Acerbic Ricky Gervais Back to Host Golden Globe

Ricky Gervais will return as host of the Golden Globe Awards in January, his fourth time leading the telecast, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced Monday.

Gervais, whose biting wit and barbs directed at the celebrities in attendance often drew cringes from the star-studded crowd -- but also helped boost ratings for the show, hosted the Globes from 2010-12. The ceremony has been hosted for the past three years by the team of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

“Ricky Gervais left us with a lasting impression and we are thrilled to have him back in our show as we honor the best in film and television,” HFPA President Lorenzo Soria said. “His off-the-cuff wit and quirky charm will surely have the room and audiences around the world at the edge of their seats.”

Gervais rose to fame when he created the British hit show “The Office,” which led to the creation of the NBC version that ran for nine seasons. Gervais also created and starred in “Extras,” “Life’s Too Short” and “The Ricky Gervais Show.”

“What will he say? What will he do? We can’t wait to find out, and we are so happy that he’s back,” said Barry Edelman, executive vice president of dick clark productions and executive producer of the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards.

The ceremony will be held Jan. 10 at the Beverly Hilton. Nominations will be announced Dec. 10.

--City News Service, photo courtesy of Disney