RICKY GERVAIS may have become a worldwide star off the back of hit sitcom The Office, but in the 13 years since that launched, he has found himself on more controversial ground, such as follow-up show Extras.

When the pilot for Derek aired in April 2012, many critics couldn’t wait to have a go at Gervais for playing a 49-year-old, possibly autistic, care worker in a home for elderly people.

There was one fly in the ointment of naysayers who bothered to watch it: Derek was often incredibly moving. Little wonder a series was given the goahead.

Not only was that one of the most original sitcoms of last year, it underlined the fact that long-suffering collaborator Karl Pilkington was a pretty good actor. It also gave stand-up comic and actress Kerry Godliman another chance to shine.

She took a break from filming this second run to discuss the success of Derek.

Why does she think series one affected so many viewers?

“It was very brave and quite an unusual sort of tone,” she says. “I had never seen anything like that before, and it is lovely that people are so moved by it. It seems to have touched a different chord, and I have not experienced that sort of thing before.”

“It is gentle, and it was nice not to have to be comedy, comedy, comedy, gag, gag, gag, you know? It is a little bit deeper. A little bit richer for not being just back to back jokes. It is a bit more textured.”

She became involved with the show after receiving an email saying that Gervais wanted to meet her for a part.

She phoned the producer, who arranged a meeting with Gervais and the rest, as they say, is history.

Gervais may be one of Britain’s most successful comedy writers and stars, but Godliman admits he is far from a hard taskmaster on set.

She says: “He knows what he wants, but he is open to suggestions; he is pretty laid back. I mean everybody knows how playful he is and what a sense of fun he has as well; all those things are true.”

Goadliman honed her craft as a standup comedian, so reading someone else’s lines is relatively easy compared to the thought of impressing an audience night after night.

She admits her self-assurance on stage was not an overnight thing. “It takes a while to start feeling like that. After a few years, you do not worry about a gig all day; early on you are distracted, nervous and mildly nervous when you know you have got a gig that night. I can’t think specifically when it went away, but I don’t have that feeling any more.”

Series two of Derek picks up a year after we last saw the protagonist and his friends. He is now fully reunited with his father, who is moving into Broad Hill, the retirement home where Derek works.

Meanwhile, Tom and Hannah’s relationship seems to have become serious, but a new volunteer is set to rock the boat.