Stephen Merchant (born in Bristol, England, in 1974) is an actor, comedian, radio host, writer and director. He is best known for his work writing ''Series/TheOfficeUK'' and ''{{Series/Extras}}'' with Creator/RickyGervais, and playing a recurring character in the latter. He also has had a pretty successful career in voice acting, including voicing Paris in ''GnomeoAndJuliet'', Mr Phillips in ''WesternAnimation/BromwellHigh'' and {{SelfDemonstrating/Wheatley}} in ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}''.

Merchant often works with Creator/RickyGervais and Creator/KarlPilkington.

He is currently on a stand-up tour and starring in the HBO sitcom ''Series/HelloLadies''.
!!Tropes associated with Stephen Merchant:
* {{Adorkable}}: Glasses? Check. Shy? Check. Gangly? Check. Nerdy? Check. Desire to be more rock and roll but never quite being able to pull it off? Double check.
* BerserkButton: He's pretty sensitive about his height and doesn't like people making such a big deal out of it. Likewise, he can get pretty bitter if he's reminded of how unsuccessful his love life has been.
** He also seems to hate being called an "invalid" as one episode of ''Radio/TheRickyGervaisShow'' indicates.
*** For those who aren't familiar with the insult, being called an "invalid" is like being called "worthless" or a "moron". Yes, he [[VideoGame/{{Portal 2}} hates being called a "moron".]]
*** It's also a gentle way of saying disabled. Makes that moment even more awkward...
* BowtiesAreCool: He wore a bow tie to school when he was a kid, entirely of his own volition. His opinion of them now is up in the air.
* {{Catchphrase}}: "Man alive!"
* FatAndSkinny: He is often seen with fellow comedian and friend Ricky Gervais.
* GameShowAppearance: [[ Was on Blockbusters before he made it big.]] It was incorporated into a scene in ''Series/TheOfficeUK'' with a character who had been on Blockbusters.
* GentleGiant: He's ''6 feet 7 inches'' tall, and yet he's said to be quite shy.
* HeightAngst: His height is something of a source of annoyance for him.
* MotorMouth: If he wants to, [[ he can really let the words fly]].
* UnluckyEverydude: He has poor luck with getting dates.