RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND 2 - THE STAND-UP SPECIAL, FEATURING THE SUPERSTAR IN HIS SECOND HBO STAND-UP SPECIAL, DEBUTS THIS DECEMBER

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 7, 2010 - HBO favorite Ricky Gervais will return to the network this December in his second American TV stand-up special, it was announced today by Nancy Geller, senior vice president, HBO Original Programming. Taping before a live audience at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND 2 - THE STAND-UP SPECIAL will feature material from his latest sold-out world tour.

"No sacred cow is safe when Ricky Gervais takes the stage," noted Geller. "This new special will feature Ricky at his outrageous best."

"In my first HBO special I covered AIDS, disability, bestiality, rape, racism and famine. This second special is a little darker," says Gervais.

"The Ricky Gervais Show," an animated comedy series based on the record-breaking podcast, voiced by Gervais, his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant and colleague and friend Karl Pilkington, debuted on HBO earlier this year, and returns for a second season in 2011. Gervais' other HBO credits include the series "Extras," which brought him an Emmy(R) for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the Emmy(R)-nominated 2008 presentation "Ricky Gervais: Out of England - The Stand-Up Special."

Gervais and Merchant were also creators of the Golden Globe-winning BBC comedy series "The Office," which received BAFTA and Peabody Awards, among many other honors, and was subsequently seen in more than 100 countries, as well as inspiring the hit American series of the same name. "The Office" continues to be the most successful British comedy of all time.

Gervais' film credits include the upcoming "Cemetery Junction," plus "The Invention of Lying," cptfc "Ghost Town," the "Night at the Museum" movies and "For Your Consideration." Gervais is the only British actor to write and star in "The Simpsons."

Last January, Gervais became the first master of ceremonies to host the Golden Globes since 1995 and will return as host in 2011. He was subsequently named to Time magazine's list of The World's Most Influential People, and more recently received the Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Comedy at the 2010 Banff World Television Festival.

RICKY GERVAIS: OUT OF ENGLAND 2 - THE STAND-UP SPECIAL will be written and executive produced by Ricky Gervais; producers, Pat Tourk Lee and John Moffitt; directed by John Moffitt.