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Kerry Godliman

TV Review: After Life

March 17, 2019 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

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Ricky Gervais has completely shaken up our perceptions of what he is capable of with his latest series After Life, showing how this comic can do heart-breaking as well as hilarious.

© Netflix

Set in the height of a beautiful English summer, After Life follows Tony, a middle-aged man who becomes suicidal after the death of his wife leaves him without purpose and without joy. He works as a features editor for a free local newspaper, cares for his dog Brandy, and visits his senile father (David Bradley) each day. In the fog of his depression, Tony decides to abandon all rules of politeness when it concerns people whom he deems undeserving. He chooses say what he wants, to whoever he wants because he no longer cares about the consequences.

After Life, at its core, is about the loneliness of losing that one person that makes the rest of the world fade into insignificance. It’s the kind of loss that forces you to look out into the world and take accountability for your place within all of that. The death of his wife Lisa completely shakes Tony’s world because he no longer has the excuse of locking the front door and turning the TV on, safe in the comfort that it’s those two against the world. In a strange way, the death of Lisa has forced him to acknowledge that he too is a participant in the world. And it’s this realism that makes After Life so terrifying. Gervais is not presenting us with anything particularly out of the ordinary; this is a real, genuine tragedy that many of us will endure at some point in our lifetimes.

Viewers will no doubt have an inkling as to where the narrative will end up, and After Life is almost the modern day A Christmas Carol that the trailer suggests it might be. Some of the dialogue is clunky in places, particularly Tony’s self-righteous, morbid verbal attacks, which are more frequent during the first episode as the programme begins to establish itself.

© Netflix

The words spoken do, however, consistently feel as though they are aiming at truth. Gervais’ personal passions are at the forefront of this series, more so than ever before. His love of animals and contempt of religion are prominent themes. In the moments where the writer’s personal views are most prominent (such as when Tony informs Sandy that ‘humanity is a plague’), criticisers of Gervais’ stand-up will no doubt have a field day. Yes, some of Tony’s arguments seem to be lifted straight from Gervais’ past stand up shows and old XFM Radio podcasts, but why not? They remain relevant because Gervais remains passionate about the ideas, and articulates them so persuasively.

The cast is made up of many of Gervais’ regulars, and is saturated with an abundance of strong female talent, from Mandeep Dhillon, to Roisin Conaty, to Diane Morgan. Whilst most characters arguably exist as pawns for After Life to drive its message home, they are still relatively complex and each have their unexpected quirks. Penelope Wilton in particular delivers a brilliant and emotive performance as Anne, a widowed senior who exudes the compassion that Tony doesn’t know he needs. Another character refreshingly overt in her moral judgements is Tony’s father’s nurse (Ashley Jensen), who, like Anne, doesn’t take any of Tony’s shit.

© Netflix

These outspoken characters are pivotal for Tony’s own journey, as they highlight how Tony’s grief is making him selfish and leaving him failing to remember (or care) that every person is hurting in some way, to some extent. At the end of the day, Tony isn’t really a Scrooge. In fact, as the series progresses it becomes increasingly clear that there’s a bit of Tony in all of us. He has a hatred of idiocy and a contempt of pointless conversation, but he is also kind, quick-witted and down to earth.

Gervais perfectly captures the rage that can come with feeling depressed. He subtly and intricately depicts how everything can feel like an offence, everyone else is an obstacle that reminds us of our own pain, and yet what hurts more is turning the mirror and reflecting on one’s own actions. But as the series develops, the genuine, pure humanity in each character is allowed to shine through. After Life shows human nature in its best light. The vast majority of people are kind and generous people who suffer and live.

After Life is a stunning and heartbreakingly poignant depiction of love, loss and the human condition. And with the soundtrack being enough to induce tears alone (including the master, Nick Cave, as well as Mogwai and Daughter), it is an undeniably moving dramatic feat. The overwhelming message is that good people (and dogs) really can remind you that you are good too. And what could be more beautiful, or important, than that?

Posted in: Comedians, Television Shows Tagged: After Life, Ashley Jensen, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Mandeep Dhillon, Penelope Wilton, Ricky Gervais, Roisin Conaty, Sitcom

BBC iPlayer: Original Comedy Shorts

June 25, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

A wonderful thing happened on BBC iPlayer on June the 1st: six comedy shorts were released exclusively online with input from many of the most brilliant people in comedy right now. This kind of thing is so vital for keeping comedy on television and online alive as we need to keep pushing the boundaries of comedy in order to keep it successful and influential.

Each comedy short is around five minutes long and they are all completely stand alone episodes (though it would be great if someone could pick them up for series in the future). My favourites were Micky Flanagan’s Foxageddon, Matt Berry in Lone Wolf and Bob Mortimer and Frankie Boyle’s Cookery Show mainly because of the comedians they involved, but I also thought Morgana Robinson’s impressions Channel M were wonderful, as always (her Amy Child impression is spot on).

I can imagine Micky Flanagan’s episode evolving into some kind of Lead Balloon–esque series in the near future as Flanagan’s comic delivery is very unique, which you’ll know if you’ve seen any of his stand up. His character here has the same comic voice as his stand up which I thought really aided the episode because there was less ground work that needed to be done to set the scene. The episode was funny because it is entirely stupid, which I guess is just refreshing for an audience who are used to satire etc. Also, the fact it featured Kerry Godliman (Derek) was a brilliant thing as I think she is very talented.

Frankie Boyle and Bob MortimerBob Mortimer is a hero of mine and I was very looking forward to seeing what he could produce in a five minute time frame. I wasn’t disappointed; it was a whimsical, nonsensical cookery world and it was a beauty to watch, as Mortimer always is. I also noted that Bob was involved in almost all of the other comedy shorts: sometimes as producer and sometimes as writer and this proves what a clever, hardworking genius he is. It was also interesting to see Frankie Boyle playing a slightly different role, as a television presenter who hates peas:

“What is it, Frankie, is it the peas, or the thought that the knife might be on the brink of extinction?”

I can picture Frankie working on some kind of childrens’ show in the future and before watching this, I would never have thought so (for obvious reasons). I think Boyle and Mortimer are both incredible comedic talents, with an interesting partnership on screen and really hope something comes from this comedy short, as with many of the other episodes, but especially the cookery show.

I also love every show Matt Berry is involved with as the man is undeniably a fabulous comedic actor. Lone Wolf is an extremely funny mini-documentary that follows a wolf pack as they hunt their next meal but the voiceover is Berry-style: foulmouthed and hilarious. Again, I can see this making a fantastic feature in a sketch show or even a show on its own.

You can watch all the comedy shorts on BBC iPlayer here and I definitely recommend you do!

Posted in: Comedians, Television Shows Tagged: BBC iPlayer, Bob Mortimer, British Comedy, Comedy, Frankie Boyle, Kerry Godliman, Matt Berry, Micky Flanagan, Morgana Robinson, Sitcom

TV Review: Derek, Series 2

June 12, 2014 by Becca Moody 2 Comments

Due to Ricky Gervais having such a broad following, he inevitably gets a lot of unnecessary abuse from people who disapprove of his comedy but it’s obvious that this show puts him more at risk than ever. Derek (Gervais) is a man with learning difficulties who works in an old peoples home with his friend, Hannah (Kerry Godliman) who runs the establishment.

Derek has moments where it is incredibly funny, but I don’t think that was Gervais’ main aim. The messages this show leaves behind are way more important, though the laughs keep it ticking along nicely. There was no plateau in this series despite my fears because series one was so beautiful.

I was a bit upset that Karl Pilkington’s character, Dougie, left early in the first episode and didn’t come back but there was a guest appearance from Joe Wilkinson, as Kev’s brother, that kind of made up for it. Kev has been an interesting character for me because through know fault of David Earl himself, I didn’t really like the character of Kev, I didn’t think he really added anything to the show. However the last couple of episodes of series two completely turned that on its head for me as Derek taught us that everyone has good in them and everyone is worthy of your time. The arrival of sarcastic and arrogant Geoff (Colin Hoult) really showed Kev in a new light, especially the fight scene in episode six.

The whole feel of the old peoples home is wonderful, inclusive and warm. For example, in episode four, a deaf lady called Pat comes to visit the home in the hope staying there. The whole group already knew sign language and welcomed her with open arms; it made my heart melt. This is the episode where the group visit the zoo and the wonderful actress that is Holli Dempsey (Vicky) meets a man she fancies and it’s all she talks about all day. However, when something more serious pops up, Vicky drops all of her girl talk and is willing to help and I think that’s such an important lesson to teach. Kindness is scattered all over this show, even in the little joke about the man who lost his hair and it ‘grew back’ straight away, though it was clearly a wig. Everyone stuck up for him though, because that’s what good people do.

Kerry Godliman is an absolutely brilliant actress and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her blossom in the role of Hannah. She is a beautifully stable character for the more erratic ones to bounce off and her importance shouldn’t be underestimated.

I can sum up Derek in these few lovely quotes from the show:

‘Everyone needs something to love, something to do and something to wish for.’

‘Animals always try their best, you never see a lazy ant.’

‘I don’t know if there is a heaven, I’m suspicious.’

Everyone should watch this show, and I think criticisms of it are lazy and unfounded, Gervais has truly created something wonderful.

Posted in: Comedians, Television Shows Tagged: British Comedy, Colin Hoult, Comedy, David Earl, Derek, Holli Dempsey, Kerry Godliman, Ricky Gervais, Sitcom
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