Ricky Gervais Pitches Animation Debut ‘Alley Cats’ at Annecy Masterclass: “I Could Make This Forever”

Ricky Gervais really likes being a cat.

“I don’t have to do hair and makeup, I don’t have to get up early,” Gervais said about playing the chubby foul-mouthed tabby Gus in his new Netflix animated series Alley Cats. “The cats never get old. So as I get older and fatter, I can still sit in a chair and continue to make this forever.”

Gervais presented the first two, 15-minute episodes of Alley Cats to the Annecy crowd on Thursday and discussed the making of the show in a one-hour masterclass. He was greeted with thunderous applauses and a spontaneous chorus of “Happy Birthday” (Gervais turned 65 today).

The British creator of The Office and Extras wrote and co-directed the series, with Elliot Dear, who helmed the “All Through The House” episode from season two of Netflix’s Love Death and Robots. The show follows the adventures of a gang of British alley cats, led by Gervais’ Gus. Tom Basden, Andrew Brooke, David Earl, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley and Diane Morgan round out the voice cast.

Gervais and the cast recorded all the dialog for the series before a single frame of animation was shot. The cast recorded together in the same room, not the typical practice for animation, so they could improv lines and bounce ideas off one another.

“I told them ‘Don’t do cartoon voices. Talk as you normally do,'” said Gervais, explaining the show’s naturalistic feel. “I wanted everything to be realistic. Except for the fact that the cats talk.”

Gervais’ trademark style appears to have survived the man-to-cat transfer. The series combines potty-mouthed put-downs with more sentimental story lines. As Netflix’s promotional blurb puts it: “Gervais’ signature style of heart and social commentary that audiences have come to expect.” The Alley Cats tagline says it all: “Nine lives, zero fucks.”

The first season of six, 15-minute Alley Cats episodes drops on Netflix Aug. 7. Check out the Alley Cats trailer below.

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