As the co-creator, co-writer, co-director and star of The Office, Ricky Gervais's legendary status in comedy has long been assured.
Since then, Extras, his follow-up series with co-creator Stephen Merchant, was widely praised, and his stand-up specials have proven to be hugely popular, too.
But it hasn't all been plain sailing. The Invention of Lying, Cemetery Junction, Special Correspondents, David Brent: Life on the Road, Life's Too Short and Derek all received mixed reviews, while his no-nonsense approach to social media and abrasive hosting of the Golden Globe Awards have made him a divisive public figure.
So when After Life was warmly received in April last year, it was seen as a return to form for Gervais. Not only did his devoted fans and followers appreciate the show's dark comedy and drama, but Gervais's performance as Tony, who is left suicidal after his wife, Lisa (Kerry Godliman), dies of breast cancer, was deemed the most affecting of his career.
The second season of After Life continues pretty much where the first left-off. Tony is still at the Tambury Gazette, and finding little solace in his job and colleagues, while he regularly visits his dad (David Bradley) in the care home where his crush, nurse Emma (Ashley Jensen), also works.
But Tony is still consumed by his grief for Lisa. In the first season of the show, Tony took this frustration and anger out on anyone he came into contact with. But, in the second, he often recognises his own struggles in other lonely and depressed people, leading to moments where he genuinely tries to connect with them and boost their spirits. This is where After Life is at its best.
The actor's exploration of grief is undeniably powerful. More so because of his performance, as his on-the-nose dialogue lacks any kind of subtlety. In these silent moments of mourning, which often have a lonely and vulnerable Tony watching old clips of Lisa on his laptop, After Life shows exactly why it has resonated. Gervais is able to take a more detailed and nuanced look at depression, too, exploring how cyclical it can be.
This makes it all the more frustrating, then, that all of the positives and pearls of wisdom in After Life are wrecked by Gervais's wretched and pointless attempts at shocking and offensive comedy. Within the opening 10 minutes of the first episode of the second season, Tony and a 100-year-old woman celebrating her birthday have uttered arguably the most offensive word imaginable three times.
Clearly Gervais thinks this is all he needs to do to create a laugh. But it just comes across as tired and lazy. Unfortunately, this is a problem that arises several times in each episode, as he goes for the outrageous over the stimulating and thought-provoking joke every single time. So much so that, whenever After Life gains any sort of momentum or makes an impactful point, an ill-conceived gag comes along to instantly waylay it.
The comedy feels especially flat because we’ve seen it so many times before from Gervais. Not only in the first season, but in the other sitcoms and movies that he has made without Merchant. Even the show’s strong roster of comedians and actors, which includes Tom Basden, Diane Morgan, Jo Hartley and Roisin Conaty, seem stifled. Rather than injecting their own personalities into their characters, they all simply seem to be doing their best impressions of Gervais.
But, considering his popularity, that's exactly what he and his audience want. Which is a shame, because there's a great show lurking in After Life. Gervais has teased that a third season is likely to follow, because the world of the show is just "too rich and good". Here's hoping the comedy improves.
All episodes of After Life’s second season will stream on Netflix from Friday, April 24
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
Specs
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Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
