After completing his studies in philosophy at the University of London, Gervais fronted the little-known band Seona Dancing, which scored a minor hit in the Philippines in 1985 with the song "More to Lose." In 1996 he joined a new radio station, XFM, where he hosted a program and met Stephen Merchant, who became a frequent collaborator. During the 1990s Gervais contributed comedy sketches to the BBC TV shows Bruiser and Golden Years, in which he also appeared. He began a regular role on the The 11 O'Clock Show and in 2000 briefly hosted his own talk show, Meet Ricky Gervais.

In July 2001 The Office, a send-up of the contemporary workplace, debuted on BBC television. Created and written by Gervais and Merchant, the situation comedy used a mock documentary style to follow the ups and downs of the staff of Wernham Hogg, a fictional paper company. Gervais starred as David Brent, a boss with serious delusions about his talents as an entertainer and a habit for being outrageously insensitive. The show, which was later broadcast in the United States and elsewhere, ran for only 12 episodes across two seasons and then returned with a two-part Christmas special in 2003. Despite its short run, it was a popular and critical success, winning numerous BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and British Comedy awards as well as two Golden Globe Awards. Gervais and Merchant also were co-executive producers for an American version of The Office that debuted in 2005.

After the success of The Office, Gervais performed stand-up comedy and published a popular series of children's books based on imaginary beasts—Flanimals (2004), More Flanimals (2005), and Flanimals of the Deep (2006). He returned to situation comedy as a struggling actor in Extras, another collaboration with Merchant; it premiered in Britain in July 2005 and then in the United States just two months later. In 2006 Gervais hosted The Ricky Gervais Show, an Internet podcast in which he, Merchant, and Kyle Pilkington engaged in casual (if sometimes bizarre) banter. The weekly show was downloaded by more than 500,000 listeners per episode, making it the most downloaded podcast ever. Gervais also appeared in such movies as For Your Consideration (2006) and Night at the Museum (2006). In 2007 he received an Emmy Award for best actor in a comedy series for his work on Extras. The following year Gervais starred in his first leading role in a feature film when he played a man who emerged from a near-death experience with an ability to see ghosts, in Ghost Town (2008).