Ricky Gervais pays tribute to After Life dog who has died aged 13
Anti the German Shepherd played Brandy in the show
Last updated 23rd Jan 2025
Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais has paid a touching tribute to his After Life character's dog following the animal's sad passing at the age of 13.
Vislor Antilly 'Anti', a German shepherd, played Brandy throughout three seasons of the Netflix comedy about a local newspaper reporter dealing with the death of his wife.
Paying his respects, Ricky said: "This is such sad news. Anti was a beautiful soul. We hit it off straight away and she helped make After Life my favourite filming experience of all time.
"I'm so glad that I told her a hundred times a day that she was a very good girl."
Born April 2011 in Herefordshire, at the home of West Bromwich-based Vislor Dog Training Centre, Antilly was raised by trainers Travis and Ashley Foster, who appeared in Sir Christopher Nolan's Batman: The Dark Knight.
She visited them on set at 10 weeks old, and later went on to be in Tom Cruise film Edge Of Tomorrow, Michael Fassbender-starring Trespass Against Us and alongside George Clooney in The Midnight Sky.
Clooney went on to cast Antilly in the 2023 film he directed, The Boys In The Boat, and the dog also appeared in BBC's The Capture, ITV's Doc Martin, Britain's Got More Talent, and Channel 4's 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.
Her final stunt on camera was released in July 2024 in the Midsomer Murders episode The Debt Of Lies, where she played a retired police dog who detains the murderer before retiring.
Antilly retired from film and TV after that, and lived in Oxfordshire.
A statement said: "Vislor Antilly, known to most people worldwide as Brandy, Ricky Gervais' loyal sidekick in the Netflix smash hit After Life, has passed away peacefully at her home in Oxfordshire at the age of 13."
In After Life, Ricky as local journalist Tony is often seen walking Brandy, who stops him from taking his own life, following the passing of his wife.
The show began in 2019, and also starred David Bradley, Ashley Jensen, Tom Basden, Tony Way, Kerry Godliman, Roisin Conaty and Diane Morgan, before finishing with a third season in 2022.
Ahead of the third series of After Life arriving on Netflix in 2022, mental health charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), teamed up with the steaming platform to install park benches in 25 locations across the UK.
Each bench is inscribed with a well-known quote from the series, ‘Hope is everything’, and those who visit the bench are able to access help and resources from CALM via a QR code.
You can find the locations of the benches right here.
If you are struggling with a difficult issue in your life you can call the Samaritans free on 116 123.
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