Editing Stephen Merchant (section)

==Career==
===Early career===
Merchant began his career performing stand-up comedy at Bristol's Comedy Box, where, he recalled: "The first week I did really well. The second week I died on my arse. I realised that stand-up was not that easy after all."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Byrnes |first1=Sholto |title=Stephen Merchant: The Office boy |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/stephen-merchant-the-office-boy-299623.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/stephen-merchant-the-office-boy-299623.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=19 August 2018 |work=Independent |date=17 July 2005}}</ref> He also appeared as a contestant on a 1997 episode of the TV game show ''[[Blockbusters (UK game show)|Blockbusters]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=I'll have a TV career please, Bob: four famous contestants|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2012-05-14/ill-have-a-tv-career-please-bob-four-famous-blockbusters-contestants|publisher=Radio Times|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> and worked for a short time as a DJ for [[Radio Caroline]].<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=Stephen Merchant |url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/s/33386/stephen_merchant?review=33386&type=3 |access-date=19 November 2015 |website=[[Chortle]] |publisher=}}</ref>

Merchant met [[Ricky Gervais]] for the first time in 1997 when Gervais (in the position Head of Speech at the radio station [[XFM London]]), hired Merchant as his assistant.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news|last1=Harvey|first1=Chris|title=Stephen Merchant interview: 'I'll probably get in trouble for saying this...'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-features/11700874/stephen-merchant-interview-mentalists.html|access-date=19 November 2015|work=Telegraph|date=27 June 2015}}</ref> Gervais later said that he had called Merchant for an interview because it was the first [[Curriculum vitae|CV]] handed to him. Merchant and Gervais hosted a Saturday afternoon radio show together from January  to August 1998, when both of them left XFM as it was bought by the [[Capital Radio Group]]. In the same year, Merchant was a finalist at ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' Open Mic Awards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stephen Merchant Stands Up|date=20 March 2007|url=http://londonist.com/2007/03/stephen_merchan|publisher=Londonist|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

Merchant worked for seven months at XFM 104.9. The Saturday show never had a large audience. Gervais said: "It's a tinpot radio station... It's not even the biggest radio station in the building." He created the features 'Hip Hop Hooray', 'Make Ricky Gervais Laugh' and 'Song for the Ladies'. After leaving XFM, Merchant began a production course at the BBC. As part of his coursework, he enlisted Gervais to perform in a 30-minute short film, "Seedy Boss", which became the earliest inspiration for their mock documentary ''[[The Office (UK TV series)|The Office]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jeffries|first1=Stuart|title=The Guardian profile: Ricky Gervais|url=https://www.theguardian.com/profiles/story/0,,1250074,.html|access-date=19 November 2015|work=Guardian|date=30 January 2004}}</ref> They collaborated on a sitcom pilot called ''[[Golden Years (Comedy Lab)|Golden Years]]'' featuring a manager suffering a mid-life crisis. It aired on Channel 4's ''[[Comedy Lab]]'' series in September 1998,<ref>{{cite web|title=Comedy Lab: Season 2, Episode 6 Golden Years|date=8 September 1999|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475285/|publisher=IMDB|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> but the show failed to find further success.

===''The Office'' and return to XFM===
In mid-2001, [[BBC Two]] aired the first series of ''The Office'', co-written and co-directed by Merchant and Gervais and starring the latter as paper sales office manager [[David Brent]]; the show initially received low ratings. Beginning in September 2001, Merchant and Gervais returned to XFM as co-hosts of ''[[The Ricky Gervais Show]]'', another Saturday afternoon programme, which led to their fruitful relationship with producer [[Karl Pilkington]].<ref name=telegraph/>

They took a break from the radio show in mid-2002 in order to film the second series of ''The Office'', which aired that year; in addition to writing and directing the show, Merchant made a cameo performance in the episode "Charity" as a friend of [[Gareth Keenan]]'s character and known by the name Oggy or Oggmonster. Merchant's father also appeared in multiple episodes as an office [[handyman]] named Gordon. Merchant also directed a sitcom pilot called ''[[The Last Chancers]]'', which aired on ''Comedy Lab'' in November 2002 and became a five-part series broadcast in December on [[E4 (channel)|E4]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Last Chancers|url=http://curtisbrown.co.uk/client/anthony-macmurray/work/the-last-chancers-1|publisher=Curtis Brown|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

Merchant and Gervais continued to host ''The Ricky Gervais Show'' through 2003, taking another break to film ''The Office'' Christmas special, which aired that December. The radio show went off the air indefinitely in January 2004. During 2004, Merchant appeared in a recurring role as a chef on ''[[Garth Marenghi's Darkplace]]'' and in a cameo on ''[[Green Wing]]'', and served as a script associate on the [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]] and [[Charlie Brooker]] sitcom ''[[Nathan Barley]]''. The same year, ''The Office'' aired in the [[U.S.]] to critical acclaim. It went on to win the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy]] which both Merchant and Gervais accepted.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Office celebrates two Golden Globe triumphs|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/01_january/office_golden_globes.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> This was followed in 2005 by a 4th series of the radio show, consisting of six episodes.

===U.S. series of ''The Office''===
In March 2005, the [[The Office (American TV series)|American version of ''The Office'']] premiered, with Merchant and Gervais credited as executive producers. They co-wrote the third-season episode "[[The Convict]]", and Merchant directed the fifth-season episode "[[Customer Survey]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Office: Season 5, Episode 6 Customer Survey|date=6 November 2008|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1248750/|publisher=IMDB|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

===Podcast series===
In December 2005, with sponsorship by ''[[The Guardian]]'', Merchant, Gervais, and Pilkington began recording a weekly podcast (also called ''[[The Ricky Gervais Show]]'').<ref>{{cite web|author=Plumplard.com August 2004|url=http://www.rickygervais.com/podcasts2.php|title=Ricky Gervais... Obviously|publisher=Rickygervais.com|access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref> Throughout its first series (through 20 February 2006), it was consistently ranked the most popular in the world, and was certified as the most-downloaded of all time by [[Guinness World Records]]. Two more series and three special installments (the "Podfather Trilogy") were recorded in 2006, with the final episode released on Christmas Eve. In late 2008, they recorded four more podcasts and began a series of audiobooks examining Pilkington's perspective on various subjects.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stephen Merchant Talks|url=http://www.iamrogue.com/news/interviews/item/8097-iar-exclusive-interview-stephen-merchant-talks-movie-43-the-future-of-an-idiot-abroad-and-the-genius-of-karl-pilkington.html|publisher=I Am Rogue|access-date=19 November 2015|archive-date=19 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119202243/http://www.iamrogue.com/news/interviews/item/8097-iar-exclusive-interview-stephen-merchant-talks-movie-43-the-future-of-an-idiot-abroad-and-the-genius-of-karl-pilkington.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===''Extras''===
In July 2005, following a brief return of the XFM radio show (filling in for [[Adam and Joe]]), Gervais and Merchant's new sitcom ''[[Extras (TV series)|Extras]]'' premiered on BBC Two. It features Merchant in a supporting role as [[Darren Lamb]], the incompetent agent to struggling actor [[Andy Millman]], played by Gervais. Series 2 of ''Extras'' aired in late 2006, followed by a Christmas special in December 2007; all three installments aired on [[HBO]] in the United States. Merchant won a 2006 [[British Comedy Award]] for Best TV Actor for his performance as Lamb,<ref>{{cite news|author=Owen Gibson|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,1971460,00.html|title=Tate and Merchant win comedy awards|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=14 December 2006|access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref> and the series won a [[Rose d'Or]] for Best Sitcom in 2006<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rose d'Or Light Entertainment Festival (2006) |url=http://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000448/2006/1/ |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=IMDb}}</ref> and a [[Golden Globe Award|Golden Globe]] for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Extras |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/tv-show/extras |access-date=2023-10-22 |website=Golden Globes}}</ref>

===''The Steve Show''===
[[File:StephenMerchantJan2011.jpg|thumb|right|Merchant in January 2011]]
In January 2007, Merchant began hosting his own radio show on [[BBC 6 Music]], airing weekly on Sunday afternoons.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/30/merchant.shtml|title=Stephen Merchant presents new show for BBC 6 Music|publisher=BBC|access-date=17 March 2010}}</ref> Instead of comedy, ''The Steve Show'' focused on toast and music, particularly "new music", defined by Merchant as "music you've not heard before." Many of the songs on the show were suggested by listeners or co-presenters. It also featured several of his friends, including his housemate, his childhood friend, and actor [[Rufus Wright|Rufus Gerrard-Wright]] (who also appeared in an episode of ''[[Extras (TV series)|Extras]]''). A spring search for a "she-J" resulted in the addition of former ''[[Byker Grove]]'' actor Sammy T. Dobson<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/sammy-dobson/person/95277/appearances.html|title=Sammy Dobson|publisher=Tv.com|access-date=17 March 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403092514/http://www.tv.com/sammy-dobson/person/95277/appearances.html|archive-date=3 April 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> joining the ensemble. "The Steve Show" aired for four series and concluded in May 2009.

===Stand-up===
Merchant began performing stand-up comedy in the late 1990s to critical success, though he decided to focus more on his work with writing partner [[Ricky Gervais]] after the success of ''The Office''. He appeared in a revue, called ''Rubbernecker'', at the Café Royal, as part of the [[Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2001|2001 Edinburgh Fringe]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2001-08-03 |title=Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme 2001 by Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society - Issuu |url=https://issuu.com/edinburgh_festival_fringe/docs/2001_fringe_programme |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=issuu.com |language=en}}</ref> alongside Ricky Gervais, [[Jimmy Carr]] and [[Robin Ince]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Logan |first=Brian |date=2009-12-09 |title=Review of the decade: Comedy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2009/dec/09/review-of-the-decade-comedy |access-date=2024-02-10 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

Merchant returned to stand-up with a nationwide tour of the United Kingdom in September 2011, under the title ''Hello Ladies''. The tour, which ended in [[New York City|New York]],<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/15/arts/television/stephen-merchant-moves-from-gervaiss-shadow-to-stand-up.html Profile], nytimes.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref> was later released on [[DVD-Video|DVD]]. In late 2012, it continued in Australia and New Zealand. Merchant performed his first-ever stand-up tour of Scandinavia in October 2014, performing in 11 different cities as part of a European festival circuit.<ref>[http://www.comedyfesteurope.com/tickets Profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107002954/http://www.comedyfesteurope.com/tickets/ |date=7 November 2014 }}, comedyfesteurope.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref> In an interview with [[Marc Maron]], Merchant listed [[Eddie Izzard]], [[Stewart Lee]], [[Ross Noble]] and Jimmy Carr as stand-up comedians he admired and [[John Cleese]] as his main comedic influence.

===''Hello Ladies''===
Merchant's sitcom ''[[Hello Ladies]]'' premiered on 29 September 2013 on [[HBO]], in which he played Stuart Pritchard, a website designer in Los Angeles who unsuccessfully chases beautiful women. It was adapted from his stand-up show of the same name. Merchant's frequent partner Ricky Gervais was not involved in any part of the show which was instead written by Merchant, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. After its initial run of eight episodes, HBO did not renew the show for a second season<ref>[http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/hello-ladies-cancelled-no-season-two-31327 ''Hello Ladies'' not renewed by HBO], tvseriesfinale.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref> but aired a special movie on 22 November 2014, that served as the series' last episode.<ref>[http://www.stephenmerchant.com Stephen Merchant official website]; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref>

===Other work===
Merchant has played small roles in the films ''[[Hot Fuzz]]'' (2007), ''[[Run Fatboy Run]]'' (2007), and ''[[The Invention of Lying]]'' (2009). He has a supporting role in the 2010 film ''[[Tooth Fairy (2010 film)|Tooth Fairy]]''. On television, Merchant made a cameo appearance in a non-speaking role on the [[24 (season 6)|sixth-season]] premiere of ''[[24 (TV series)|24]]''; he also starred as a sports commentator in the unaired pilot ''No Skillz''. In 2009, Merchant and Gervais collaborated on the film ''[[Cemetery Junction (film)|Cemetery Junction]]'', set in [[working class|working-class]] England in the 1970s, which received mixed reviews on release in 2010.

Later in 2010, Gervais and Merchant wrote, and had cameo roles in, ''[[Life's Too Short (TV series)|Life's Too Short]]'', a television show starring [[Warwick Davis]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.warwickdavis.co.uk/lifes-too-short-bbc-pilot-1|title=Warwick Davis official website|publisher=Warwickdavis.co.uk|access-date=23 January 2012|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215173237/http://www.warwickdavis.co.uk/lifes-too-short-bbc-pilot-1|url-status=dead}}</ref> For television, Merchant and Gervais also produced ''[[An Idiot Abroad]]''. In 2011, Merchant lent his voice to the CGI film ''[[Gnomeo & Juliet]]'' and had a role in the [[Farrelly brothers]]' comedy ''[[Hall Pass (film)|Hall Pass]]''. In 2013 he starred in ''[[I Give It a Year]]'' as the best man.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stephenmerchant.com/news/2012/11/22/i-give-it-a-year-next-year|title=I give it a year next year|publisher=www.stephenmerchant.com|date=22 November 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=1 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203212624/http://www.stephenmerchant.com/news/2012/11/22/i-give-it-a-year-next-year/|archive-date=3 February 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

On 18 October 2013, he hosted an episode of the panel show ''[[Have I Got News for You]]''<ref>[https://twitter.com/haveigotnews/status/391201492989796352 Merchant on twitter], twitter.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref> and was featured in ''[[Short Poppies]]''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMXo19EipFc Merchant on YouTube (1)], youtube.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref> In 2014 he made an appearance in ''[[Modern Family]]''{{'}}s "[[Las Vegas (Modern Family)|Las Vegas]]" episode.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkGwO1sksWA Merchant on YouTube (2)], youtube.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref>

In January 2011, Merchant appeared alongside many other comedians at the 'Free Fringe Benefit' at the [[Bloomsbury Theatre]], London, in a show of stand-up to benefit the [[Free Fringe]] at the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.<ref>{{cite web|title=Free Fringe Benefit 2011|url=http://www.officiallondontheatre.co.uk/london-shows/show/item113641/Free-Fringe-Benefit-2011/|publisher=Official London Theatre|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>

Merchant is the voice of [[Wheatley (Portal)|Wheatley]] in [[Valve Corporation|Valve]]'s 2011 video game ''[[Portal 2]]'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Kollar|first=Phil|title=Portal 2 Has A Release Date and a New Voice Actor|url=https://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/08/18/portal-2-has-a-release-date.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819184003/http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/08/18/portal-2-has-a-release-date.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=19 August 2010|work=[[Game Informer Magazine]]|publisher=GameStop Corporation|date=18 August 2010|access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> a role which earned him widespread acclaim among reviewers.<ref name="ew review">{{cite magazine|last=Young|first=John|title='Portal 2' Videogame Review: Physics is Phunny|url=https://ew.com/article/2011/04/20/portal-2-review|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=20 April 2011|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref> He has stated that while the project was "exhausting", he is also "very pleased by the response people have had to it. What I was really pleased by how people seemed to respond to it in the way they do with a movie they've enjoyed, or a TV show they've enjoyed."<ref>{{cite web|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|title=Portal 2's Wheatley Found it all "Exhausting"|url=http://kotaku.com/5801430/portal-2s-wheatley-found-it-all-exhausting|work=Kotaku.com|publisher=Gawker Media|date=13 May 2011|access-date=13 May 2011}}</ref> In 2013, he reprised this role as the voice of the Ap-Sap in ''[[Team Fortress 2]]'', a weapon based on the Wheatley core.

Merchant has provided the voice-over since 2009 of advertisements for [[Barclays]] and [[Waterstones]]. In 2014, he starred in two commercials for [[Newcastle Brown Ale]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1YvJBwC4xQ Merchant on YouTube (3)], youtube.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQcPZWctDfM Merchant on YouTube (4)], youtube.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref> and for the [[Cadillac]] 2015 ATS Coupe.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=irresistible+2015+coupe Merchant on YouTube (5)], youtube.com; accessed 8 March 2015.</ref>

He is an executive producer for the [[Spike (TV network)|Spike]] show ''[[Lip Sync Battle]]'' and, in July 2015, Merchant opened his first play, ''[[The Mentalists]]'' by [[Richard Bean]], alongside [[Steffan Rhodri]] in London's West End.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Mentalists Play|url=http://www.thementaliststheplay.com|website=The Mentalists Official Site|ref=37}}</ref> He appeared in three episodes of ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' as Dave Gibbs, a guy Amy dates after she breaks up with Sheldon.

He has portrayed [[George Washington]] and [[Abraham Lincoln]] on the [[Comedy Central]] series ''[[Drunk History]]''. Through the show's first four seasons, Merchant is the only actor to play the same historical figure (Lincoln) twice.

He hosted a special celebrity edition of the cult UK game show ''[[The Crystal Maze]]'', on [[Channel 4]] on 16 October 2016, in aid of the network's [[Stand Up to Cancer]] campaign in partnership with [[Cancer Research UK]].

In 2017, Merchant played Caliban in the [[X-Men]] movie  ''[[Logan (film)|Logan]]''.<ref name="Merchant-Wolverine">{{cite news|last1=Hipes|first1=Patrick|title=Stephen Merchant To Star With Hugh Jackman In 'Wolverine 3'|url=https://deadline.com/2016/04/stephen-merchant-wolverine-3-hugh-jackman-x-men-1201745268/|access-date=28 April 2016|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=28 April 2016}}</ref> Merchant, along with [[John Krasinski]] and Allyson Seeger, are executive producers of ''[[Dream Corp, LLC]]'', an animated series created by Daniel Stessen on [[Adult Swim]] that ran for three seasons starting in 2016.<ref name="Stanhope">{{Citation|mode=cs1|last=Stanhope|first=Kate|date=17 November 2015|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/john-krasinski-stephen-merchant-animated-840727|title=John Krasinski, Stephen Merchant Animated Comedy Picked Up to Series at Adult Swim|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|publisher=[[Prometheus Global Media]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119131035/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/john-krasinski-stephen-merchant-animated-840727|archive-date=19 November 2015|url-status=live|access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref>

On 31 March 2018, Merchant was a guest announcer on ''[[Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway]]''. On Christmas Eve 2018, Merchant appeared with [[Asim Chaudhry]] in odd-couple Christmas road-trip comedy ''[[Click & Collect]]'' on [[BBC One]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Rees |first=Jasper |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/12/24/click-collect-review-odd-couple-christmas-road-trip-high-fives/amp/ |title=Click and Collect, review: this odd-couple Christmas road trip high-fives the season of goodwill |publisher=Telegraph.co.uk |date=2018-12-24 |access-date=2019-03-21}}</ref> Merchant also appeared as Nazi Gestapo leader Captain Deertz in director [[Taika Waititi]]'s Oscar-winning ''[[Jojo Rabbit]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/jojo-rabbit-sam-rockwell-stephen-merchant-alfie-allen-interview/|title = Jojo Rabbit: Here's Why Stephen Merchant Wanted to Ruin Sam Rockwell's Takes|website = [[Collider (website)|Collider]]|date = 28 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/stephen-merchant-gestapo-taika-waititi-jojo-rabbit-scarlett-johansson-1202413120/|title = Stephen Merchant to Play Gestapo Agent in Taika Waititi's WWII Satire 'Jojo Rabbit'|date = 19 June 2018}}</ref>

In 2019, Merchant wrote and directed ''[[Fighting with My Family]]'', a biographical sports comedy-drama film, based on the 2012 documentary ''The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family'' by Max Fisher. The film depicts the career of English professional wrestler [[Saraya Bevis]] as she makes her way up [[WWE]], and starred [[Florence Pugh]] and [[Jack Lowden]], as well as [[Dwayne Johnson]] (who also served as a co-producer). ''Fighting with My Family'' grossed $41.5 million worldwide against a budget of $11 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Fighting-With-My-Family-(2019)|title=Fighting With My Family (2019) – Financial Information|website=The Numbers|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref>

In 2021, Merchant appeared in ''[[The Outlaws (2021 TV series)|The Outlaws]]'', a crime thriller comedy drama set in [[Bristol]], which he also co-created, co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/the-offenders-stephen-merchant-renewed-season-2-1234663374/|title=Stephen Merchant's BBC/Amazon Series 'The Offenders' Renewed For Second Season|first=Jake|last=Kanter|date=January 13, 2021}}</ref> A second series aired in 2022<ref>{{Citation |title=The Outlaws - Series 2: Episode 1 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0c70xw3/the-outlaws-series-2-episode-1 |publisher=BBC iPlayer |language=en-GB |access-date=2022-06-06}}</ref> and a third in 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/bristol-filmed-outlaws-returns-third-9254913.amp|website=Bristol Post|accessdate=1 May 2024|title= Bristol-filmed The Outlaws returns for third series|first=Ellie|last=Kendall|date=30 April 2024}}</ref>

Merchant portrayed serial killer [[Stephen Port]] in the 2022 BBC drama ''[[Four Lives]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a26943007/the-barking-murders-stephen-port-serial-killer-grindr-stephen-merchant/|title = The Barking Murders stars Stephen Merchant as you've never seen him before|date = 26 March 2019}}</ref>