Emotions were already running high in the TV studio when Ricky Gervais appeared on The One Show with his dog co-star to discuss the success of his Netflix series After Life.
The actor revealed his idea for the smash series came from a moment of reflection about his wife Jane, and how he thought he would feel if she died.
And while interviewers Alex Jones and Alex Scott hung on his every word, Ricky said one thing took the moment to the next level, creating rolling emotions thanks to an incredible reaction of his show’s dog co-star, German Shepherd Anti.
Ricky told the show: “I want to die first.”
But it seems Anti didn’t like what he was hearing. He immediately whimpered, pulled closer to Ricky on the settee, cried and licked the actor’s face.
The moment was captured live on air and created a stir in the studio, with both interviewers reacting emotionally too. And it was only when Ricky responded to Anti with a laugh and a cuddle, that the dog actor walked off set.
Speaking on how much he appreciates his wife, Ricky explained: “That’s where the idea came from, the first thought I had was ‘What if you lost everything?’
“You could do what you want without consequences, and I thought, well ‘What’s losing everything?’ and to me, it’s your soul mate, your life partner.
“So, I always, I’d be terrible, I want to go first, which is selfish, but I do, I don’t want to...”
Before he could finish, Anti, who plays Brandy in the Netflix series, cried out before licking Ricky’s face.
Ricky laughed before Anti jumped off the green sofa and ran off the set: “Oh Anti! I know, I’ve got six more years, Anti, don’t worry."
Before speaking about the series, The One Show played a trailer of the show, which left Ricky feeling emotional: “It is moving.
“I think people connected with it because they hadn’t seen anything like that before, and after the first series, people came up to me and told me about their struggles.
“You suddenly realise, everyone is grieving all the time about someone, and this is about him trying to get through it and asking the question ‘If you lose everything in life still worth living?’”
Alex asked: “Because of people coming up to you and the messages you get, is that why you say this is the best thing you’ve ever done?”
Ricky replied: “Yes, it has been the best thing I have ever done because of that reaction, yeah.”
