Ricky Gervais has found a buyer for his £2.95million riverside home just days after putting it up for sale, as he plans to marry his partner after 44 years together.
The comedian and actor, 65, mainly lives in a £14.75million nine-bed mansion in Hampstead, north-west London.
He bought the property in Buckinghamshire, which he described as his ‘little country retreat’, for £2.75million in 2014.
Mr Gervais finally got council approval this year to demolish the four-bedroom house dating back to the 1920s and replace it with a Grand Designs-style mansion after a two-year planning battle.
But he instead has decided to sell and already found a buyer within days – but it likely means The Office star is taking a financial hit on the property.
He’ll have paid 7 per cent stamp duty at the time in addition to legal and agent costs for buying and selling.
The comedian and his partner Jane Fallon, 65, will have spent a small fortune on hiring architects and consultants in the elongated planning battle.
The star revealed last month that he and Ms Fallon were finally marrying to avoid a huge inheritance bill when one of them dies.
Ricky Gervais has found a buyer for his £2.95million riverside home just days after putting it up for sale
He bought the property in Buckinghamshire, which he described as his ‘little country retreat’, for £2.75million in 2014
The star revealed last month that he and Ms Fallon were finally marrying to avoid a huge inheritance bill when one of them dies
Mr Gervais had spent decades insisting that marriage was pointless but told of his change of heart just five months after Ms Fallon disclosed in March that she had breast cancer.
Asked whether tax was a good reason to wed, Gervais said: ‘It is. And that will be the reason I marry. But if it wasn’t for that… why? It’s mad.
‘How more married can you be? We share all our money, we’ve been living together for 40 years. Some marriages don’t last a year.’
Conceding he may need to make things official sooner rather than later, he told Saga Magazine: ‘It’s horrible isn’t it? I’ve got to get around to marrying before I die.’
Unmarried couples do not benefit from an exemption that allows an estate to be passed to a surviving husband, wife or civil partner free of inheritance tax.
Without it, tax is charged at 40 per cent above the tax-free threshold of £325,000 which would be expensive for the creator of TV’s docu-soap parody The Office, who owns a property portfolio worth millions.
This could eat up a substantial chunk of his £53million fortune, which includes this home, one in London and two flats in New York.
The Thames-side pad will give the buyer the choice of living in the current house, which has a mooring and tennis court, or replacing it with a new dream home.
Yet any potential buyer may be deterred by plans to build a house on next door’s empty plot. If they decide to stick with the original home, they could face two years of construction.
This isn’t ideal considering the idyllic, peaceful Buckinghamshire location.
Mr Gervais had his initial plans to build a new neo-Georgian mansion turned down as it didn’t meet local and national guidelines, plus the estate had been flooded five times since 1947.
The approved plans for a new house include building a 26ft-wide flood buffer zone along the Thames and raising the ground floor by 3ft to help prevent flooding.
Mr Gervais finally got council approval this year to demolish the four-bedroom house dating back to the 1920s and replace it with a Grand Designs-style mansion after a two-year planning battle
But he instead has decided to sell and already found a buyer within days
Estate agents Savills describe the existing house as being ‘a detached family home in an outstanding position’
It will enable the house on the site to be replaced with a mansion boasting an entrance hall, gym, drawing room, reading area, lift and master bedroom with a terrace overlooking the tennis court and pond.
A planning agent acting for Mr Gervais had argued in a design statement that the current house in Marlow was of ‘poor design quality’ with a ‘disjointed internal layout’.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead finally gave the green light, but Mr Gervais would have to obtain a special flood permit.
He’d also need to obtain a bat licence from Natural England after 333 soprano pipistrelle bats were recorded emerging from the dwelling back in 2023.
The local authority said ‘a peak of 276 bats were seen to emerge in 2025.’ To mitigate any disturbance, Mr Gervais promised to build a new bat loft in his garage, as well as erecting two bat boxes in nearby trees.
Mr Gervais’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
Estate agents Savills describe the existing house as being ‘a detached family home in an outstanding position’ with ‘generous’ car parking.
The details add: ‘An extraordinary opportunity to acquire a house on the river in Marlow with a private mooring. Options for living in the house as current, or rebuilding with full planning consent in place.’
Savills goes on to say that the house is in ‘a wonderfully private and secluded setting’ and in ‘a superb position on the banks of the River Thames, thoughtfully orientated to make the most of its exceptional riverside setting’.
The listing states: ‘Whilst the home is ready to be enjoyed, this property also presents an exciting opportunity with full planning permission granted for the replacement of the existing dwelling with a substantial four-bedroom home, together with a detached carport/store and associated works.
‘The extensive grounds are bordered by mature trees, creating a leafy backdrop and a strong sense of privacy.’
