The Ricky Gervais Show is the most popular podcast in the world, which is peculiar given its content: an animated
rendition of bizarre conversations between three unlikely friends. But somehow, the world connects with this unusual
bond of camaraderie. In fact, numerous people have written the show, explaining how it has helped them through some of
the most difficult periods of their lives.
And Derek, Gervais’s most recent innovation, is particularly insightful. It centers on the life of Derek Nope, a 40-some
year old man who works at a nursing home. Derek is not like everyone else; he doesn’t quite pick up on customary social
cues, he has a slight attention span, and maintains an air of wistful innocence. But he is remarkably kind and unwittingly
funny- a sort of role model for Ricky Gervais. Through and through, the show can be painstakingly sad, unbearably
disgusting, and incredibly funny. But that’s humanity, and good art deals with humanity seriously and openly, taking with
it the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Even so, all of Gervais’s creations reflect a sort of childlike joy, an unmistakable cheer that few others can replicate. His
laugh is contagious and his work is clever, creative, and unapologetically hilarious. The world is a better place when
people like Ricky Gervais remind us, if only for a brief moment, not to take everything so seriously.
In an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan, Gervais put it this way- “Comedy is laughing in the face of adversity...“We use
[it] as a sword, a shield, a medicine.”
“It’s fundamental...We understand comedy and we understand humor because it's built on empathy, and that’s what
being human is.”
That’s what a true artist understands: it’s about empathy. Comedy forces us to restlessly confront the face of our
surroundings, to bear our burdens in a way that is both painful and refreshing.
This is why sometimes when we aren’t sure whether we should laugh or cry, the answer is just yes. So