Ricky Gervais has claimed that, despite allegedly appalling half of Hollywood when hosting The Golden Globes, he was invited back to present the show for a third time. In a public interview with Richard Bacon, he was asked whether he was seriously considering the offer.

“I am, but I shouldn’t do it,” he said. “It’s a second encore. Don’t do a second encore. I don’t think I should do it. What am I going back as?” Readers will recall that Ricky made some notably colourful comments about the private habits of such stars as Robert Downey Jr and Charlie Sheen.

In that interview, he also suggested that the folks at the Oscars made tentative inquiries. ABC television, which presents the Oscars, denied any such approach had been made.