I think it is a bit of an understatement to say that Ricky Gervais is not everyone’s cup of tea. There’s something about him that is distinctly unlikeable but I think that is because he is not afraid to say what most of us are really thinking. If I am honest, it has taken me a long time to appreciate his genius but that is what he is, and his latest series After Life is testament to that.

Whatever your opinion of Gervais may be, I highly recommend you give After Life a watch, I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

Written and directed by Gervais, After Life tells the story of Tony (Ricky Gervais), a journalist for a local newspaper, as he struggles to come to terms with the death of his wife, Lisa (Kerry Godliman). Tony considers ending it all but he needs to stay alive to look after their dog and his elderly father (David Bradley) who suffers from dementia.

Broken hearted and angry at the world, Tony pushes everyone away and continues to isolate himself through his harsh and bitter attitude. Slowly, Tony starts to understand that life is worth living and that we are all suffering through our own issue, in our own way.

As with a lot of his work, the strength of the central character is supported by a fantastic cast including the likes of Paul Kaye as Tony’s terrible psychiatrist; Roisin Conaty as the soft hearted and unashamed sex worker Roxy (aka Daphne) and Penelope Wilton almost steals the show as Anne, the straight talking, no-nonsense fellow widow who helps bring Tony out of the darkness and, arguably, has some of the best lines in the whole series.

Similarly, there are some amazing sub plots sitting alongside the central storyline that will really play with your emotions, from a heart-wrenchingly tragic look into drug addiction to the slightly more heart warming ‘life of Brian’ (David Earl) storyline that offers a small insight into the mind of a hoarder.

Now I’ll admit that on the surface After Life does sound a little too dreary and depressing to be enjoyable, and yes it is a hard and difficult watch at times, but this is where Gervais’ genius comes in and instead he delivers something that is surprisingly funny and upbeat. In typical Ricky fashion, the jokes can push some boundaries but they all fit within the scope of the story. Nothing is put in for the sake of it. This is a brutally honest yet hilarious look at loss, grief, depression, drug addiction…. the list goes on.

You will laugh and you will cry but you will also, hopefully, come away feeling a little more positive, a little kinder and a little stronger.

Season 2 will be available on Netflix from 24th April 2020.