Ricky Gervais says losers are life's characters

Ricky Gervais says "losers" are the real "interesting" characters in life.

The comedian - who shot to fame starring and writing in 90s sitcom 'The Office' - would much rather focus his TV shows on the less-successful people because they provide the humour.

Talking about office worker Tim Canterbury, Ricky said: "Tim is based on a guy I used to work with, mixed with Norm from 'Cheers', a little Chandler from 'Friends,' and a touch of Oliver Hardy. Stan and Ollie feature in all my work really. The blind leading the blind. Both thinking they're with an idiot. Both right. Both struggling. And both needing each other to survive. Beautifully precarious.

"They could fall at any moment. But just for us they get back up again. Who needs winners? They're not in the slightest bit funny or interesting. Give me a loser any day."

Ricky also says he feels great affection for his alter-ego David Brent - the buffoon-like office manager who catapulted him to fame.

Writing for the Huffington Post, he revealed: "David Brent doesn't represent evil, or nastiness or even ignorance. He's just a little out of place. Out of time. His worst crime is that he confused respect with popularity. He wanted both but concentrated on the wrong one. He didn't really know what people wanted of him. He shouldn't really have worried about that at all. He just tried a little too hard. He wasn't a bad man. In fact he was quite a nice man and I have a real affection for him. I like all my characters I play or create, to be honest."