her boyfriend was a big fan of his; and a Pygmalion-esque infatuation with a homeless girl.

University

Original Steve Show flyer

Steve is a graduate of the University of Warwick where he was a film reviewer on the student radio station, Radio Warwick. The school's 1995/96 yearbook tipped him for great things:

Merchant, Steve: The man behind the funniest show on W963, the "Steve Show", highlights of which included an inspired take-off of the IRN news ('we spoke to Gerry Adams...'), an advert for Coventry Library ('Coventry Library makes no claims to be infinite'), attempting to give away an Aerosmith video to people on the toilet in Rootes hall of residence, telephoning the library bridge security post to ask if they had seen a lost ball, as well as a series of snippets entitled 'At home with Rosemary and Fred West'. This show stood out from the crowd, as it was actually genuinely good. It's only a matter of time before Steve and his posse follow in the footsteps of Newman and Baddiel.

Personality Quirks

  • As a teenager, Steve wore a bow tie for about 6 months to be appear sophisticated. He says this made him feel like a P.G. Wodehouse character.
  • He is notoriously "careful" with his money. He was gutted when he discovered he could have saved 20 pounds on a video game system he had just purchased. He asked Ricky to give him 20 pounds to make him feel better.
  • Steve refuses to mosh at concerts for fear of losing his glasses. Steve also admits that if he were ever in a fight, the other person only needs to remove his glasses to win.
  • He admitted to once hiding in his garage because there was a gang of teens outside his flat.
  • Steve will not relieve himself in the ocean while wearing his swimming trunks.
  • He is, with no reason in his understanding, barred from all casinos in London.

Career

Xfm

  • In 1997, Steve was hired by London radio station Xfm as the assistant to the "Head of Speech" Ricky Gervais. Soon they were given their own slot on Sunday evenings. In 1998, Steve and Ricky took voluntary redundancy after the Capital Radio Group bought out Xfm.
  • In 2001, Steve and Ricky were rehired by Xfm to present a two hour show on Saturday afternoons. It was through this show they discovered the unique "talents" of their producer Karl Pilkington.

The Office

  • After taking voluntary redundancy from Xfm, Steve enrolled in a production course at the BBC. To complete part of the course, Steve enlisted Ricky to act in a short film called 'Seedy Boss'. This 30 minute film became the impetus for 'The Office', with much of Ricky's improvisation making it into the script.
  • In Summer 2001, the first series of The Office was broadcast on BBC 2. Though a co-writer and co-director, Steve didn't appear on screen, cameoing only briefly as a character named Paul whose phone message David Brent listens to. However, Steve did appear in the second series as the minor character Oggy (also known as "The Oggmonster"). Steve's father Ron Merchant also appears as a character named Gordon, an office caretaker who becomes transfixed by the documentary cameras whenever he walks into shot.
  • On 6th February 2006, it was announced that Merchant and Gervais were returning to The Office to script an episode for the third season of the US version of the programme.[1]

Extras

  • Steve and Ricky also co-wrote and co-directed Extras. In Extras, Steve's role was bumped up as he appears in most episodes as Andy Millman's (Ricky Gervais) hapless agent Darren Lamb. Darren works part-time at the Carphone Warehouse and did not notice when the phone at the agency was unplugged for two days.

The Last Chancers

  • In 2002 Merchant directed a one-off comedy called The Last Chancers for Channel 4's Comedy Lab strand.

Garth Marenghi's Darkplace

Bromwell High

  • Merchant voiced the gym teacher, Mr. Phillips on the short lived Channel 4 cartoon, "Bromwell High".

Nathan Barley

  • In 2004, he worked as a Script Associate on the Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker sitcom Nathan Barley (4 foot beds), and had a cameo in Green Wing.

No Skillz

  • In 2005, Merchant starred as a radio football sports commentator in the sitcom pilot No Skillz. Steve's real-life flatmate and friend Dan Warren acted as the co-commentator.

Podcast

  • In 2005/2006, Merchant partnered with Gervais and Pilkington in a series of episodes of their podcasts. The podcasts are a follow-up to their award-winning radio shows on Xfm, and were ranked the #1 most downloaded podcast in the world. Following the success of the first 12 shows, Steve, Ricky and Karl continued to produce the programme as an audiobook.

6 Music Radio Show

Life's Too Short

  • In 2010, Merchant and Gervais began work on their third television series starring Warwick Davis as a showbiz dwarf.

Films

  • In 2007, the film Hot Fuzz was released, featuring an appearance by Merchant who plays "Peter Ian Staker" (P.I.Staker - Piss taker), whose swan has run away. Later that year, he made a further cameo in "Run, Fatboy, Run", another Simon Pegg movie.
  • Merchant has a prominent role in the film Tooth Fairy starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The film was released in January 2010.
  • In 2009, Merchant filmed Cemetery Junction, which was co-written and co-directed by Gervais. It is their first feature film together and Merchant's directorial debut. The film was released in the UK on 14 April 2010 and went straight to DVD in the US on 17 August 2010.
  • In 2011, Stephen was the voice of Paris in the children's film Gnomeo & Juliet. Later that year, Merchant appeared in a supporting role in the Farrelly brothers' Hall Pass. Stephen will be appearing in their next film, currently titled 'Movie 43', due to be released in 2012.

Stand-up Tour

  • In 2011, Stephen returned to his stand-up roots with a nationwide tour entitled 'Hello Ladies', mainly under the assumption that the tour would help him find a wife. It didn't, but the tour was a success and has since been released on DVD.

Voice-over work

  • Since 2009, Stephen Merchant has been the voice of the Barclays adverts.
  • In the video game Portal 2 (2011), Stephen was the voice of Wheatley. It took about 16 hours of recording time, including various ad-libs he had to perform.

Hello Ladies

  • In 2013, Stephen returned to television (without Ricky Gervais) to produce, direct, write and star in his own sitcom for American television channel HBO. The show, entitled Hello Ladies, is loosely based on the stand-up tour of the same name.

Awards

  • Merchant is a BAFTA, Emmy, and Golden Globe winning writer, director and actor. For a full list of his awards and nominations see Awards: Stephen Merchant

External links

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