Derek 

Firstly, I'm well aware that Ricky Gervais's humour is not at all for everyone, but please, if anyone let's this jewel of a program slip them by because of that reason it's a very great shame! Personally I was always a big fan of Ricky Gervais. I remember when The Office first came out and was thoroughly impressed by, not just the wit and humour, but the direction and three dimensionality of the characters. Extras continued to show just how brilliant he could be as creator of top notch comedy, but with Derek he's pushed the envelope several degrees further and in a strikingly different direction.

It's billed as a comedy but is a difficult program to classify. Some have called it a comedy drama but I'd have to say it's in a genre all of it's own, with more moments that force the viewer into deep reflection than any kind of laughter and few moments that I can honestly call "drama". Though certain films are able to pull at my heart strings enough to leave me with a runny nose and a very sore face under the eyes, this program is one of very few I've seen that's able to do so during most episodes. Perhaps "bitter-sweet comedy" is a better description.

What continuously strikes me most about it is how it draws attention, so vividly and on a weekly basis, to the terrible way we in the western world treat our aged. All of the acting is of an extremely high standard, particularly Gervais' Derek and the superb Kerry Godliman as manager Hannah, with Gervais' particular style of hands off direction (which worked so well in The Office) his actors play their roles in a sublimely naturalistic way. The tenderness with which each of the residents stories is handled is truly breath-taking, with small (what in other shows might be out of place) montages depicting to the audience memories of past youthful days, scattered throughout the series. The music used in the series is also worth a mention adding poignancy to many of the scenes.

I saw an interview with Ricky and Stephen Merchant and he was describing how, in contrast to the Office consisting of in a large part, deception, Derek consists of sincerity. I can't ever remember seeing a more sincere television program, and have seen few films with a similar level of sincerity. If this program doesn't win numerous accolades then there's something very wrong in the world!