https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okPW7hDP3PE Derek is a bizarre turn for anyone less familiar with Ricky Gervais's work. He comes across as an egotistical, offence-causing comic out to shock, so a drama about a naive, middle-aged care home worker who loves animals and makes friends with the elderly, certainly seems like an unusual career choice. Anyone who's seen all four Gervais sitcoms can testify though that Derek is clearly in the vein of the other three; it focuses on tragedy and sadness as much as it does cringe humour, and it has a powerful message to it. Where The Office taught us that it's not everything to be popular, and Extras taught us that fame isn't important, Derek centres around the magic of kindness, best illustrated when Joan dies. Derek's clearly moved, as he talks of how kind his friend was to him, and how she told him that the most important thing in life is to be kind. It's one of many moving moments from the show, and it's an example of what a great actor Gervais can be. It's well-written, but he plays the scene with such delicateness, that this moment totally justifies his decision to play the lead role alone.