[BellaRosa]

Originally Posted by johnF1971

The character of Derek is absolutely nothing like David Brent IMO.

Brent was smug, egotistical, self important and self interested. Derek is nothing like that.

Any similarities are probably due to RG's limited acting skills so both characters might share some similar mannerisms he uses like grinmning and looking into the camera.

That is not what the OP is saying

But this part that you said .. Quote[both characters might share some similar mannerisms he uses like grinmning and looking into the camera]Unquote.

So say David Brent had a nervous breakdown after his disaster from the Office .. Derek would be like how David would turn out like.

Hope that helps explain

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by The Terminator

Who ever asked him back then if Derek had a condition or not? And I find it funny that you think being a nerd who lives with his mum is a valid explanation for a hunch, bizarre shuffling walk,extreme low level intelligence and constant compulsive gurning.

Karl doesn't have any disabilities but is below average intelligence (1 E grade GCSE, IQ of 83) and have you seen the way he talks and gurns in real life? Ricky is a physical actor, see David Brent.

I absolutely agree with the sentiment "so what if he is?", but he is making it more of an issue by denying the blatantly obvious.

Whether the traits Derek displays are those of an autistic person or not, Derek was not intended to be such, hence the addressing and acknowledgement of that viewpoint in the show.

[Frood]

Originally Posted by Digital Sid

Think Ricky's too lacking in Guardian reading, third-party offence taking, middle class angst too have many fans in this place .

I know. My problem is not with the OP, but those using his thread and it's title for a chance to wheel out all the usual digs.

And a pot calls a kettle black very quickly (and rather stupidly).

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by Frood

And a pot calls a kettle black very quickly (and rather stupidly).

What about that is hypocritical?

[hsellors]

I enjoyed last nights episode - I found it a good mix of heartwarming, funny and serious.

I think the home manager portrays her character really well.

But I was shocked at the mention of autism. It seems strange that even though Ricky denied him having any disability that in the first episode its brought up that perhaps Derek has undiagnosed autism. I also don't look at Derek and see him as being autistic. But when I thought about it I suppose he seems to have difficulty with eye contact, has repetitive behaviour and says out of the ordinary things. It did seem that Ricky was just trying to find appease the critics.

The animal scene was so sweet though and then how the manager stayed up all night so the residents could be with the animals.

[fitnessqueen]

Originally Posted by hsellors

I enjoyed last nights episode - I found it a good mix of heartwarming, funny and serious.

I think the home manager portrays her character really well.

But I was shocked at the mention of autism. It seems strange that even though Ricky denied him having any disability that in the first episode its brought up that perhaps Derek has undiagnosed autism. I also don't look at Derek and see him as being autistic. But when I thought about it I suppose he seems to have difficulty with eye contact, has repetitive behaviour and says out of the ordinary things. It did seem that Ricky was just trying to find appease the critics.

The animal scene was so sweet though and then how the manager stayed up all night so the residents could be with the animals.

Still welling up every time I think about it

[Digital Sid]

Ricky is a massive animal lover, he regularly campaigns and speaks out against animal cruelty:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012...n_1697057.html

[Virgil Tracy]

Originally Posted by Digital Sid

Karl is not an actor and arguably, Dougie is not Karl acting, Dougie's rants and phraseology Karl's own. He said in the making of that he was genuinely angry during them. Ricky describes Dougie as Karl if he hadn't gone into media and met Ricky.

obviously they've written a character close to Karl , but this still requires acting , even when non-actors play themselves in stuff it rarely works because they still have to act , this isn't just spontaneous conversation like in the other shows he appears in .

Derek is a mockumentary like The Office, the documentary in the show is centred around the carers not the cared for.

yeah , it reminds me of those films about black issues where the black people are just background and the main characters are all white

The music in the show is meant to be that of the documentary, so the music used is your typical care-centred documentary. The first look video and making of used this.

I hate it in documentaries when they add syrupy music to tell you how to feel . Is this supposed to parody that ? Doesn't really work .

I don't really see this one as a mockumentary , it has some similar things but it obviously wants to be more dramatic and the music is going against it .

[Phoenix Lazarus]

He's just posted four tweets, gushing about the praise he's received for Derek!

[hsellors]

Originally Posted by Phoenix Lazarus

He's just posted four tweets, gushing about the praise he's received for Derek!

I do follow RG on Twitter but I actually don't think he's posted one Tweet that has made me laugh?

I find the shows he writes funny but all he's Tweets are either him boasting, telling everyone how he doesn't care or trying to joke about something unfunny.

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by Virgil Tracy

obviously they've written a character close to Karl , but this still requires acting , even when non-actors play themselves in stuff it rarely works because they still have to act , this isn't just spontaneous conversation like in the other shows he appears in .

An actor's job is to convince you that a character's convince. His name was trending for about an hour after the show aired yesterday and the majority of them were praising him for, or expressing surprise that was, doing just that.

yeah , it reminds me of those films about black issues where the black people are just background and the main characters are all white

The documentary in Derek is about the work of the carers of Broad Hill, who are the foreground characters.

I hate it in documentaries when they add syrupy music to tell you how to feel . Is this supposed to parody that ? Doesn't really work .

I don't really see this one as a mockumentary , it has some similar things but it obviously wants to be more dramatic and the music is going against it .

The mock in mockumentary (a portmanteau of mock documentary) means fake, not mocking, Derek isn't parodying those documentaries, it's just styled as one. The humour doesn't come from the presentation of the documentary but from the people in it.

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by hsellors

I do follow RG on Twitter but I actually don't think he's posted one Tweet that has made me laugh?

They weren't intended to :
https://twitter.com/rickygervais/sta...78798586306560

I find the shows he writes funny but all he's Tweets are either him boasting, telling everyone how he doesn't care or trying to joke about something unfunny.

The boasting is tongue in cheek, it's part of his act:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlsXJ3U4tS4
As for the rest, see above.

[junnja]

Here's another example of Ricky Gervais being......well......Ricky Gervais, but supposedly acting. I don't think anyone would argue. This just what he sounds and acts like on talk shows. Or when he's taking the piss out of KP on 'The Ricky Gervais Show'

WARNING!! Contains offensive language and sexual references. Don't watch if easily offended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qOaZ4CQqKI

I personally think, this performance is a cringeworthy and awful piece of self-indulgent shite.
It's as if like some unruly child, when someone asks him to be in something, that he's not written, directed or playing the lead part in, he has to spoil it, by pulling focus and acting like a tw*t.

However, if you haven't already. You should ckeck out this series, which is called Louis CK. named after the other guy in the scene. He's a stand-up comedian. And this series is about his life-experience. In particular at the age he is in the show. Now there's a funny man. It's brilliant!!

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by junnja

Here's another example of Ricky Gervais being......well......Ricky Gervais. But supposedly acting. I don't think anyone would argue. This just what he sounds and acts like on talk shows. Or when he's taking the piss out of KP on 'The Ricky Gervais Show'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qOaZ4CQqKI

I personally think, this performance is a cringeworthy and awful piece of self-indulgent shite.

It's as if when someone asks him to be in something, that he's not written, directed or playing the lead part in. Like an unruly child, he has to spoil it, by coming across as a ****.

However, if you haven't already. You should ckeck out this series, which is called Louis CK. named after the other guy in the scene. He's a stand-up comedian. And this series is about his life-experience. In particular at the age he is in the show. Now there's a funny man. It's brilliant!!

Ricky is one of Louis CK's biggest cheerleaders, Louis's in the Invention Of Lying and Ricky pitched a show to Sky last year with Louis in the lead role, he's his favourite comedian.

[junnja]

Originally Posted by Digital Sid

Ricky is one of Louis CK's biggest cheerleaders, Louis's in the Invention Of Lying and Ricky pitched a show to Sky last year with Louis in the lead role, he's his favourite comedian.

Fine. I accept that. But he still tries to upstage him in his own show. Which is unforgiveable for any actor to do. Regardless of who you are, or who you think you are. And IMO Louis CK's genius doesn't need the RG seal of approval. He's way funnier than Gervais will ever be.

[BellaRosa]

Originally Posted by junnja

Here's another example of Ricky Gervais being......well......Ricky Gervais, but supposedly acting. I don't think anyone would argue. This just what he sounds and acts like on talk shows. Or when he's taking the piss out of KP on 'The Ricky Gervais Show'

WARNING!! Contains offensive language and sexual references. Don't watch if easily offended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qOaZ4CQqKI

I personally think, this performance is a cringeworthy and awful piece of self-indulgent shite.
It's as if like some unruly child, when someone asks him to be in something, that he's not written, directed or playing the lead part in, he has to spoil it, by pulling focus and acting like a tw*t.

However, if you haven't already. You should ckeck out this series, which is called Louis CK. named after the other guy in the scene. He's a stand-up comedian. And this series is about his life-experience. In particular at the age he is in the show. Now there's a funny man. It's brilliant!!

Good grief .. was that put out on TV It was not funny at all.
RG has the weirdest sense of humour that is why I am confused about the character of Derek.

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by junnja

Fine. I accept that. But he still tries to upstage him in his own show. Which is unforgiveable for any actor to do. Regardless of who you are, or who you think you are.

How does he try to upstage him? And more important, why would he?

And IMO Louis CK's genius doesn't need the RG seal of approval. He's way funnier than Gervais will ever be.

Where on earth did I say he did? I was disputing that he'd knowingly spoil his favourite comedian, and possible future collaborator's show.

[konebyvax]

Don't ask me how I get the feeling, I think it may be just a hunch, but is Digital Sid a bit of a fan of RG?

[Digital Sid]

Originally Posted by konebyvax

Don't ask me how I get the feeling, I think it may be just a hunch, but is Digital Sid a bit of a fan of RG?

Does that invalidate my opinion?

[Alrightmate]

Originally Posted by Virgil Tracy

obviously they've written a character close to Karl , but this still requires acting , even when non-actors play themselves in stuff it rarely works because they still have to act , this isn't just spontaneous conversation like in the other shows he appears in .




yeah , it reminds me of those films about black issues where the black people are just background and the main characters are all white



I hate it in documentaries when they add syrupy music to tell you how to feel . Is this supposed to parody that ? Doesn't really work .

I don't really see this one as a mockumentary , it has some similar things but it obviously wants to be more dramatic and the music is going against it .

I agree with you because I felt like the music was trying to tell me when I'm supposed to feel emotional.
It kind of jars with me when the music for any show or film tries to spoonfeed me to signpost the bits that I'm supposed to recognise as sentimental.

It also didn't feel right that the old people in the home just seemed to be pretty much props for all intents and purposes.

In a way it reminds me of the episode of Extras with Kate Winslet where it's felt as though the makers are ticking boxes for what has a better chance of winning awards.

The third criticism is that Ricky Gervais is really bad in this role. All the other main characters seem quite plausible and 'real', but Ricky Gervais' character comes across more like a character from Little Britain or some comedy sketch show. He just doesn't feel like a real person at all.

However I quite enjoyed it. Kerry Godliman who plays Hannah, and Karl Pilkington who plays Dougie were great.

It's okay, but they lay the sentimentality on a bit too thick. It doesn't feel genuine as the old people living in the home appear to be merely there to be used as props. Couldn't they have one or two old people acting as fleshed out main characters?

Yes, Hannah and Dougie probably just about hold it together but I think that when it came to sentimentality it felt splashed on with thick brush strokes. It might have worked better for me if I knew some of the characters who were residents of the care home.
You can't really substitute character with moving emotional music. It can help, but if I'm supposed to empathise with characters using big emotive music isn't going to cut it by itself.

[cuza]

Originally Posted by I'm-a-pain

I enjoyed everything about this with the exception of Kev. I just didn't like him one bit, and thought his contributions were unnecessary and a waste of time which could have been filled with more gentle humour. I did like Derek's take on the 'tistic' tests "Will it change me?" "no" "Then I don't wannit" (or words to that effect).

xx

I couldn't agree more. he is vile and I don't see tne need for him.

I don't think he contributes anything.

Apart from that I love it.

[darthbibble]

Originally Posted by konebyvax

Don't ask me how I get the feeling, I think it may be just a hunch, but is Digital Sid a bit of a fan of RG?

He's also speaking more sense than a lot of the people posting in this thread!

[junnja]

Originally Posted by Digital Sid

How does he try to upstage him? And more important, why would he?

I was disputing that he'd knowingly spoil his favourite comedian, and possible future collaborator's show.

Well if you can't see what he's doing. Then there's no point. He's making the whole scene about him. I didn't just say his favourite comedian. He tries to upstage every one in every scene in everything he's in. He does it all the time. he gives other actors good stuff to do, when he's not in the scene. But as soon as he is, it's all about him. Even if he doesn't speak. Very selfish.

QUOTE=Digital Sid;63976762]Where on earth did I say he did? I was disputing that he'd knowingly spoil his favourite comedian, and possible future collaborator's show.[/quote]

Never said you did. I meant in general nobody needs RG's stamp of approval that Louis CK is funny. He just is.

I think RG has done some great stuff. 'The Office', a great ensemble piece. David Brent. A great character. But the series wasn't all just down to him. The rest of the cast were fantastic. 'Extras' Andy Millman. Another great character. Watching his painful struggle for recognition was brilliant. But I thought personally, Maggie played by Ashley Jensen had an even greater struggle. Partly because she was a bit of a scatter brain. Again!! not all down to RG.

Originally Posted by Digital Sid

Does that invalidate my opinion?

A touch paranoid Digital Sid. No one is saying it does. Just like your, IMO blinkered view, of my and most other peoples comments about RG are deemed wrong. That's your opinion, which your entitled to. If we come on here making comments, then we should expect to have a response to them. It's an old cliche, but we do sometimes just have to agree to disagree. It's just that it appears that as soon as someone disagrees with you. You don't like it. Too bad.We don't all like the same things. I personally don't care what you think about what I think. Like I said, it's an opinion, that we're all entitled to, including you.. And that's mine. Sorry if you don't like it.

[junnja]

Originally Posted by BellaRosa

Good grief .. was that put out on TV It was not funny at all.
RG has the weirdest sense of humour that is why I am confused about the character of Derek.

lol. I know, it's beyond belief. It's like he's in a different show.

[Lathamite]

It's getting increasingly difficult to offer comments on Ricky Gervais as you're likely to be labelled a sheep or a hater whichever way you go. So for the sake of clarity:

I LOVE The Office. I have a huge amount of fondness for Extras Series 1 and 2 (less so the overly long, muddle conclusion). I greatly enjoyed the podcasts. I thought Cemetery Junction was cruelly ignored as it was a great little movie.

HOWEVER, I thought Life's Too Short was an ill-conceived misjudged train-wreck using discarded bits from Extras and The Office. I thought Ghost Town was awful. And, despite having similar religious leanings to Gervais, found The Invention of Lying to be a terrible, illogical waste of time.

And Derek?

Ugh. I think the Radio Times nailed it here. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-...nnel-4--review

Overly sentimental to the point of being disingenuous, it's neither dramatic enough to be a drama, nor comic enough to be a comedy. The moments of supposed seriousness are completely at odds with the three male characters who are completely without subtlety.