Ricky Gervais reveals indecision over accepting a knighthood in the future as he says the honour is 'irrelevant' - after revealing plans to marry long-term partner to avoid inheritance tax

Ricky Gervais has revealed he is not fazed by getting a knighthood in the future as he called the honour 'irrelevant'. Sir David Beckham, Idris Elba, Elton John and Lewis Hamilton are among the stars who have been appointed a knighthood.Despite being one of the most prestigious honours, Ricky said he isn't bothered about receiving one.Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ricky said on Friday: 'I don't think I'll ever be offered it. I don't know. If my mum was alive, I'd definitely do it.'Would I do it now? Do I care? Does it matter? It doesn't matter. If it was close to my house I might. I don't know. I don't think there's any pros and cons really. 'I'm not a big royalist, but I'm not a big anti-royalist. I think it's so irrelevant, isn't it? It's like…it's tourism, isn't it? I don't know. 'But then there's part of me that thinks If someone offers me something, I don't want to insult them. Um, I really don't know. That's a really tricky one. Ricky Gervais has revealed he is not fazed by getting a knighthood in the future as he called the honour 'irrelevant' His controversial comments come just weeks after he revealed plans to marry his long-term partner Jane Fallon to avoid inheritance tax (the couple pictured in 2016) 'And if I turned it down, I probably wouldn't tell anyone because I wouldn't want to embarrass anyone. So I might have been offered it!'For all you know they're calling me all the time, and I'm going "Nah!"', Ricky quipped. He added: 'Do you know what, if a knighthood meant like it did in the olden days, I could ride around on a big horse with a sword, I'd take it. 'But as it is, it doesn't mean anything, does it? I couldn't be called Sir by anyone, so I don't know if it would make a lot of difference. For a laugh. Oh, I might do it to annoy people. Maybe I would. 'All the people that would be really annoyed, that would just tip the balance. I like that. It's my favourite.'His controversial comments come just weeks after he revealed plans to marry his long-term partner Jane Fallon to avoid inheritance tax. Ricky has spent decades insisting that marriage is pointless – even declaring there was no reason to wed ‘before the eyes of God as there is no God’.The comedian, 65, has revealed he does intend to marry the best-selling novelist – as doing so could prevent a hefty inheritance tax bill when one dies.Ricky, who is worth an estimated £141million, spoke to Saga Magazine about his plans to tie the knot to the Sunday Times best-selling author, also 65, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. When asked if tax would be his reasons for marrying Jane, who has a net worth of £1.3million, he agreed: 'It is [the reason]. And that will be the reason I marry. We haven’t done it yet. But if it wasn’t for [tax]… 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 that he may need to make things official sooner rather than later, he added: ‘It’s horrible isn’t it? “I’ve got to get around to marrying, before I die.”’ His comments come in the midst of Jane's breast cancer battle after she received an early diagnosis caught during a routine mammogramUnlike married couples and civil partners, unmarried couples do not automatically benefit from the spouse exemption, which allows an estate to be passed to a surviving husband, wife or civil partner free of inheritance tax.Without marriage, tax can generally be charged at 40 per cent on the portion of an estate above the available tax-free threshold, which is a potentially expensive distinction for Gervais, who owns a property portfolio worth millions.It includes a £14.75million nine-bedroom mansion in Hampstead, north London, two flats in New York and a riverside home in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, where he recently won permission to build a £5million mansion.The neo-Georgian style newbuild will boast a grand entrance hall, galleried landing, home gym, drawing room, reading area, lift and master bedroom with a terrace overlooking an existing tennis court and pond.Ricky and Jane met while studying at University College London in 1982 and moved into a flat above what he described as a ‘seedy sauna’ in King’s Cross two years later.The couple decided neither to marry nor have children, with Jane saying she had never fantasised about weddings or motherhood.Speaking on the Second Act podcast with Ateh Jewel earlier this year, Ms Fallon said: 'When I was little, you know the cliche of a little girl is they imagine their wedding day and their wedding dress... it was none of that, ever.'I would think about getting a dog or something. It was always about work and my life. I would think about the flat that I would live in and stuff like that. But I was never into that kind of romance stuff.'Ricky, meanwhile, has long maintained that they were already married ‘for all intents and purposes’, adding that their ‘fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one’.