Derek (TV series)

Genesis and pilot

The pilot episode aired on 12 April 2012 on Channel 4. Filmed in a mockumentary style, the programming is set mostly in a nursing home, and centres on Derek, a helper at the home. The title character made his first appearance in the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe show Rubbernecker.

Gervais says the programming was inspired by his relatives who work in care homes: "Half my family are care workers. My sister works with kids with learning difficulties. My sister-in-law works in a care home for people with Alzheimer's. And four or five of my nieces work in old people's homes. I always write about what I know."

Plot

Gervais plays 50-year-old Derek Noakes, a care worker at Broad Hill, a home for the elderly; he has worked there for three years. He likes watching reality television shows and game shows, and is interested in celebrities, YouTube and, above all, talking about animals. The viewer is told he is kind, helpful and selfless, with good intentions. He is vulnerable because of his childlike naivety and distractions from society. He is ridiculed and ostracised, as well as marginalised by mainstream society because of his social awkwardness and lack of inhibition. Derek says it is more important to be kind than to be clever or good-looking. Some commentators have described him as disabled or autistic, although Gervais denies this.

Cast

Main characters

• Ricky Gervais as Derek Noakes, an employee of the care home
• Kerry Godliman as Hannah, the care home's manager
• David Earl as Kevin "Kev" Twine, a homeless, unemployed alcoholic who hangs around the care home
• Karl Pilkington as Dougie, the home's caretaker (Main Series 1, guest Series 2)
• Colin Hoult as Geoff, the home's caretaker replacing Dougie after he leaves (Series 2 and Special)
• Holli Dempsey as Vicky, initially working in the care home on community service, she goes on to become a volunteer, an employee and eventually cover Hannah's maternity leave as acting manager
• Brett Goldstein as Tom, Hannah's love interest and grandson of Annie, a resident of the carehome

Regular characters

• Ninette Finch as Annie, Tom's grandmother
• Ruth Bratt as Mary
• Margaret Towner as Edna
• Joan Linder as Joan
• Kay Noone as Lizzie
• Vilma Hollingbery as Elsie
• Tim Barlow as Jack
• Arthur Nightingale as Arthur
• Tony Rohr as Anthony, Derek's father
• Sheila Collings as Sheila
• Barry Martin as Joe
• Prem Modgil as Prem
• Blanche Williams as Precious
• Laura Jane Hudson as Jill
• Pamela Lyne as Marge

Guest characters

• Doc Brown as Deon, works at the care home on community service – 1 episode
• Joe Wilkinson as Cliff Twine, Kev's brother – 2 episodes
• Vicky Hall as Tracy, Derek's girlfriend – 2 episodes
• Toby Foster as Les, Tom's work friend and best man at his wedding – 1 episode
• Tony Way as Pete, Jack's grandson – 1 episode
• Robert Vahey as Gerald, Lizzie's husband – 1 episode
• Susannah Wise as Rebecca, Hannah's former classmate and Jill's daughter – 1 episode
• Ashley McGuire as Shelley, Marge's daughter – 1 episode
• Tom Basden as autograph expert – 1 episode
• Tom Hughes as Andy, a love interest for Vicky – 1 episode

Episodes

Pilot (2012)

A film crew arrives, which Derek suspects is from Secret Millionaire. He shows his favorite YouTube video, Hamster on a Piano. Hannah is attracted to Tom. She assumes all good men are married or homosexual. She wants to find out his sexual orientation without him knowing she wants to know. She reasons she can work out his orientation if she knows his favourite films and television shows. Derek asks Tom on her behalf, but he gives away the reason he is asking. Tom pretends he is homosexual by saying he is a fan of Glee, The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli and Audrey Hepburn. Tom says to Hannah he was joking, and he is single and heterosexual. An awkward conversation ensues between Hannah and Tom, in which she pretends it was Derek who wanted to know his orientation. Hannah and Derek go to a pub, where three female chavs insult Derek. Hannah headbutts one of them, before she and Derek leave. Joan, Derek's favorite resident at the home, dies. Tom takes Hannah to the pub; Derek tags along without invitation.

Series 1 (2013)

Derek and Hannah show Vicky around, a girl doing community service after her conviction for stealing shoes from the shop she worked in. Vicky initially dislikes the home, but with Hannah's encouragement, begins to like it. Vicky decides to come back next week as a volunteer.

In the home's garden, Derek licks a toad after Kev suggests it. Derek wants to save the life of a baby bird fallen from a tree. He phones 999 for an ambulance. One of the paramedics tells him it is dead.

Some of the residents attend a jumble sale. Dougie is annoyed with Derek for buying an ugly ornament which they took to the jumble sale to get rid of.

It is date night for Tom and Hannah. Marge, a dying resident, suggests to Tom he marry Hannah. She gives her engagement ring to him to give to Hannah. After Marge's death, her obnoxious daughter Shelley (who was to inherit the ring) arrives, and takes the ring from Tom. Dougie angrily ejects her.

Hannah's rich, narcissistic, friendless former classmate Rebecca brings her mother Jill into the home to become a new resident. Rebecca boasts about her success before leaving.

Dougie drives Derek, Kev, and several of the residents to Broadstairs for a day trip. During the journey, Derek asks Dougie several stupid questions.

Hannah tells Derek his father, Anthony, phoned the home and wants to see him. Derek has not seen him since he walked out when he was a child, and he refuses to see Anthony.

Much-loved resident Lizzie dies, and her funeral is attended by many of the residents and staff. Anthony turns up, and approaches Derek. Derek initially rejects Anthony, but, minutes later, changes his mind, and they go to the home together, where he introduces Anthony to the residents and staff.

Series 2 (2014)

Derek is happy Antony is moving in. He tells Derek about his travels to many countries.

Tom and Hannah are trying to conceive, which Derek tells the other staff and residents about.

After called to remove a large spider from the toilet, annoyed by Geoff, and electrocuted by an electric heater he wired incorrectly, Dougie quits.

Last appearance of Dougie

Interviews are conducted at Broad Hill by Hannah and a colleague for the caretaker position vacated by Dougie, who is moving to Manchester. Kev decides to clean-up his act, and goes to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. He is one of the interviewees, but is not selected because he is unappealing and dysfunctional. He resumes drinking alcohol, days after he stopped.

Pete, a successful financier who is the grandson of resident Jack, brings his caravan to Broad Hill's car park, and donates it to Derek and Kev to live in.

Special (2014)

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the first series holds a rating of 53% based on 32 critics, with the consensus reading: "Derek is as irreverent as might be expected from a show starring Ricky Gervais, but this time he brings a surprising amount of depth and empathy to the title character." On Metacritic, the first series of the show earned a rating of 64 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

The show generated occasional controversy due to a perception by some viewers it mocks intellectual disability. Tanya Gold, writing for The Guardian, dismissed Gervais's claims in Derek, he was satirising prejudice against disabled people, instead saying it "feels more like lazy cruelty than satire". Jack Seale criticised the show for relying on elements and characterisations from other programming by Gervais. The Guardians Sam Wollaston found it to be "not very good", and says "the whole mockumentary thing feels tired now".

Tom Sutcliffe of The Independent questioned the wisdom of commissioning the programming: "To my mind, the pilot of Ricky Gervais's comedy about an assistant in a retirement home already fully explored its awkward – and testing – balance of comedy and emotion." Discussing the show's compassionate moments, he wrote "Derek's redeeming qualities are the hardest to take – a sense of self-congratulation at the refinement of its sentiments that has a little bit of the bully in it, too."

Gervais' performance as Derek received mixed reviews. Diane Werts of Newsday reacted positively, saying "Gervais nailed it". Curt Wagner of Red Eye says Gervais "surprises with some tender, quiet acting, and obvious love of the character. Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says "although there could be an ick factor to Mr. Gervais playing a character with developmental issues, that turns out not to be the case. Mr. Gervais creates a character, not a caricature." On the other hand, The Guardians Sam Wollaston says "Ricky Gervais is out of his depth playing a character that isn't based on his worst foibles." Terry Ramsey of The Telegraph says "There is Gervais's cringe-making performance in the title role. I'm sorry, but Derek is simply Ricky Gervais in a patterned jumper with a cricked neck. Gervais is not a character actor, and what Derek needs to bring him alive is to be more believable. What he really needs is someone else playing him."

The second series of Derek generated some positive reviews. The second series currently holds a 67% based on 9 critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Hank Stuever of The Washington Post reacted positively, saying "Derek is an honest and often charming endeavor." Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly also praised the show, but says the absence of Karl Pilkington hurt the series, saying: "The second series mostly upholds the first's tricky precedent, but the absence of regular Gervais associate Karl Pilkington means the yuks are a bit less hearty." Terry Ramsey of The Telegraph wrote, "We didn't need a second series of Ricky Gervais's comedy drama Derek." In a review in The Guardian, Sam Wollaston says "That's the other big problem with Derek...it's not very smart. Or very funny. Or very good." Msn.com says "Ricky Gervais' Derek remains a mawkish mess. Where to begin? The mockumentary format is moribund. The ethics are muddy. The tone is all over the place in everything but its consistent condescension." Matt D of Unrealitytv.co.uk agrees, saying "The primary reasons for this are the imbalance in tone and Gervais' central performance, both of which stop Derek from being a truly enjoyable programme." AV Club says "Derek has all the creative ambition of [an online video of little piggies and bunnies doing cute things]." Indie Wire says "Series two is all over the map." Michael Hogan of The Telegraph says Derek is a "saccharine series" and "dreadful". Serena Davies, from the same publication, says "the show seems to have been devised by someone of Derek's limited intelligence... [I will not be] wasting any more of my time watching this rather flimsy, curiously pointless program."

The special was given two stars out of five by The Telegraph. The reviewer, Ed Power, criticised the episode for the "weak performance" from Gervais and the "sub-Forrest Gump sympathy milking". He described it as "glib" and "manipulative". The Guardian reviewer Julia Raeside concurred, adding "I can find no comedy in it, and it lacks the emotional truth required for a drama."

Awards and nominations

DVD releases

The complete first series of Derek was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 November 2013. The complete second series of Derek was released on DVD on 17 November 2014. A two-disc set containing the first and second series on DVD was also released on 17 November 2014. Derek: The Special was released on DVD on 26 October 2015. A complete collection set was released featuring series and the special.

References

References

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