CO-CREATOR of The Office and Extras Stephen Merchant is bringing his first ever stand-up comedy tour to town, it was revealed today.

The Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winner is mostly known for his work with Ricky Gervais, who he met while a radio presenter for XFM.

Merchant started his career as a stand-up and in 2001 he shared a bill in four-hander Rubbernecker with Gervais, Jimmy Carr and Robin Ince at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

“Most people don’t realise I was a stand-up comedian before I met Ricky Gervais and his coat-tails. Life can be lonely as a TV writer so this tour is a great opportunity for me to get out there and meet my fans. And make at least one of them my wife,” says the sometime actor.

He’s can currently be seen in Hall Pass with Owen Wilson, has appeared in Tooth Fairy with Dwayne Johnson and had cameos in Hot Fuzz and Run Fat Boy Run alongside Simon Pegg. He directed his first feature film, Cemetery Junction, with Gervais last year.

The Bristolian, along with Gervais and Karl Pilkington, also features in the Guinness Book Of World Records for having the most downloaded internet show of all time, clocking up a staggering 280,000,000 downloads.

Their conversations have since been animated for the cartoon series The Ricky Gervais Show. The second series is currently airing on HBO and will go out on E4 this month.

The same three also appeared in the live-action travelogue series An Idiot Abroad. The highest rated Sky One show since 2008, a second series has just been commissioned.

Stephen Merchant Live: Hello Ladies comes to the Ipswich Regent on November 17. Tickets go on sale from 9.30am this Friday.