Ricky Gervais' Derek finished last week
and there's been a bit of discussion about it since that time.
For one reason or another, it's stayed
with me and I've been thinking about it a lot. Originally, I wanted
to get some thoughts down sooner, but as with everything these days
it takes a little longer.
The programme seems to have been as
divisive as Mrs Brown Boys,
with some deeply affected and moved by it to those who were angered
and left feeling uncomfortable at Gervais' portrayal of Derek Noakes
with his drooping jaw, slightly twee way of speaking and his
odd shuffling walk. Furthermore (shock, horror etc.) Coldplay
were used to soundtrack a couple of montages over the series, surely
the death knell for any programme?
Gervais has been derided by many who
feel he is gaining comic mileage out of those with genuine
behavioural problems or psychological issues and there was a degree
of truth in this in the pilot episode where Derek accidentally falls
into a pond. That did make for uncomfortable viewing as we
were being asked to laugh at Derek as opposed to with him.
However, when the series started lessons were learned from this and
we weren't asked to laugh at him again. We were asked to find him
caring and kind-hearted.
Derek was an attempt by Gervais to
break out of the furrow he's dug for himself. He's often been
criticised for playing the same character in each of his roles, which
in truth does carry some weight as there's not been an awful lot of
variety in that regard.
But Derek is a huge step change and a
risky one at that - as anyone who has seen Robert Downey Jnr's speech
in Tropic Thunder will testify to (also considered by some to be
offensive – you were warned). It would have been interesting
to see the impact of an unknown actor playing the role. Would it have
had more gravitas and been considered less offensive? Would it have
created half the fuss, Twitter-rows, general discussion and
publicity?
Arguably, Gervais' biggest crime with
the writing of Derek is that he is guilty of loving his creation a
too much which results in some of the supporting characters
being thinly drawn (maybe to come into their own in the second
series?), some clunky dialogue in places clunking and supposed
“twists” being telegraphed well in advance.
But despite all this, tears of both
laughter and sadness (surely the ultimate show of hitting the mark)
have been teased out of the watching audience for half an hour each
week and that it is no mean feat.
Like it's eponymous hero Derek
was inoffensive and had its heart in the right place. The only
underlying message that came out from it all, was not “let's have a
laugh at those who are different to us” it was simply: wouldn't the
world be a better place if we were all a little kinder and showed
each other (and ourselves) just a little more respect?
In an increasingly cynical world full
of snarky sketch shows and God-awful sitcoms with embedded laughter
tracks (just in case you forget that what you are watching is
supposed to be funny), Derek is overly sentimental, uncool and
completely misunderstood by a lot of people.
I loved it.
