Netflix is releasing a Christmas Day special that will “break the internet”

Cameron Frew
A still from Ricky Gervais: Armageddon on Netflix

This Christmas, a world-famous comedian is dropping a new comedy special on Netflix – and he’s expecting it to “break the internet.”

Picture the scene: you’re sitting in your living room, barely conscious after a mighty feast, surrounded by torn-apart gift paper and sweetie wrappers. The kids are off playing with their new toys (or scrolling through TikTok on their new iPhone or iPad), the dog is wiped out after all the excitement, and you’ve finally got an hour or so to yourself.

You have a few options: you can put on a festive movie of your choosing, you could check out what’s on the telly (likely Mrs Brown’s Boys, at which point it’ll be turned right back off), or you could enjoy a nap.

Or, how about this: you open Netflix and watch a new long-awaited special from one of the highest-grossing comedy tours in history.

Ricky Gervais: Armageddon special hits Netflix on Christmas Day

Ricky Gervais: Armageddon, a recording of the comedian’s sell-out tour at the London Palladium, will premiere on Netflix on Christmas Day.

“For the next 2000 years, December the 25th will be remembered as the day #Armageddon dropped on Netflix,” the stand-up comic tweeted, also writing: “You ready to break the internet?”

The tour saw Gervais win the Guinness World Record for the highest gross for a single stand-up performance ever following his show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Unsurprisingly, after the success of Humanity and SuperNature on the streamer, Netflix bought the rights to Armageddon and will unleash it on viewers this Christmas.

It was also nominated for a Golden Globe, to which Gervais wrote: “Record-Breaking Tour, On Netflix Christmas Day, Golden Globe Nomination. What a cracking f***ing year Cheers #Armageddon.”

However, as expected, it has been the subject of controversy. More specifically, a preview of the tour included jokes about terminally ill children, sparking the ire of celebrities and charities. A petition has since been launched demanding that Netflix remove the skit, and while it’s racked up more than 5,000 signatures, the platform has yet to respond to the backlash.

Netflix’s synopsis for the special reads: “The BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning mind behind The Office, Extras and Afterlife takes the stage for a provocative new stand-up special, riffing on the end of humanity, political correctness, family weddings, funerals, and Artificial Intelligence.”

Ricky Gervais: Armageddon hits Netflix on December 25. Check out our other hubs below:

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