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Ricky Gervais

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

Review: Ricky Gervais – Humanity

March 13, 2017 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

Ricky Gervais embarks on his first live tour in seven years, and with David Brent: Life On The Road being released in cinemas last summer, fans have been more eager than ever to hear more from the brain behind one of Britain’s most iconic sitcoms.

But first, audiences are treated to another familiar face from Life On The Road: Doc Brown. In the film, Doc plays rapper Dom Johnson who joins Brent on tour, and he also starred alongside the sales rep in the Comic Relief single Equality Street back in 2013. On stage however, Doc Brown is far more outspoken than his film counterpart. He has an air of refreshing calm in front of a crowd, yet is easily agitated and eager to justify his reasoning for having various hangups about his life.

Doc Brown gives off the impression of being a young spirit forced to live the life of a middle-aged man. Although presenting himself as a ‘nice guy’, a caring and socially involved person, there is humour in the resentment he feels regarding modern day responsibilities, particularly since he became a family man. Later, we are even treated to a rap, which, quite frankly, is what most of us had been most looking forward to.

When Ricky Gervais walks onto stage, he brings a buzz with him. He’s a 55 year old man in a black t shirt and jeans, sipping from a can of beer, but something about his demeanour makes him magnetising. The theme of the show is, unsurprisingly, humankind, and within this Gervais is able to explore topics such as evolution and speciesism. More specifically too, Ricky directs his fiery critical analysis onto particular aspects of celebrity culture and, later on, his concerns regarding bringing a child into the world given the current social climate.

As writer E. B. White famously said, ‘Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog…’. The long and short of it is that the frog inevitably dies. Gervais, on some scale, sets about to prove that this is not the case. Ricky uses his platform to explain the reasoning behind aspects of his comedy that have previously been met with heavy criticism and heated debate, but certainly not in an apologist sense.

Ricky Gervais: Humanity

Gervais is well aware that his close-to-the-mark quips have been incredibly divisive in the past, from his Mel Gibson remark at the Golden Globes in 2010, to recent comments about Caitlyn Jenner’s realignment surgery and car crash in 2015 which resulted in the death of a woman. The latter incident, and Ricky’s bulletproof defence of his joke, features heavily in the show.

While admitting to his own faults and explaining where he has gone wrong in the past by causing genuine offence that he had not intended, Ricky proposes that often those who are offended by his material have merely misunderstood his point, or the issue he is discussing. He, like many of us, often despairs at 21st century society, as we are stifled by political correctness. Ricky criticises ineffective, emotive debate about things that only offend us because they’re about something we care about, as opposed to all the other offensive things that are happening in our world today, through exploring complex social issues like ‘dead naming’ and its links to transphobia.

But what I find most value in within Gervais’ comedy, despite the ingenuity of his reasoning and hilarity in the way he points the finger and laughs at himself, is that this comedian talks about the things that he loves and the people that mean most to him, as though his audience is being invited to a family get-together. There is something so endearingly pure about Ricky Gervais’ comedy. It shines through most in his material about his love for animals. It is with this topic that he starts the show and also how he ends it. His pleas with the audience to educate themselves on worldwide instances of animal cruelty (such as the Yulin Dog Festival) and charities that are working to bring these practices to an end is particularly poignant. Ricky has even chosen to donate all extra profit from the premium tickets sold for the Cardiff leg of the tour to Macmillan Cancer Support and The RSPCA.

Ricky Gervais is so humble, and yet he is a classic. Make sure to check your local tour venue for remaining tickets for the Humanity tour, as Gervais is back in full force.

DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD

Posted in: Comedians, Live Comedy, Reviews Tagged: British Comedy, Comedy, Doc Brown, Humanity, Ricky Gervais

Film Review: David Brent: Life On The Road

September 14, 2016 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

It would be difficult not to notice that everyone’s favourite brown-suited office worker David Brent is back. Ricky Gervais writes, directs and performs in David Brent: Life On The Road, which follows the sales rep’s debut UK tour (a venture that’s success is surely questionable from the outset).

As Brent embarks on his rockstar escapade, he is accompanied by rapper Dom Johnson (played by Ben Bailey Smith, who is also stand up comedian Doc Brown, known by many for his recents efforts in Greg Davies and Alex Horne’s Taskmaster on Dave). Bailey Smith and Gervais’s partnership came about a few years ago now, with the unveiling of Brent’s single Equality Street for Comic Relief in 2013, and their onscreen relationship is very interesting; it epitomises two undeniably different backgrounds complimenting each other, but also often clashing.

David Brent

David Brent: Life On The Road

There is an abundance of familiar faces scattered throughout, including Man Down‘s Roisin Conaty and Ashley McGuire, and Diane Morgan, aka Philomena Cunk, who plays publicist Briony. Brent’s band also features Andy Burrows, former Razorlight drummer and half of Smith & Burrows, along with Steve Clarke and Michael Clarke. And the songs are good. The lyrics are unanimously awful, skirting on the wrong side of bad taste, and utterly hilarious. It surely isn’t ignorant to assume that the repressed guilty laughter coming from the audience I sat in is reminiscent of the reactions in every cinema auditorium across the country.

Amongst others, Mandeep Dhillon is particularly brilliant as modestly sympathetic receptionist Karen Parashar, alongside humble and ever-forgiving Pauline Gray (Jo Hartley), both of whom are left behind at the Lavichem office as Brent goes in pursuit of his rockstar dreams, although it unfolds that these are not the only friendly faces the disrespected and under-appreciated Brent will encounter. Life On The Road is ultimately a showcase of the genuine goodness and care for the welfare of others that we can hope that every person holds. This portrayal of human nature at its most fundamental allows the tensions of Brent’s disjointedness to soften and shows the sales rep in his most vulnerable, yet endearing light; of course he is defensive and guarded: he has been ridiculed and wounded by many.

David Brent

David Brent: Life On The Road

This attempt to reignite Brent’s failed ‘rock career’ shows the man to be genuinely floundering (he explains his recent breakdown whilst implying that therapy is somewhat below him); he is nostalgic for something that simply never was. And yes, Brent’s plight is a sad and often cringeworthy watch but as is often the case with Gervais’ comedy, the prevailing feeling is bittersweet, with audiences feeling a faint sense of hope that emulates the character’s own relenting enthusiasm. Ricky Gervais has recaptured the essence of The Office in an adventure that was probably not needed but is certainly not unnecessary, and I am grateful that the character of David Brent has been revived, with live dates for next year having already sold out.

DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD IS CURRENTLY IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK

Posted in: Comedians, Films Tagged: Ben Bailey Smith, British Comedy, Comedy, David Brent, David Brent: Life On The Road, Ricky Gervais, The Office

Christmas Round Up

January 6, 2015 by Becca Moody Leave a Comment

The Christmas period presented multiple comedy gems to our television screens last month, and here is a summary of a few of my particular favourites:

Derek

Ricky Gervais’ Derek reached its natural conclusion with a wedding, a fight and a baby. Gervais has shown a great subtlety in his writing that I had not noticed in his other projects that often displayed, in fact, quite the opposite. I found the episode to be dealt with sensitively and with great humour, with the character of Derek remaining endearing yet dignified throughout, as was noticeable from this year’s series two. Available on 4OD.

House of Fools

House of Fools has been one of my favourite sitcoms since it first aired in early 2014, as it is written by, and stars, the incredible Vic and Bob. This Christmas spectacular presented many problems for the duo: Erik has demanded a particular bobble hat for his present but it has been set on fire. The strange gathering must set off to steal a replacement, and meet Father Christmas (Reece Shearsmith) on the way. Available on BBC iPlayer.

Not Going Out

Not Going Out has been consistently and delightfully cringe-worthy with frequent small laughs and a few brilliant lines per episode (and there have been an impressive seven series, so that’s some great feat). This final episode did not disappoint, and audiences were finally given an answer to the age-old question: will Lee and Lucy ever actually become a couple? Available on BBC iPlayer.

Gadget Man

Richard Ayoade returned with a Gadget Man’s Guide to Christmas with special guests Adam Hills, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Merchant, Jonathan Ross, Reece Shearsmith and Robert Webb. With a wonderful array of toys and vehicles and strange household items, Ayoade presented us with an entirely new take on Christmas gifts and dinners. Available on 4OD.

Charlie Brooker’s 2014 Wipe

Charlie Brooker brought his infamous positive little rays of sunshine to Christmas by overviewing a seemingly awful year for everyone in the entire universe. From Farage to Ebola, Charlie’s typically sarcastic and cutting commentary overed it all, with help from Barry Shitpeas and Philomena Cunk. I should probably warn off people who are prone to depression from watching this programme but Brooker’s wit really takes the edge off, as does the wonderful song at the end. Available on BBC iPlayer.

Man Down

Man Down has to be one of my favourite new sitcoms from the past couple of years because it stars a couple of my most loved comedians: Greg Davies and Roisin Conaty. The Christmas episode was a beautiful tribute to the late Rik Mayall, who played Dan’s father in the show, and sent both Mayall himself, and the character he played, off in a hilarious but touching fashion. Available on 4OD.

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Posted in: Comedians, Television Shows Tagged: Bob Mortimer, Charlie Brooker, Derek, Gadget Man, Greg Davies, House of Fools, Lee Mack, Man Down, Not Going Out, Reece Shearsmith, Richard Ayoade, Ricky Gervais, Rik Mayall, Roisin Conaty, Vic Reeves

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

A Week In The Life

May 21, 2014 by Becca Moody 1 Comment

I thought I’d try something different today and post something I watched/listened to that was comedy-related for each working day of last week. Many of these items will probably evolve into a separate post in the coming months so this is a small taster for that I guess.

Monday: Henning Wehn: No Surrender!

There isn’t a lot on on Monday nights, apparently, so this week I start watching Henning Wehn’s 2013 stand-up show as I bought it months ago and he’s one of my favourite comedians. I only watched an hour or so on Monday because I have to fit all this in between my GCSE exams that take up so much time! But what I should say, even though I’ve said it before, is that Henning Wehn deserves a way bigger audience than he has- I think he is hilarious because he takes the German stereotype and gives us what many people secretly expect, then goes beyond that. For example, his first stand up DVD was called My Struggle and I don’t think it gets any more stereotypical than that: I love it.

Tuesday: Sweat The Small Stuff

I regularly watch popular panel shows as they are a great way of finding new comedy talent and are generally just nice, easy viewing and although I don’t make an effort to watch every episode of Sweat The Small Stuff like I do for other shows, I enjoy it here and there. Series three is currently showing on BBC Three and this week I caught up with episode five as my April Comedian of the Month, Bobby Mair, was a guest. This episode really made me laugh and Bobby definitely stole the show (though I may be biased). Every single week the challenge for Melvin and Rochelle gets more and more awkward and it’s brilliant: this one was brilliant; you should definitely check it out.

derek

Wednesday: Derek

Watching Derek is currently one of the comedy highlights of my week: it is an absolute beauty of a show and I recommend you all watch it (I’m going to write up a proper post when the series has finished). This week, Derek, along with residents of the old peoples home and manager Hannah, visited the zoo and it was genuinely such a lovely piece of television. Derek in no way ridicules anyone with learning difficulties, or old people. In fact, it doesn’t ridicule anyone the show is very inclusive. There are a few big laughs each episode, along with a few tears. I am always left feeling happy after watching Derek because it leaves us with life lessons and also makes me laugh, a lot.

Thursday: Jonah From Tonga

I’ve talked before about how wonderful I think Chris Lilley is, and yet again will probably talk about this programme more extensively in a separate post so will keep this brief. Lilley’s work feels timeless to me as although this is new programme, it has the same feel as Summer Heights High from 2008 yet doesn’t bore me in the slightest. This man can effortlessly switch from playing a teenage girl to a camp drama teacher to a Tongan school drop-out and it is remarkable. Jonah is also a character from Summer Heights High and has always been one of my favourites so I look forward to where this new show will take us.

fubar radio

Friday: Fubar Radio

Fubar Radio is a brand new radio station that I was lucky enough to grab a free year’s subscription to due to a code from Richard Herring (not personally don’t get excited though he did tweet me once). I first heard about Fubar through Joey Page on Twitter who I think is really funny so wanted to hear more from him etc and I have completely fallen in love with it. Joey could tell you himself that I am in regular contact with the show which is every Friday from 1pm until 4pm: I just can’t help myself. His show is so easy to listen to and the music choices are on top form (except for that time they kept playing Beck and I got really self-conscious). But yeah, I really enjoy listening to the Joey Page Show on Fubar and would recommend it to anyone, not just comedy fans. But seriously, if you are a comedy fan, you WILL faint when you see the rest of Fubar’s lineup.

As well as all of this, I make sure I listen to my favourite podcast, The Comedian’s Comedian every morning before school as it helps me forget that I am about to go to school (yet it’s a pretty intellectual podcast so I don’t need to feel too guilty).

So that was a little comedy-style week in the life of Becca and I hope I’ve brought some new shows to your attention or just entertained you for five minutes, who knows?

Posted in: Comedians, Radio, Television Shows Tagged: Bobby Mair, British Comedy, Chris Lilley, Comedy, Derek, Fubar Radio, Henning Wehn, Joey Page, Jonah From Tonga, Ricky Gervais, Sitcom, Sweat The Small Stuff
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