"Never did it before" vs "Had never done it before"

[subhajit123]

Hi there, "Never did it before" vs "Had never done it before": Which one should I use in the context?

"A year ago, I got a job. It wasn't a well-paid job but it was interesting because I had never done/never did it before."

I think It should be "past perfect. Am I right? I have searched in google books and on the internet. I have found that though "past perfect" is preferred, yet "simple past" is also used. If I want to be less formal, can I use both?


If there is anything ungrammatical in my question, please correct it.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, only "had never done" would be used there. I believe that some other variants accept "never did". Of course, you would be understood if you used the simple past to a BrE speaker but it would stand out as non-standard to the listener.