Is After Life Based On A True Story?

Ricky Gervais has recently surpassed his two-season limit with After Life, which has just had its third season released on Netflix. 

Season three of the series is set to be a hit, and fans of the show are eager to find out whether the story of Tony’s grief over the loss of his wife and father is in fact based on a true story. 

Is After Life based on a true story?

Sadly, no, After Life is not based on a true story or even based on Gervais’ life. 

His character, Tony Johnson, was thought up in the pits of Gervais’ imagination. However, like all of Gervais’ characters, he used himself as inspiration for the basis of his characters. Thus, there are a lot of similar personality traits between him and Tony. 

In a preview clip for the podcast Series Linked, Gervais admitted that every role he portrayed have been in fact “semi-autobiographical”, but his After Life character Tony is the “closest” to him. 

He also told the Mirror in a previous interview of the character: “Obviously his circumstances have changed, but I think it is him. I don’t want to be that guy having a fight on an airplane, so I have to bite my tongue more than I ever did.”

“But, no, I want peace and quiet, and I do go round thinking like Tony does.”

Season three of After Life will “be the final installment” for Gervais and the other characters.

You can watch season three of After Life on Netflix now.