Warwick Davis defends Ricky Gervais over criticism

Warwick Davis says \'Life\'s Too Short\' was "ahead of its time" as he defends Ricky Gervais.

The 49-year-old actor collaborated with the 58-year-old comedian and Stephen Merchant, 44, on the 2011 mockumentary, in which he played an arrogant version of himself at the helm of a talent agency of dwarves.

Although the series came under heavy criticism at the time, he told the MailOnline: "As with much of Ricky\'s work it was ahead of it\'s time. It was misunderstood as a sitcom and what we were trying to achieve... In time it settled in nicely. Some people really enjoyed it.

Ricky Gervais Vows to Retire from Creating Television Sitcoms

"There was no malice, I created it with [Ricky and Stephen]... It\'s not like there\'s a manipulation, which some people thought, "We were holding a mirror to society and saying this is what it can be like and this is what you can be like. Some of these things are a mis-reaction to what I\'m saying."

Warwick - who was born with a rare condition called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita (SED) - never grew taller than 3\'6", and while he admitted Ricky pushes "boundaries" but every joke is carefully planned out.

He added: "Ricky does push the boundaries but he\'ll never make a joke and not be able to explain it or have an answer it. Whereas other comedy can be not so well thought through and cause real offence...

Ricky Gervais teases After Life series 3

"He is a much more intelligent comedian than to fall into that trap. He\'s a really nice guy. I worked with him on various projects. I re-watched \'Extras\' recently and some of the issues he tackles are just oh so clever..."