Quote: zooo @ April 13 2012, 10:33 PM BSTI think Ricky should shelve the second series of Life's Too Short and just concentrate on making a series of this instead.
Ricky tweeted a few weeks ago that he and Steve have agreed to go straight to a Christmas special and end it there (the closet we'll get to an admission of failure) he also said today he couldn't wait to work on a series of Derek.
It's looking good.
Quote: Dr Sanchez @ April 13 2012, 10:50 PM BSTRicky tweeted a few weeks ago that he and Steve have agreed to go straight to a Christmas special and end it there
Ah, brilliant! I didn't see that.
Quote: Aaron @ April 13 2012, 10:48 PM BSTAverage life span once entering such a home is about 24 months, BTW.
Yikes. 
Quote: Dr Sanchez @ April 13 2012, 10:50 PM BSTRicky tweeted a few weeks ago that he and Steve have agreed to go straight to a Christmas special and end it there (the closet we'll get to an admission of failure)
I had a look at his tweets and he says Channel Four were very happy with the reaction and audience figures, so looks like it's in with a shot. It also mentioned he's working on a new pilot with some guy who works on Dexter, about an athiest who dies and discovers there is a Heaven. He's certainly not slowing down, what's Merchant up to?? Wonder if he's working up a solo sitcom.
Quote: Aaron @ April 13 2012, 10:48 PM BSTOf course. But I didn't say weekly. Granted, it's probably a bit less regular than even every few weeks, but y'know, it's still a nursing home, the sole purpose of which is to care for people until they die. Was there any allusion as to how long Derek was supposed to have been working there? I don't recall any mention, but certainly didn't pick up that he was a new recruit.
You crack me up!
Quote: Aaron @ April 13 2012, 10:48 PM BSTAverage life span once entering such a home is about 24 months, BTW.
Quality! Thanks 
We do believe that this has been commissioned.
Quote: random @ April 13 2012, 11:01 PM BST
Glad you see my point.
Quote: Aaron @ April 13 2012, 11:02 PM BSTGlad you see my point.
I can't help but think you don't live in the real world... Well done! 
Squarely here. You seem absent though!
Quote: Aaron @ April 13 2012, 8:50 PM BSTBut if you work in a nursing home, one of your "family" (under your interpretations) dies every few weeks. Yes you'll find it upsetting, but not quite as devastating as was portrayed. You might argue that that's still the case, and that Derek is supposed to be particularly close to that one particular patient, in which case we return to previous criticisms of the show that Gervais's writing was poor and he'd failed to set up the relationships that he was trying to get pay-off to.
Either are possible. Both highlight poor writing. *shrug*
Totally disagree, I have had many years experience working in a nursing home like this and residents don't die every week like you claim and it can be very upsetting when people do pass on, you can get very attached !!
Quote: Aaron @ April 13 2012, 10:48 PM BSTOf course. But I didn't say weekly. Granted, it's probably a bit less regular than even every few weeks, but y'know, it's still a nursing home, the sole purpose of which is to care for people until they die. Was there any allusion as to how long Derek was supposed to have been working there? I don't recall any mention, but certainly didn't pick up that he was a new recruit.
Average life span once entering such a home is about 24 months, BTW.
A lot of Old people don't die in there nursing homes but in hospital !!
Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 13 2012, 10:56 PM BSTI had a look at his tweets and he says Channel Four were very happy with the reaction and audience figures, so looks like it's in with a shot. It also mentioned he's working on a new pilot with some guy who works on Dexter, about an athiest who dies and discovers there is a Heaven
Viewing figures don't say much for a show like this do they. I tuned in for curiosity reasons as I imagined most did. And that new pilot sounds awful. I wish he'd drop the whole religion issue. It started to grate a few years back now it's just beyond a joke.
As for Derek my view of it was that it didn't quite work. Ok viewing, but there didn't seem any sort of target. Who was we meant to be laughing at? Pilko was ok, playing himself with a daft wig, but the majority of the show was spent trying to build up Derek as the most likeable person ever, which gave us nothing to actually laugh at. Shoehorn a bit of music straight from This is England and apparently you've got yourself a drama. It all seemed a bit forced, which was my main problem with LTS. This was nowhere near as bad as Life's Too Short. The music was less Curb and alot less like American influences going on. Also the sort of sitcom where the main character is a silly'un who sits on custard bowls and is bessie mates with a grim northerner wearing a daft wig...isn't that the exact thing Extras took the mick out of?
Overall not a bad watch considering how bad tele seems to be at the moment but my main problem was not enough laughs to be a comedy, not enough plot to be a drama.
Quote: Hyde150 @ April 14 2012, 7:47 AM BSTViewing figures don't say much for a show like this do they. I tuned in for curiosity reasons as I imagined most did. And that new pilot sounds awful. I wish he'd drop the whole religion issue.
He does actually mention 'reaction' as well as viewing figures, so it seems they were happy with the overall reaction from people who did watch.
Quote: maidenpriest @ April 14 2012, 3:50 AM BSTTotally disagree, I have had many years experience working in a nursing home like this and residents don't die every week like you claim and it can be very upsetting when people do pass on, you can get very attached !!
Jesus Christ. Are you all as retarded as each other? I did not claim people die "every week", nor deny that it's possible to become attached to individuals. Get over it.
As to whether they die at the home or in a hospital, that's a good point - but a very subtle one, as the residents still pop off. It doesn't make such nursing homes any less places of death.
Quote: maidenpriest @ April 14 2012, 3:50 AM BSTTotally disagree, I have had many years experience working in a nursing home like this and residents don't die every week like you claim and it can be very upsetting when people do pass on, you can get very attached !!
A lot of Old people don't die in there nursing homes but in hospital !!
Did the other staff tell you the old folks had gone to live on a big farm in the countryside?
First 10 minutes just felt like Gervais doing an impression but as the episode went on I got more into it and by the end I thought it was really good. From the favourite movies bit onward I think. The picture moment was brilliant.
What would be cool is if this was made into a full series where it starts from the beginning again - the way American sitcoms have rough unaired test pilots that contain stuff that isn't 'canon' and should be ignored in relation to the rest of the series. So in the first episode of the first series of Derek - Joan is alive again and Derek's relationship with her is explored with more depth.
Another thing - anyone else get a great Alan Bennett's Talking Heads-vibe from this show? I sure did.
