Gervais plans alternative Golden Globes podcast

CONTROVERSIAL Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais says he is unlikely to present the ceremony for a third time in 2012, but whoever gets the gig instead of him could still end up being overshadowed after the comic revealed that he wanted to run a live podcast during the event, with the likes of Jon Stewart, Larry David and Chris Rock joining him to provide commentary on proceedings.

Writing on his blog, Gervais put forward the idea of a live three-hour podcast during the event featuring "me and a few chums doing our own alternative commentary". He explained: "People at home can have the telly on with the sound down listening to us online say things that no broadcaster could get away with. No one could do a fucking thing.

"The biggest live webcast ever? Who knows? Who cares? What's fun is the shit we might come out with. No money. No sponsor. No guide lines. Fuck me I can't wait."

Quite what the organisers think of the idea is not yet known, but Gervais said the suggestion had gone down well with his fans. In a later post he said: "We've had offers of sponsorship, technical support and a bunch of comedians up for it."

Perhaps Gervais is still smarting from the reaction to his performance as host this year. Some of his material was considered too close to the bone for the Hollywood establishment and it was even rumoured that he had been blacklisted as a result. Since then he has consistently defended himself and said the podcast idea was about "new horizons, new technologies and artistic freedom".

He wrote: "If I actually do it, it will show people how tame my official hosting was last year. I still can't quite understand how anyone would think I overstepped the mark, was cruel, or pushed any boundaries of taste and decency. It was a network friendly gentle ribbing of the industry. Nothing more. I didn't even dress as Hitler in the end."

However, as with most things related to Gervais, all is not as straightforward as it appears. Last month he claimed that despite the furore that he had created over the last two years he had been asked to present the awards for a third time next year. But he told an audience at the Edinburgh Festival: "I am [considering the offer] but I shouldn't do it. 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?"

To muddy the waters even further he then explained on his blog that the podcast might not happen. "I might not even be available," he said. "Who knows, I might be at The Golden Globes." ·