No tours for Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais has ruled out any plans for a national tour because he doesn't think big theatres suit his style of comedy.

The Office star reckons he's not experienced enough to demand the ticket prices such venues would expect.

He is performing his stand-up show Animals at London's Bloomsbury Theatre next week but still has only a couple of dozen gigs to his name.

"I don't think I can begin to justify people paying something like £25 to see me," he told London's Time Out magazine.

"That's not false modesty, it's because I always want to give value for money."

And he dismissed the idea of a tour by saying: "Sixty dates in 1,000-seaters - I think that's cabaret. That's clowning. That's shouting.

"I don't jump and shout. I want people to see the face. With my stand-up it should be more like watching TV."

Gervais wrote Animals in a couple of days, whilst filming The Office.

He adds: "It's anecdotes and stories, not high-intensity gag writing. That's why it was easy to cobble together."