Ricky Gervais feared Scottish crowds

Ricky Gervais has admitted that he used to fear the prospect of performing in front of Scottish audiences.

The comedian revealed that he heard horror stories about Scots before crossing the border to perform his first stand-up tour 'Animals' in 2003.

Gervais told the Daily Record: "Ever since I did 'Animals', I've absolutely loved doing stand-up in Glasgow and Edinburgh. I started the 'Politics' tour there and I did 'Fame' first there as well.

"Before I went there, people kept saying: 'Ooh, if they don't like you in Scotland, they'll let you know'.

"They told me things like: 'Des O'Connor faked a heart attack to avoid having to go on stage'. I was thinking: 'Jesus, what do they do? Is there a cage?' And they were the loveliest, most responsive crowds."

Gervais's next comedy jaunt 'Science' will kick off at Glasgow's Armadillo later this month.