‘The Office’ Creator, Ricky Gervais, Confirmed For Cameo In U.S. Version

Ricky Gervais’ future as an awards show host may be up in the air – but at least, he’s got an “Office” job to fall back on.

The British funnyman will guest star on the January 27 episode of “The Office,” NBC has confirmed to Access Hollywood.

Of course, as the star and creator of the UK version of the show, which eventually spawned the Steve Carell-starring U.S. series, Ricky (who also holds an executive producer credit on the NBC series) is no stranger to the franchise.

A David Brent (Ricky’s character in the UK series) and Michael Scott (Steve’s character) face-off has long been rumored, and according to New York Magazine’s Vulture blog, the episode was shot back in September when Ricky was in town for the Emmys.

However, fans may not want to get too excited for a heavy dose of David Brent.

U.S. “The Office” star and producer Paul Lieberstein – who plays Toby – told Vulture that fans won’t want to look away during the first few moments of the episode.

“It’s a little more than if you blink, you’ll miss it, but if you don’t set your TiVo right, you’ll miss it,” Paul revealed.

In addition, don’t expect a Dunder-Mifflin showdown between the small screen’s best two paper pushers.

“It’s outside of the office, and it’s just the two of them interacting,” Paul added. “It’s just a little nod to Steve and his final year.”

According to NBC, the episode (titled “The Seminar”) focuses on Ed Helms’ character, Andy Bernard, who with his sales at an all-time low, “holds a small business seminar with the help of some special guests.”

As previously reported, this will be Steve Carell’s final season as Michael Scott on “The Office,” although the series is expected to continue on with him.