Derek.

Photo credit:Andy Hollingsworth

Yesterday I  watched the entire new series of ‘Derek’ by Ricky Gervais from start to finish in anticipation of it’s launch on C4.

This is a suggestion.

Whether you’re a Ricky Gervais fan or hater, you should watch this show

If you watch expecting to dislike him and by extension ‘Derek’ then of course you will, but if you go in watching with an open mind, then I guarantee you will be embraced, by the characters, by the subject matter and by the sheer optimism of hope, in spite of circumstances.

There is and will always be a lingering doubt in the minds of some as to Gervais’s intentions in his portrayal of Derek.

Irrespective of how many times Gervais answers the disability question there will be a tiny but vocal minority who refuse to believe him when he says not.

I just see him as a naive, kind, gentle and vulnerable man, in a harsh, hostile and cynical world.  Ricky Gervais clearly loves Derek; there is no mocking of him, no derision, only truth.

This is a show about kindness, told with kindness for the most part.

The show examines Derek and his world but with a vicious bite in respect of those who Gervais believes, deserve it. Some of the relatives of the residents  do not fare well and for me it was hard to watch these scenes. Because even if you’re not a monster, when you place a loved one in a residential setting, you believe you are. So do many other people.

Intellectualising it doesn’t change your mind and time doesn’t dim the pain.

But I had to face the truth in the writing. 
The fact is there are many, many relatives who are exactly like the ones portrayed in the show and ultimately they also serve as a conduit for the view of many in the outside world, who pass by care homes everyday, on their way to getting on with their own lives.

Photo credit : Ray Burmiston

Derek is different to the majority of us, but I wish we were all more like him, because he’s unerringly compassionate and irrepressibly optimistic and there is never enough of that to be found especially now.

I’m sick to death of cynicism if the truth be told; It’s the age ‘for’ innocence now if ever there was one.

 It’s also time for writers to tell the truth of our lives, of all our lives and Gervais has chosen not to document his celebrity status but to shine the light on millions of those who have no status at all.

Having seen some harsh, cynical and untrue accounts of ‘Derek’ since it aired last year, I can only suppose Gervais didn’t read them or I suspect he wouldn’t have had the energy or will to write a full series.

I think many people will be so glad he did.

He’s spoken of his own enjoyment of the creative process for this series on his blog and how reminiscent it is of ‘The Office’ for him in terms of his enthusiasm as writer director and lead actor. 

There is a magic to it definitely.  Like, ‘The Office’ the key lies in the performances, which unfold naturally and gradually as they layer the stories of the lives lived, usually unobserved. As with ‘The Office’ these stories are wrought from a potentially stifling atmosphere, and laced with the humour that exists in the place where seemingly all hope is gone.

All the characters are so forgotten, so lost, that they have only each other to rely on and their community draws you in gently, and rewards you admirably.

Hannah, performed brilliantly by Kerry Godliman, is like so many care workers that I’ve met and loved in my 19 years as a carer. 
Hannah’s down to earth and full of compassion, quiet but with a sharp and dark sense of humour, crucial in a job, which can be as difficult emotionally as physically, whilst navigating the precarious balance between what those in power want and what her clients need. 

Photo credit :Ray Burmiston

Karl Pilkington talking in the C4 behind the scenes documentary is typically forthright about the upheaval to his day, by becoming involved in the show but touching when he talks about how angry one scene makes him even after the camera stops rolling.

He needn’t have any concerns. He is a gifted and affecting actor.

David Earl is David Earl and nobody can ‘play disgusting’ with so much pathos and skill. He is also not to be underestimated when it comes to drama. 

There is a scene to camera in the last episode which will shore up perceptions of Earl’s abilities as a dramatic actor.

In terms of a breakthrough performance Holli Dempsey stands out as Vicky. Her arrival at Broadhill,  details initially a weary, suspicious, cynicism of those working there and for the work she's expected to do; through to becoming an integral part of the home's family. 

Dempsey offers a subtle, nuanced portrayal, excelling both as a comedic and dramatic actor deftly engaging us through Vicky's experiences, her acceptance and appreciation of her character strengths, for the first time.

But it is Ricky Gervais as Derek who is the revelation here.

It could be argued that if you don’t like him, you will never like him, so don’t watch him, especially in this.

For anyone however who has an open mind and who liked the pilot, his performance in the series is stellar. He just becomes 'Derek".

There is nothing of the 'A list' star persona, as he disappears into this character, nothing of the stand up, the director, or the businessman.

There is nothing except quietness and a sweetness of delivery, so all encompassing that even when he wrestles people to the ground, because that is what he does, it’s utterly unthreatening and endearing.

It’s an incredibly moving, and centred performance. His ability to disappear in scenes, to be forgotten, as people who are vulnerable in real life, are so often forgotten whilst those around them direct their lives, demonstrates that his acting ability is the most under appreciated of his talents.

He’s simply extraordinary as Derek.

In any event with whatever agenda you take with you when you watch “Derek” you’ll find great performances, honest stories, believable characters and heartbreaking truth.

This as ever is the stock in trade of someone who after more than a decade at the height of his profession  has earned the right to be evaluated on his talent, not his Twitter feed.

A man who can, in turn be perceived as  hilarious, irritating, frustrating, self-deprecating provocative and verbose, repeatedly and determinedly, prefers to let his work speak on its own behalf and with Derek he's giving a voice to those who really need to be heard.

photo credit: @rickygervais