Ricky Gervais' comedy 'After Life' has been used by therapists to help their clients.
Ricky Gervais
The 60-year-old comedian admitted some mental health professionals have even pleaded with him not to kill off his grief-stricken main character Tony Johnson, who he plays in the Netflix show.
He said: "I had therapists coming up to me and saying, 'I teach it to some of my people, please don’t let him die,' because it meant something.
"Now I have this responsibility."
The show tells the story of newspaper reporter Tony, who does and says what he wants following the death of his wife Lisa (Kerry Godliman).
But Ricky was concerned people wouldn't laugh at a comedy-drama because it deals with such a "real" subject head-on.
He said: "Even though it is frivolous and funny, I needed to have the realism. People say it’s heavy or it’s difficult. It’s not, it is real. People aren’t used to seeing real.
"I was worried when I first did it. I thought, ‘How will people laugh?’ And they do, because it happens all the time.
"Every day you think of something bad or something good. People just don’t see it on telly."
Ricky has previously admitted the forthcoming third series will be the show's last.
And while the comic believes he could come up with some ideas for another instalment, he will still end the show after the upcoming run.
Speaking at Q&A 'After Life: From Script To Screen' at London’s Picturehouse Central, he added: "I love this more than anything I have ever done, but I am getting older and I am menopausal.
"People do a terrible film because of their grandson - I am at that level now.
"I could do a fourth — it would not run out of ideas because it is about so much stuff. But I said I won’t, so I won’t.
"I think this is the best series. It gets better and better, as it should."
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