ONE of my favourite programmes of recent years has been After Life, written by and starring outrageous comedian Ricky Gervais.

The fact that he played a lugubrious, sarcastic reporter on a weekly newspaper appealed to me obviously but it was more than that.

His beloved partner had died of cancer and he kept looking at videos they had recorded together, and he often drank and took pills to dull the pain of his loss.

But he peppered the scripts with jokes and funny moments to counteract the tearful bits.

The fact that I also absolutely believe in the afterlife also heightened my interest. Indeed my current reading matter is a book entitled Your Life After Death by American spiritualist Michael G. Recchi.

As I have come to realise after 24 years of researching spiritualism - the greatest discovery of my life - when you pass over to 'heaven,' or wherever you end up, it is not a case of you arriving at a destination. It is merely the beginning of the rest of your journey but leaving your old decrepit body behind. (I know, sir, that appeals to me too).

Anyway, that's for another day; back to Ricky Gervais who has annoyed religious leaders and folk in the past by posting quizzes on that X Twitter thingy. For example, he asked for a vote on the following question: God doesn't prevent terrible things because (a) He can't; (b) He doesn't want to; (c) He causes them; (d) He doesn't exist.

As we dread turning on the TV and radio news nowadays to hear the horrors of Ukraine and the Middle East you can appreciate his dark humour.

When asked what he thought the 'afterlife' was like, he replied: "Pretty much like the previous billions of years, and that wasn't too bad."

Depending on your outlook to life and death, make of that what you will.

As my regular reader will know (yes, you madam and put down that bottle when I'm speaking to you) I admire those who stand up to the politically correct and woke (Editor's note: Oh, no, not again) in today's cancel culture which plagues social media and news outlets.

As Ricky said the other week: "If you can't joke about the most horrendous things in the world, what's the point of jokes? What's the point in having humour? Humour is to help us to get over terrible things."

Because of his status and fame there are a few comedians like Gervais who can still confront those who seem to be offended all the time.

If they can't stand being challenged and 'insulted' the up and coming generation of snowflakes should inhabit one of their video games. Some of them do that.

As an editorial in that August publication, the Daily Star (Editor: You're taking this too far) said recently: everyone needs a bit of criticism and mickey-taking - and, yes, I get it all the time. It builds backbone, or is it a brass neck?

Just because you get offended, doesn't mean you're right.

Incidentally, on the subject of the afterlife, karma seems to be kicking me up the bahookie. I find myself involved in funeral arrangements for an ex-wife of 33 years ago as she has just died, and daughter Sarah is 9,000 miles away at the other end of the world. I'm her only foot soldier here.

Here's an extra thought for the week: There's nothing to fear about death. You are actually 'going home' to a loving place.

Let me leave you with another piece of Gervais comedic philosophy... "Remember, if you don't sin, Jesus died for nothing. You won't burn in hell, but be nice anyway."

Thought for the Week: So, the judge said to me: "You've been brought here for drinking." And I said: "Great. When do we start?"

What a smart move by Largs Academy to ban the use of mobile phones and tablets at the school.

We are told that far too many pupils have been using their mobiles not only in the corridors and playgrounds around school time but they, inexplicably, have been on their mini screens in the classrooms.

Last week the News reported that the Academy's new policy is a phone usage ban supported by a new pupil leadership scheme, operated in every year of the school.

Mobiles, headphones are not to be seen, heard or used at any time within the building, even at lunch time and during transitions from class to class.

It is even more commendable since the Scottish education minister Jenny Gilruth issued a wishy washy instruction that it was up to individual head teachers to ban or not to ban.

Now, if only we could get more of the pupils to actually walk to and from school.