"THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW," THE ANIMATED COMEDY SERIES BASED ON THE SMASH-HIT PODCAST, RETURNS FOR ITS THIRD SEASON APRIL 20, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW, the animated comedy series based on the record-breaking podcast, returns to HBO for its 13-episode third season FRIDAY, APRIL 20 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), with other new episodes debuting subsequent Fridays at the same time. The voices are recorded by Ricky Gervais, his longtime collaborator, Stephen Merchant, and Gervais' colleague and friend, Karl Pilkington, whose offbeat musings inspire many of the storylines.

THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW animates the podcast that first appeared on the Guardian website, subsequently earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads. In March 2011, the podcast reportedly passed the 300 million download mark.

Topics covered in season three include: Karl ruminating on museum collections, his invention of the mug coaster, a movie pitch, and Karl, Stephen and Ricky shedding new light on charitable causes.

April's episodes:

Episode #27: "Bryan's Brain" Debut: FRIDAY, APRIL 20 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT) Other HBO playdates: April 20 (12:30 a.m.), 22 (3:40 a.m.), 23 (11:45 p.m.) and 24 (midnight) HBO2 playdates: April 21 (8:30 p.m.) and 26 (2:15 a.m.) Ricky, Stephen and Karl discuss Karl's theory on how museums procure items for their collections (stealing), his invention for a special mug coaster, and his disappointment that the pocket tie never caught on. Also, Karl pitches his new idea for a film about a man whose brain is transplanted into Tom Cruise's body.

Episode #28: "Comic Relief" Debut: FRIDAY, APRIL 27 (9:00-9:30 p.m.) Other HBO playdates: April 27 (midnight), 29 (4:05 a.m.) and 30 (11:00 p.m.), and May 1 (midnight) HBO2 playdates: April 28 (8:30 p.m.) and May 3 (1:20 a.m.) Karl discusses why he believes a will is a form of charity, and how his attorney suggested he marry his girlfriend for tax purposes. After Stephen recalls being the only kid in his school to dress in a costume for Comic Relief Day, Karl shares his idea that there should be one, and only one, charitable cause per year.

THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW has inspired critical praise, with the New York Times saying the series is "proof that big laughs can come in small doses," while the New York Post described the show as "crazy fun," and the Houston Chronicle observed that the show's "pointless conversations will keep you in stitches."

THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW is produced for HBO Entertainment by Media Rights Capital in association with Wildbrain Entertainment; executive producers, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Karl Pilkington, Glyn Hughes, Bob Higgins, Lisa Ullmann and Steve Patrick; supervising producer, Margaret M. Dean; producer, Pamela J. Arseneau; director, Dan Fraga.