After Life has some of the flavours of eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfullything Ricky Gervais has ever done, from his TV sitcoms to his stand-up reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue s and even some rants from one of his massively popular podcasts, but the way they’re mixed toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her, in a story with real dramatic heft, makes it feel entirely different and original.###He plays Tony, a local journalist who’s not the slightest bit interested in the locals or journalism, and his perin/with regard to’concerning’regarding mance has an unflashy, downbeat realism to it, even when he’s being really funny. Tony’s way of dealing with his grief, or rather not dealing with it, is by being serenely mean to almost eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfullyone, including himself. His relentless mockery is cleverly scripted by Gervais so that while we’re laughing at Tony’s brutal, socially inappropriate honesty, we’re also keenly aware of the pain at the heart of his barbs.###The reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ’s intriguing structure is built round Tony’s encounters with the disparate individual he meets eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully day, and the myriad ways they irritate him. There’s the postman (Joe Wilkinson) who just wants to hand Tony his mail rather than put it through the letter box, the work colleague (played by Diane Morgan, of Philomena Cunk reputation’renown’prestige ) who goes on with regards to’concerning’with respect to Kevin Hart all the time, and Tony’s own father (David Bradley), living in a care home, who still claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate s Tony’s beloved wife is still alive.###It’s an extraordinary ensemble, also featuring wonderful, raw naturalism from Penelope Wilton, Ashley Jensen and Roisin Conaty. If the rule of Seinfeld, one of Gervais’s favourites, was ‘no growing, no hugging’, After Life somehow stays sharp even while the characters are learning enormous’vast’massive’tremendous life lessons. And actually hugging.