Ricky Gervais is the latest celebrity to make a stop on Sesame Street - which is celebrating its 40th anniversary. And the visit is anything from tame on and off the 'Sesame Workshop' production's cameras.
In the episode Gervais shows up to deliver a "celebrity lullaby" when Elmo can't sleep and sings the Muppet a song about the letter 'n'.
"Well, Elmo was having trouble sleeping," Gervais explains in an on set interview with the red Muppet. "And as everyone knows the best letter to get someone to sleep is all things with the letter 'n.' Like nap." Elmo then adds, "And neighbours." Then the actor and the Muppet start improving like a comedy team.
"Neighbours," Gervais muses. "Although it's spelt funny, isn't it?" Gervais, doing a parody of the Sesame Street style, offers an alternative. "You should spell it n-a-y-b-e-r-s," and then looks into the camera, says, "Neighbours. Neighbours."
When hamming it up with Elmo, Gervais jokes that he agreed to do Sesame Street before he found out he wasn't getting paid, (a gag he keeps running throughout his on-set interview with Elmo).
Later he says more seriously, "It's an iconic show. I remember it as a kid. If it's good enough for people like De Niro and Stevie Wonder then that's good company to keep. And it's funny. They're just great and it's so much funnier that I ever thought it would be as well because the guy who does Elmo is just - it's just so well done and so natural. It's great fun."
At one point the team start really getting into it - Elmo pretends to bite Gervais and Gervais playfully responds, "Right, when the cameras go off you're dead you little..." prompting a laugh from Elmo.
At the end of their interview, Elmo invites Gervais back to Sesame Street, to which Gervais responds, "Did the first one for free. Maybe get a little bit of money for the next one," cracking up Elmo once again.
During his Sesame Street visit Gervais also teaches Grover the word 'stumble' and sings a number about bare feet called, 'Set Your Piggies Free'.
Sesame Street opens its 40th season with a visit from First Lady Michelle Obama November 10th, 2009. Other celebrity visitors this season include Kobe Bryant, Jake Gyllenhaal, Cameron Diaz, Hugh Jackman and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The episode featuring Ricky Gervais airs November 18th in the US.
APTN