Ricky Gervais may find himself embroiled in controversial Twitter hoo-has over his descriptions of humans, but there is no doubting his sincerity when it comes to our furry friends.
The comedy maestro, known for his love of animals, is fronting a brand new organisation, Cruelty Free International, whose work is dedicated to ending cosmetic tests using animals across the world.
The video to accompany the launch shows Gervais in mellow mood, stroking a bunny rabbit, and lamenting the numbers of animals potentially killed in the process of testing a shampoo. Although some countries have moved towards testing their toiletries and cosmetics in other ways without using animals, there is currently no worldwide ban imposed on those practices.
Gervais says of the charity's work:
“It's time to close the door on testing products on animals. Get involved. Please join me in supporting Cruelty Free International in its global mission to consign animal testing for cosmetics to the history books."
Some other charitable TV stars: