Ricky Gervais has given his verdict on awards shows – and yep, it's pretty damning.

The actor, who returns to television with his new Netflix show After Life this Friday (March 8), famously hosted the Golden Globes on four occasions with some brilliantly scathing jokes about the movie industry and its stars.

Speaking recently to Digital Spy, Ricky shared his negative opinion of Hollywood awards ceremonies, dubbing them "tedious" and "terrible".

"I don't think I've ever watched an awards show that I wasn't presenting," he said.

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"They're all tedious. They're just terrible. It's not a spectator sport seeing people mutually hug and tell everyone how wonderful they are. I tried to make it a spectator sport by putting a spanner in the works."

But would he ever present the biggest awards bash of them all – the Oscars?

"Yes I would, if they said I could do what I wanted – and they never would," he declared. "I'd do it the same as I did the Golden Globes, and they know that, and they've never asked me, because they take it too seriously.

"No-one really cares – no-one really cares about films [laughs] – but they would never let me bring the tone down."

preview for Ricky Gervais' After Life trailer (Netflix)

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The actor and stand-up is no stranger to some risqué comedy, and speaking to Digital Spy, he shared his belief that there are performers who are "too scared to offend now".

"There's nothing you can say that someone, somewhere, won't misinterpret and find offensive," Gervais added.

"You'll say, 'Why did the chicken cross the road?' and they'll say, 'Hey, dude, my chicken died yesterday.' There's always something for someone to find offensive."

After Life launches Friday (March 8) exclusively on Netflix.


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Louise McCreesh
Louise McCreesh is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy.