Karl Pilkington

This is a Ricky Gervais programme for people who don't like Ricky Gervais. Derek Noakes (played by Gervais) is a retirement home worker with learning disabilities. He sports greasy hair and bad cardigans, but he always puts others first and is kind to the old people he looks after. He also loves Rolf Harris and Deal or No Deal.

So far so predictable: Gervais has seemingly picked another vulnerable target to poke fun at, while no doubt purporting to break down taboos. But remarkably this is not the case. Gervais is not making fun of Derek, or anyone, it seems - he's celebrating him, and the other outsiders who work in the home (including Karl Pilkington in his debut acting role as Dougie the caretaker, and Kerry Godliman who plays Derek's best friend Hannah). It's a genuinely fond and amusing script. When one of the old people at the home dies, Derek remembers the lady once telling him: "It's more important to be kind than clever or good-looking." "I'm not clever or good-looking... but I am kind," Derek says, holding back the tears. Gervais is apparently hoping this pilot episode will be commissioned for a full series but Channel 4 has billed it as a one-off comedy drama. They'd be fools to let it go.

Once Ricky Gervais gets hold of a good idea he really doesn't like to let it go. Employing his trademark mock-documentary format yet again, Derek follows its socially awkward, visually unprepossessing middle-aged hero as he shambles around his workplace, a care home for the elderly.

Although the show is resolutely ambiguous around whether Derek has learning disabilities or not, Gervais' performance in the title role is both sensitive and sympathetic. Disability rights campaigners can rest easy, if this pilot episode is anything to go by.

If the show's framework is disappointingly unoriginal, the tone is a radical departure from anything Gervais has done before. The Office, Extras and Life's Too Short all had their moments of poignancy, but Derek cranks the pathos up to full throttle and the result is bitter-sweet and disarmingly affecting. Between Derek being ridiculed, confounded and bereaved there isn't a lot of room left for comedy, and viewers tuning in for a laugh riot will be disappointed.

But there is still a wealth of comic detail to enjoy, particularly around Derek's friendships and relationships. Karl Pilkington, formerly Gervais' stooge but here making his acting debut as co-star, delivers a particularly delicious deadpan turn as best mate Dougie.

After taking a step back from starring roles in recent years, Ricky Gervais returns to centre stage with his latest comedy persona, Derek. Unlike previous egotistical, fame hungry characters such as David Brent and Andy Millman, Derek Noakes is a sweet, compassionate man who works in a retirement home. He loves his job, cares deeply for the residents and enjoys the simple things in life such as Deal or No Deal and puddings. In short, Gervais' new creation represents a major change from what was becoming an all too familiar and tired act.

Although not laugh out loud funny, Derek has a certain charm and warmness not often seen in any of Gervais' past efforts and although this is a one off it shows more than enough potential to justify a full series. Also look out for regular Gervais collaborator Karl Pilkington in his debut acting role playing Derek's best mate.

Gervais: Karl Pilkington has proven to be a great actor

Ricky Gervais says his friend and fellow podcaster Karl Pilkington has proven to be a 'great' actor after making his debut in the comedian's new Channel 4 show Derek.

Review: Ricky Gervais in Derek

Where Kerry Godliman and Ricky Gervais turn in naturalistic performances, wringing humour from their characters' behaviour, Karl Pilkington is there in a comedy wig, being Karl Pilkington. It doesn't quite gel.

Karl Pilkington signs up to An Idiot Abroad spin-off

Karl Pilkington has signed on the dotted line for An Idiot Abroad spin-off The Short Way Round, according to the show's creator Ricky Gervais.

The sitcom that appears to prove The Office's Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are creatively bankrupt, Life's Too Short distilled everything they've done before (a mockumentary format poking fun at a disabled character, with meta-jokes and celebrity cameos) but did nothing new or interesting with those ingredients. For half the seven episodes, it didn't even feel like a Warwick Davis-starring sitcom, as so much was an excuse to shoehorn in Gervais, Merchant and a guest-star-of-the-week. Things improved slightly for the last three episodes, once the storyline with Warwick's divorce became a bigger focus, but my goodwill was exhausted by then. It just wasn't insightful or clever, as everything here had been done better in Extras, and poor Warwick was forced to play himself-doing-a-David-Brent impersonation. A sore disappointment from two writers who used to demand only the best, but are now happy to devise stupid shows for their friends (see also Karl Pilkington's An Idiot Abroad).

Ricky Gervais plays care worker in comedy pilot for C4

Spoof documentary called Derek also features Karl Pilkington, while Life's Too Short comes to a quiet end on BBC2.

Karl Pilkington: I'm no idiot

Karl Pilkington has admitted he hates the title of An Idiot Abroad... because it makes him look like an idiot.

Video: Ricky Gervais & Karl Pilkington on social media

Comedians Ricky Gervias and Karl Pilkington discuss the merits of Twitter and Facebook.