Derek

I hate to disappoint Ricky Gervais, but I can't see why anyone would be offended by his C4 comedy, Derek, about a guy with learning difficulties.

The only remotely 'iffy' thing I spotted was 'Chavs in pub' in the closing credits. Unless you can still call them that these days?

I guess you could mark Gervais down for not exactly breaking new ground. He came up with the idea for Derek over ten years ago and he is basically a Fifties Norman Wisdom character transported to a modern-day old folks' home.

Plus, the tone and subject matter was very close to the That Peter Kay Thing classic from 2000 about Britain's oldest paperboy, Leonard de Tomkinson.

Still, this pilot was bursting with enough promising characters, clever lines and gut-wrenching scenes to suggest a series won't be far off.

One thing though, Ricky. Maybe make Derek's voice a little less Fred West-like next time. It was a bit creepy.

How Derek showed a softer side to Ricky Gervais

Derek turned out to be a beautiful, warm story of people who need love, who give love and yet are all too often sidelined in society.

Derek was a sharp yet sweetly observed study of misfits

With Derek, Ricky Gervais pulls back from the brink of the smug self-satisfaction that threatened to engulf his undoubted talent, portraying a simple souled character that it is clear he actually likes.

Ricky Gervais's Derek watched by 2 million on Channel 4

Great ratings and extensive social media chatter mean a full series looks likely.

Last night's viewing: Derek, Channel 4

If you were feeling very kind indeed, you might want to give Ricky Gervais credit for trying. But I don't think you'd conclude that he'd succeeded.

Ricky Gervais is familiar but compassionate in Derek

A bit like Bob Geldof, whatever you think of some of Ricky Gervais's outbursts, he's still one of the good guys - who seems to want help create a world where, as Derek remembered Joan telling him through his tears, "kindness is magic, more important than being good-looking or clever."

Derek, Channel 4

Ricky Gervais's latest vehicle will stir debate.

Ricky Gervais fans give Derek the thumbs up

Ricky Gervais' new series Derek has received positive feedback for its inaugural episode, despite fears that viewers might find it offensive or unfunny.

Review: Derek (Channel 4)

The good news: Ricky Gervais' Derek isn't the distasteful portrait of a mentally-disabled man many assumed it would be (based on the original sketch that featured a questionable version of the same character). The bad news: Derek was nevertheless a largely tedious half-hour that offered few laughs amidst an oppressively earnest atmosphere.

This touching, one-off comedy drama is written and directed by Ricky Gervais, who also takes the lead role as Derek, a vulnerable adult working in an old people's home. You might expect Gervais to run cynical riot in this setting but he's in surprisingly sensitive form. It's down to Karl Pilkington, Gervais's long-suffering puppet in Sky1's An Idiot Abroad, to nab the darkest lines as Derek's best friend and landlord, Dougie.