Stephen Merchant recalls taking drugs at a 'cool Hollywood party'

Stephen Merchant once accidentally took drugs at a “cool Hollywood party”.

The 46-year-old comedian was at a party hosted by Sarah Silverman when he consumed drugs without realising it.

He said: “I was once at a cool Hollywood party hosted by the comedian Sarah Silverman where I ate a piece of chocolate that I didn’t realise was laced with pot. I was immediately obliterated by it.

“I’m six foot seven but it turns out I do not have the constitution of Willie Nelson.”

Stephen was left in a daze by the drugs and he ended up crashing through a window.

He told the Guardian newspaper: “I went out to get some air and, the next thing I knew, I had just walked through an 8ft plate glass window.

“One minute I was inside, the next I was outside surrounded by shattered glass, and the party had gone silent like a saloon bar in an old western.”

Asked how embarrassed he felt, Stephen added: “It was embarrassment on a cinematic level. But, once I’d worked out I was OK, my first thought was: this could be great for a scene in a TV show.”

Stephen made his mark on British TV alongside Ricky Gervais.

However, the duo decided to go their separate ways years ago and Stephen admits that going solo is “more stressful”.

He said: “It wasn’t a conscious parting of the ways as much as just naturally wanting to do slightly different things.

“I went off to do my show ‘Hello Ladies’, which was based on my stand-up and which was very much about single life, and that wasn’t something Ricky had experienced for a long time.

“I’ve collaborated with various people and I do think that being in the trenches with someone else is really helpful. You don’t feel alone and you have each other’s back. When I’ve done stuff without a partner in crime, it is definitely more stressful.”