This article was originally published in The Scotsman on 24th January 2013.
DEREK
A
pseudo-documentary based in an old people's home, Ricky Gervais'
Derek
caused
something of a stir when the pilot aired last year.
Following
on the heels of a much-criticised incident where he used the word
“mong” on Twitter and denied all knowledge of it being a
disablist term, the controversy was compounded by his new project, in
which he appeared to be playing a man with learning difficulties.
Gervais, of course, stubbornly denied that he was.
To
be fair to his creator, the shambling Derek – a voluntary carer –
is never presented as an object of ridicule. Indeed, he's innocent
and kind to a fault. Gervais says he wishes more people were like
him.
But
Derek's physical appearance - jaw permanently jutted, hair flattened
over his forehead - is practically identical to the face Gervais
pulls in the countless pictures he Tweets of himself to cruelly mock
the supposedly idiotic fans of Susan Boyle and Britain's
Got Talent.
Coincidentally,
they're also two of Derek's favourite things. So what's he trying to
say here? I don't think even he knows.
Make
no mistake, Derek
–
a series written and directed by Gervais alone -
is one of the most embarrassingly inept concoctions you're ever
likely to see. Indeed, I actually feel quite sorry for the befuddled
auteur. He's a thin-skinned, insecure superstar who wants to be seen
as a great artist and deep thinker. And his heart appears to be in
the right place with Derek.
In theory at least, it's
a (painfully) sincere attempt to say something meaningful about human
kindness and the way society marginalises the elderly.
But
Gervais' efforts are so horribly forced and heavy-handed. It feels
more like a cynical exercise in emotional manipulation than the
heart-warming – and potentially award-winning - piece he's aiming
for. The pathos in his only great work,The
Office,
felt relatively effortless, but here it's delivered with a
sledgehammer.
The
soundtrack drowns in overbearing “FEEL SAD NOW” piano, as Gervais
pits his merry band of outsiders against crudely-rendered men in
grey. And despite good performances from his core cast – including
regular sidekick Karl Pilkington – Gervais is still problematic in
the lead role. You never believe in Derek as a consistent character.
It's just millionaire comedian Ricky Gervais shuffling about in a
cardigan and pulling a face.
As
a comedy-drama, it's almost fascinatingly dull, repetitive, shallow
and unsubtle. The dramatic elements are overdone and the comedy
barely existent. A tonal train-wreck, its abject failings are
crystallised in the hilariously ill-conceived montage that closes
episode two. Scored to Radiohead's tenderly triumphant Bones
(clumsy literalism ahoy!), images of happily dreaming elderly
residents are spliced with grainy footage of them supposedly in their
youth. It's truly jaw-dropping in its deranged efforts to yank the
heartstrings.
If
that wasn't jarring enough, it's immediately preceded by a scene in
which Derek vomits into a toilet, an old man soils himself, and
another character emits an explosive fart. It's like someone
earnestly lecturing you on the poetry of existence while throwing
bricks through your window. Time and time again you'll ask yourself:
“What the hell
were
you thinking, man?!”
Quoted
in the official press release, Gervais actually says – of
his own creation
– that he's never seen anything quite like it. Fair dues, Ricky,
I'm with you on that.
DEREK
airs from Wednesday 30th
January on Channel 4 at 10pm.
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