Ricky’s back with comedy to make you laugh and cry
RICKY GERVAIS has penned this comedy that will break your heart just as much as it will make you laugh out loud. Taking on some difficult issues, Gervais plays Tony, who had the perfect life until his wife Lisa died of cancer.
It begins with Lisa, played by Kerry Godliman, leaving him a video message to play after she’s gone. She has plenty of advice, reminding him to unset the alarm, feed the dog, put the bins out.
But Tony clearly isn’t coping that well. With no food in the house and everything a mess, he’s drinking vegetable curry straight from the tin and the dog is given baked beans. We soon discover that Tony had been suicidal, but the dog needed feeding, so he didn’t go through with it. Instead, he decides that he will just live without conscience, saying and doing whatever he likes. He says: “If it all gets too much I can always kill myself. It’s like a super power”.
But he’s surrounded by wellmeaning friends and relatives who aren’t going to let him spiral into depression if they can help it.
The supporting cast is brilliant, including David Bradley as his dad, in a nursing home with dementia, and Ashley Jensen as his dad’s nurse. Also watch out for Roisin Conaty, Diane Morgan and Penelope Wilton.
This will occasionally catch you unawares with an emotional sucker punch, but then just at the right moment, a well-timed joke will pull it back to neutral.