Netflix's After Life could return for a Christmas special

After Life has been an international success for Netflix, so it's of little surprise the streaming giant are asking Ricky Gervais for more.

The tragic-comedy, which sees the 58-year-old comedian play grieving journalist Tony Johnson, has already been commissioned for a third series.

But the on-demand platform are thought to have asked Gervais to pen a special Christmas edition.

“Ricky is a huge asset to Netflix as everything he writes essentially turns to gold,” a television insider explained.

“There is such a huge appetite for After Life and it’s got a massive fan base.

"The third series won’t air until 2021 so there is a meeting in the diary to see if Ricky could create the Christmas special.

“It would just be a stand-alone episode, possibly one hour if Ricky thinks it would work.”

However, the future of a potential Christmas special hangs in the balance, as the coronavirus pandemic has seen production paused for the forseeable future; only a few television programmes, and classic British soaps, have started filming again with stringent social distancing protocols.

“The only headache currently is the pandemic,” the insider continued to the Sun. “But the fact that major shows like Coronation Street and EastEnders are filming again is giving them hope.”

Gervais has previously made Christmas spin-offs for the universally popular The Office and Extras.

Alongside the After Life renewal, Gervais has also signed a multi-year deal with Netflix, which will see the writer and actor develop new scripted projects for the streaming platform, as well as stand-up specials.

Speaking about creating more episodes of After Life, Gervais told RadioTimes.com: “I wouldn’t do it for the sake of it. I wouldn’t do it just to get paid, or because they [Netflix] want another three hours on their platform. It’s got to be that people really want more.

“It’s a really daunting task, a third series… so it’s really got to be wanted.”

After Life is available to stream on Netflix

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