A defiant Ricky Gervais has insisted that he’s ‘never been so happy’ after his Netflix series, Alley Cats, reached the number one spot on the streaming platform over the weekend, despite a critical mauling.
And what a mauling it’s been. The Independent gave it one star, describing it as ‘abrasive, smug, and completely mirthless’. The Telegraph called it ‘staggeringly unfunny’, awarded it zero stars and dismissed it as ‘the worst thing to happen to cats since Cats‘. Metro’s critic was ‘shocked that a man I used to think was a comedy genius’ could ‘produce such lazy claptrap’. Even the Times, which gave it three stars, detected a ‘distinct whiff of tomcat pee’.
In the face of this bombardment, Gervais has remained defiant on social media. ‘Millions of you’ watched the show, he tweeted, ‘and that has annoyed a few people.’ He said he was ‘still over the moon about the viewing figures’ and insisted he was ‘the most sincere and thankful I’ve ever been’ for having ‘the best fans in the f**king world’. He’s encouraged viewers to tweet him about the show, adding that ‘a photo of your pet gives you more chance of a reply’. Many have obliged, assuring Gervais that it’s only the ‘woke’ and the ‘offended’ who dislike Alley Cats.
