By the time Derek was coming out, Ricky Gervais was by no means in my good books. After creating the ground-breaking, brilliant The Office and the, in some respects, just as good Extras, he chose the next step in his career to be a, frankly, insulting mockumentary about Warwick Davis, called Life's Too Short. After a patchy but somewhat promising pilot (with Liam Neeson, I might add) the show's true intentions were revealed over the next few episodes, where Gervais tried to be as politically incorrect as possible - the absolute nadir of the entire experience was a scene with a drunk naked dwarf throwing up on himself. The show was deeply unfunny, and, to the extent of my knowledge, pissed a lot of people off.
So Gervais' latest offering, Derek, was off to a bad start. But, having watched the one-off special, I've come to several conclusions. Firstly, a series will be made. There's little question about that. Secondly, excellent talent has been discovered in the form of Kerry Godliman. And finally, Gervais needs to write more serious stuff.
Before I go off on a tangent, let me just say what Derek is about. Ricky Gervais plays the titular character, who works in a nursing home. He obviously has learning difficulties, and he shows this by portraying the character with his jaw extended and with a nerdy, greasy haircut. Initially, this may be shown to be mocking, a la Life's Too Short, but Gervais' Derek is a surprisingly sympathetic character. He cares for people in the home like no-one else does, and genuinely enjoys his job, as he believes that old people deserve as much respect as everyone else. The message he portrays isn't subtle, but, in its context, works.
Then there is the supporting cast. As mentioned previously, Kerry Godliman is brilliant as Hannah, Derek's friend and fellow home worker. Her loneliness is perhaps one of the most touching aspects of the show, perfectly capturing the everyday insecurities of someone trapped in an endless cycle, her hopeless situation only alleviated by the antics of Derek and the possibility of romance from a visiting relative, although her attitudes won't allow her to let someone in. Elsewhere, Karl Pilkington fares surprisingly well in his first acting job, providing the lighter moments of the show.
However, it is here that the flaws of Derek lie. Let me make this clear; this show isn't funny. It may have been marketed as a comedy drama, but the comedy aspects of this are very weak indeed. In fact, I can't help but feel that this is Gervais falling back on old habits - one sequence shows him falling in a duck pond and then running through the home naked, which contrasts strongly against some of the more serious drama, and sticks out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, as the show progressing, most comedy disappears completely to make way for a truly heartbreaking ending, and one which improves the quality of Derek immensely.
Back to my initial thoughts - Gervais needs to write more serious stuff. He's already proven that he can handle dramatic material with ease. Don't believe me? See the "Don't make me redundant" speech in The Office, or the Big Brother speech in Extras - these made the comedy all the more richer, as without a beating heart, comedy is simply soulless.
So, here is my advice to Ricky, although I doubt he'll ever hear it;
1) Make Derek into a series - it's got the potential to be very good.
2) Stop with all the documentary crap. Seriously, it's just a tired format now, and it adds little to the show.
3) Make Derek into a drama. See above.
4) Hire me. Just a suggestion.
And there you have it. The steps to make Derek into a great success. Maybe.
