Ricky Gervais has revealed he’s open to the idea of an After Life one-off, on one condition – he gets help from the cast in writing it.
The actor said he has a first look deal with Netflix, however it’s not an overall deal that would prohibit him from working with other platforms.
Speaking at the Variety European TV Summit in London on Thursday, Ricky was asked whether he’d ever consider going back to traditional TV like the BBC, which was of course the home and birthplace of his breakthrough series, The Office.
NetflixHe told the audience:
I never say never. I have never taken a handcuffs deal in my life. I haven’t got one with Netflix. They get first look now because it’s great, it’s perfect for me.
Check out the trailer for After Life below, it’s a hell of a show:
Gervais is currently working on the second series of After Life, a heartwarming comedy about a man who becomes empowered by giving up on his life after the death of his beloved wife. The writer has always stated a preference for a small run of seasons and some specials, prompting people to ask whether he had any ideas of an After Life one-off.
He replied:
I do – unless I can get some of the cast to help me write the third series and just sit back and just turn up.
After Life has been praised by so many people who have gone through the pain of losing a loved one, and Gervais admitted he was taken aback by the response to the show.
NetflixHe said:
You suddenly realise everyone is grieving but they don’t usually tell a stranger. I wasn’t expecting that, I didn’t think it was the most important thing about the show – for me it was a dramatic device to deliver jokes, drama.
When asked whether Netflix had given him complete creative free-reign, Ricky said:
I’ve been lucky enough to always get final edit, I demanded it when I was a nobody with ‘The Office’ and got it because it was low-risk and no one cared.
With Netflix, there’s freedom but you have to deliver. It’s not a charity, if you don’t deliver, they drop you.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.