Ricky Gervais is finally doing what he always said he never would. David Brent is back and this time he’s on the big screen.
In August, Gervais announced that the character that shot him to fame – ‘The Office’s’ protagonist, David Brent – would be making a return. Gervais is set to play the character in a new film, entitled ‘Life On The Road,’ a mockumentary about Brent’s attempts to embark on a music career after Wernham Hogg closed its doors on him in 2003.
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The writing has been on the wall for a while now. Gervais brought Brent back for a brief mini-episode in 2013’s Comic Relief, which was followed by a succession of YouTube videos in which the character taught spoof guitar lessons. It was really only a matter of time before he announced a more substantial return for his most successful creation.
The news of Brent’s resurrection has been met with mixed reactions from fans and critics. The mood has generally been, at best, one of trepidation. At worst, it has been one of downright anger and indignation.
This is understandable. ‘The Office’ sparked the kind of loyalty in its fanbase that only maybe one television program per generation manages to do. In fact, it’s possible that no sitcom has ever had quite the same impact on its audience as ‘The Office’ has.
When it first aired, many critics claimed ‘The Office’ changed the face of comedy – which it did, undoubtedly. But for those of us that grew up with the show, its effect was far more profound. Its influence over our lives was such that it kind of became a part of our personalities.
Aside from being the funniest thing we’d ever seen, the show’s subtle commentaries on the human condition, and on people in general, served as life lessons for a younger, more impressionable audience. As such, the connection that those of a certain age have with ‘The Office’ is a deeply personal one, so it’s not surprising that there is a general sense of unease about Gervais’ decision.
‘The Office’ was also such a delicately crafted show that returning to its central character almost seems dangerous. Part of the show’s allure was its realism, but to some extent people had their own carefully preserved versions of what happened to Brent after the series ended. Viewers genuinely wanted to believe that the glimmers of hope so expertly woven into Brent’s sad life at the end of the Christmas special were his happy ending. Revisiting him 10 years later will shatter those illusions.
So for Gervais to have made this decision is a pretty big deal. However, it isn’t really a surprise. Since the phenomenal final episode of ‘Extras’ in 2007, there has been a marked decline in the quality of Gervais’ output. His various stand-up tours became less and less original and insightful; he appeared in a number of woeful films – and even those who liked the saccharine, mawkish ‘dramadey’ that was ‘Derek,’ or the dull and stilted ‘Life’s Too Short’ surely couldn’t argue that they were in the same league as his earlier sitcoms.
It’s difficult not to get the feeling that Gervais also knows this. Bringing Brent back seems like an admission of defeat more than anything else. Gervais had always stated that he would never return to ‘The Office,’ preferring to preserve the memory of his creation as a show that needed no further closure.
But now, daunted by the realisation that his creative drive may be waning, it feels like Gervais has finally decided to go back and milk a few extra laughs out of his best work. It’s not desperation exactly, but it’s certainly not the action of a man who is happy with where he is artistically.
This also contributes to the sense of apprehension about ‘Life On The Road.’ One of the most rewarding things about ‘The Office’ was that it never outstayed its welcome. Lasting only two series, plus the sublime Christmas finale, it never became irrelevant or a parody of itself. There is a justified concern amongst those who loved the show that the film could have ‘The Godfather Part III’ effect of sullying the memory of what was a perfectly crafted piece of art.
But the reaction to the Brent revelation is really just the culmination of a general decline in both the critical and public appreciation of Gervais in recent years, particularly in Britain. His success in America has seen him go decidedly more Hollywood of late – and this, coupled with the comparatively poor work he has produced in the last half decade or so, has made it acceptable – even trendy – to start lambasting him.
Despite the potential hazards of his decision, though, and despite the prospect of the memory of ‘The Office’ being trampled on, these negative reactions are not fair – particularly when they emanate from those who hailed Gervais as a genius only 10 years ago.
Fans of TV shows – and arts critics in particular – are a famously fickle bunch. Always the first to laud an actor, writer or director with praise while a series is at the peak of its artistic potential, they are also the first in line to start hurling stones at the sign of any rough patch, or any indication that a show might be losing its touch.
The lack of empathy felt for the writers and creators of our favourite TV programs – for those who have sacrificed everything and put in countless hours of work purely for our own entertainment – Is staggering, and at times shameful. The concept of loyalty on the audience’s side of the relationship between the entertainer and the entertained is almost completely absent.
This is why people like me, who would rather not see a David Brent film made for fear of it soiling the memory of one of our favourite ever characters, should get over ourselves. Although Gervais is not the comedian he once was, his back catalogue is so strong that even if he makes nothing but duds and turkeys for the next 50 years, his overall contribution to British comedy will have been greater than almost anyone since Monty Python.
The fans and critics who take such glee in condemning him now would do well to remember this. It doesn’t seem much to ask for him to be treated with the respect and gratitude that his best work deserves by those who have taken so much pleasure from it.
For that reason, even if the film turns out to be even worse than ‘Ghost Town,’ I will not be complaining. Instead, I’ll just bang ‘The Quiz’ episode on and remind myself of just how brilliant and fresh ‘The Office’ still is, over a decade after it first hit our screens.
And besides, the film could actually be good, couldn’t it?
Connor Pierce
Filed under: Pop Culture
