By now, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that comedian Ricky Gervais is something of an animal lover, so imagine our surprise (or lack of) to learn that he's taken aim once again at the practice of animal testing.
The comedian is an outspoken advocate for animal rights but his latest rant is fairly comprehensive, pretty much destroying any arguments that they should be used in the testing of any products whatsoever - medical or otherwise.
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Speaking to Radio 5 Live, Gervais said: "It doesn't work - 93 percent of all experiments that work on animals then fail and are dangerous to humans, because the models don't work. Computer models work better than animal testing."
He went on to claim: "It's propaganda because people who breed beagles make £1,000 or £2,000 per dog, universities get kick backs from farmer companies to do research... it doesn't work and it's cruel. You've got to end animal testing.
"Some people think, 'Oh yeah, but what about cancer and AIDS?' I understand that but there's no ambiguity about shampoo and cosmetics. That's mental - putting stuff in rabbits' eyes and torturing them to death. Don't get shampoo in your eyes, it stings, done."
He added: "And then the medical stuff, it doesn't work, it's cruel and it doesn't work. You've got me worked up again here."
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According to animal rights charity PETA, the 57-year-old isn't far off the mark with his figures either.
The organisation's site claims that actually 95 percent of all experiments which prove successful on animals go on to fail in human trials, as they are found to be too dangerous.
It says: "Of the small percentage of drugs approved for human use, half end up being re-labelled because of side effects that were not identified in tests on animals."
And in terms of research into finding a cure for different cancers, the charity says: "A survey of 4,451 experimental cancer drugs developed between 2003 and 2011 found that more than 93 percent failed after entering the first phase of human clinical trials, even though all had been tested successfully on animals."
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Away from fighting for animal rights, Gervais is on the press tour to promote his new series, After Life, which landed on Netflix last week.
The show itself follows Tony, played by Gervais, whose life is turned on its head after his wife Lisa (Kerry Godliman) suddenly dies and he swaps his nice-guy persona for an impulsive, devil-may-care attitude to the world.
And here's some good news - the funnyman has already confirmed he's planning a second series. Speaking to the Metro, he said: "I always do that just in case I die!
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"Now I've thought about it, and I really would like to do a second series because I fell in love with the characters and I've got an idea of where it can go.
"The second series is always better. Usually because you know the actors.
"There's a little clue at the end of series one when he [Tony] says, 'I'm just going to use my superpower for good.' He can still be an asshole, and just enjoy it more."
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