Last week Netflix released the third and final season of Ricky Gervais’ After Life, a dark comedy that has been renowned for its nuanced portrayal of grief. To promote the series, Netflix created a lasting and tangible reminder of the show’s message of hope.
After Life follows journalist Tony, played by Gervais, who is grieving the death of his wife Lisa and contemplates suicide—before deciding to live and forge deeper connections with his friends, family and colleagues. A recurring motif from the show is a park bench, where Tony goes to visit his wife’s grave and befriends a woman who is also grieving. The two develop a friendship and have important conversations on the bench that alter the way Tony views his life.
Ahead of the third season’s premiere on Jan. 14, Netflix installed 25 permanent benches like the one in the show at locations around the U.K., including Bath, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Taunton and Surrey Heath.
The agency Made by Blah partnered with suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to create the benches. Each one is inscribed with a quote from the show, “Hope is everything,” and points visitors to resources from CALM. It includes a unique QR code with the wording, “Life can be tough, but there’s always hope. Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is by your side.”
Plaques on the benches read: “This bench is donated by Netflix to commemorate Ricky Gervais’ ‘After Life’.”
“Park benches provide opportunities to reflect, talk to someone, sit shoulder to shoulder with someone and get things off your chest. That is why we’re delighted to team up with Netflix to put benches in parks across the country—inscribed with that crucial line from the show, ‘Hope is everything’—to help people have those conversations and to show it’s normal to have those feelings,” CALM CEO Simon Gunning said in a statement.
“We hope the benches will create a lasting legacy for After Life—as well as become a place for people to visit—and we are thrilled to be associated with CALM and the great work they do,” Gervais added.
CREDITS:
Agency: Made By Blah
Executive Creative Directors: Oli Cole and Jim Townsend
Production: Netflix
