Ricky Gervais

The stars who appeared as versions of themselves in Ricky Gervais's Extras and Life Is Short were prepared to collaborate in a certain amount of self-mockery, but nothing on a par with this. Matt LeBlanc's caricature takes another humiliating turn as the (fictional) network start to complain that their (fictional) star is putting on weight.

It's a nice take on the real pressures for TV stars, but it also allows for enjoyably awkward confrontations, not least with the only person who is there to reassure him - his blind girlfriend.

Ricky Gervais donates £1,000 to charity after MOTD dare

Ricky Gervais has donated £1,000 to Great Ormond Street Hospital after he dared Gary Linker to use the phrase "it was a game of two halves" live on Match of the Day.

Several Ricky Gervais projects to end

Animated series The Ricky Gervais Show will not get a fourth season, Sky1 show An Idiot Abroad will end after two more specials and BBC2 series Life's Too Short, which ran for seven episodes in late 2011 and early 2012, will conclude with a one-off finale next Easter.

Stephen Merchant: Cancer is funny

Comedian Stephen Merchant claimed that he and writing partner Ricky Gervais have no taboos for TV shows, and even illnesses like cancer can be potentially funny.

Russell Brand: Ricky Gervais and I would be hilarious

Russell Brand has revealed that he would love to work with Ricky Gervais after being a long-time admirer of his near-the-knuckle style of presenting awards shows.

So Derek picked up the top comedy prize at the New York Short Film Festival. I'm probably more exited about this than any of the Baftas, Golden Globes or Emmys. I'm not sure if that's because it's been such a long time in development, or that it was criticised by some before they'd even seen it and now they've gone a bit quiet, or just because I love Derek more than any other character I've ever created. I actually wish he was real. Maybe I'm having a breakdown? And if I am, who cares? I'll just be Derek forever. Haha.

I've nearly finished writing the series, which I'm filming in September. It will air early next year.

Ricky Gervais eyes Derek in the States

Ricky Gervais wants to export new comedy Derek to the US.

Why don't we take heightism seriously?

I was annoyed while watching Derek. Ricky Gervais is playing a character that is clearly mentally handicapped, but I have no problem with that because it was dealt with in an honest and touching way. So why was I annoyed? Well because while watching it all I could think was "why wasn't the issue of height given this treatment in Life's Too Short?"

The day before the one-off comedy Derek screened on Channel 4, Ricky Gervais announced on Twitter that he was "slowly writing" a full series.

For a particularly vocal section of the media, that writing probably can't proceed slowly enough. Of all Gervais's creations, Derek Noakes is both the nicest and the most instantly reviled. Never mind that he works in an elderly care home, guilelessly chatting to the residents while clipping their toenails and watching Deal Or No Deal: Derek, we've been told, is a monster.

Or at least his creator is, for daring to invent a character whose regrettable hairstyle and awkward carriage imply some sort of learning difficulty. Or does it? Gervais claims Derek is just someone on the margins of society, falling somewhere between Baldrick and Frank Spencer. But on screen, as he jutted out his chin like Monty Python's Gumby, I felt myself not so much cringe as physically recoil.

The niggling feeling that something is off actually helps sustain the overfamiliar fake documentary format. If a filmmaker did come across a subject as perplexing as Derek, you could well believe they would want to have two cameras on him at all times. And the way Gervais plays to those cameras, flicking his eyes between them, at once rigidly self-conscious and plausibly natural in his behaviour, demonstrates his mastery of a genre he single-handedly propelled into the mainstream. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing this problematic part with as much skill, albeit to such uncomfortable effect.

The real problem with Derek, though, is that it's not that funny. There's a lot of slapstick but - one notably satisfying headbutt aside - it just seems clumsy rather than effervescent. The necessarily drab care home setting also begins to feel oppressive, even during the brisk running time.

But perhaps the most depressing thing about Derek is that the media kerfuffle has completely overshadowed the work of Kerry Godliman, who is heartbreakingly plausible as Hannah, Derek's protective workmate who clearly feels life is passing her by but isn't sure how to achieve any existential traction. I found my viewing experience improved by imagining Hannah was the hero of the piece, with Derek reduced to the role of sidekick. Karl Pilkington and his terrible wig, on the other hand, should probably just stick to travel shows.