Ricky Gervais‘ short film ‘7 Minutes‘ aired this month as part of BBC’s Comedy Shorts series. In a recent interview with BBC, Gervais recalled the first time he saw the script of ‘7 Minutes.’ He admitted he was jealous of his co-writers Harry Carlile and Jonathan Parramint, regretting he didn’t think of that idea before.
Gervais said:
“When I first heard the idea, I was jealous. I wish I’d thought of that.“
The director then explained what the short film was about:
“It was about paths crossing, strangers meeting, life and death, and depression. It was just a little glimpse, a little eavesdropping into two people’s lives. It’s a human thing, you know? However logical you are, however realistic you are, whether you’re a believer or an atheist, everyone’s got hope – whether it’s rational or not.”
Gervais’s last project with BBC was ‘Life Is Too Short,‘ which ran between 2011 and 2013, making ‘7 Minutes’ his first BBC project in a decade. In the interview, he admitted that ‘7 Minutes’ also marked the first time he directed a film he didn’t write the script or star in:
“This is the first time I’ve directed something that I didn’t write and that I wasn’t in. It’s always been me, really.”
‘7 Minutes’ focuses on Grace (played by Seroca Davis) and Jim (Joe Wilkinson), who think about ending their life at the same place at the same time. Gervais teased the project back in March 2023 by sharing the film’s setting in a tweet.
You can watch Gervais’ ‘7 Minutes’ on BBC iPlayer.