‘We go walking everyday to meet dogs’

Ricky Gervais, 57, found worldwide fame as David Brent in The Office. Now a global A-list star, he lives in London with his partner of 37 years, author Jane Fallon, 58.

Congratulations on After Life, Ricky, it’s brilliant… but dark!

Thank you! It’s something different, I know. You don’t see people dying of cancer in Mrs Brown’s Boys. When you sit down to watch a comedy, and you see Kerry Godliman in a bald wig with no eyebrows saying, ‘If you’re watching this, I’m not around anymore,’ I guess you know you’re going to get something different.

How do you make comedy out of such a sad situation?

Well, the same way you do in real life I guess. People joke at funerals, don’t they?

The flashback scenes where Tony watches a film of him and his wife together are so moving…

I wanted their relationship to be real. She was his best friend, and he doesn’t think that he could be happy again now she’s gone.

There are some controversial moments, did anyone ask you to tone any of it down?

No, not at all. In fact, I probably cut some of the swearing. The thing is, even when he does something shocking, you know why he’s doing it. He smokes heroin, but he just wants to be unconscious, to deaden his pain. But I think there’s no subject you can’t joke or write about.

How did you enjoy working with your canine co-star?

I loved that dog, Anti, he was gorgeous. I wanted to take him home. The last day of filming when

I was hugging the cast and crew, that’s the one I nearly cried at because I thought, ‘She won’t understand why she isn’t going to see me again.’ Me and Jane go walking every day just to meet dogs – I’m a dog stalker.

What’s the message you want people to take from it?

The question is, is it worth living after you’ve lost everything. Spoilers aside, the answer is yes. Time does heal. Scar tissue is strong. There is the kindness of strangers and friends to help you out. You have to keep going.

l After Life is available now on Netflix.