Ricky Gervais: What most recently moved you to tears?

The question

Originally asked

The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A

A fixed Guardian Q&A prompt asked directly across respondents and years.

You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.

Recorded said elsewhere, not written here

Over a YouTube clip about animals. "Laboratory animals see sunlight for the first time", or "elephant mourns his best friend the goat". I watch something like that every day and I'm always in pieces.

The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 April 2014 source ↗

Others on this question

View all 192 →

Jimmy Akingbola British-Nigerian TV, theatre and film actor

Yesterday, talking about my brother, who passed away.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 15 August 2020 source ↗

Stephen K Amos

I last shed a tear when my nephew, who is under 10, announced that he was learning the trombone. When I was about the same age and wanted to learn the trumpet, a music teacher said: “The trumpet isn’t for you. You’ve got too-thick lips.”

Recorded The Q&A, The Guardian, 20 September 2025 source ↗

Martin Clunes English actor

I often cry when people do things well, like on Britain’s Got Talent; I cried at the old ladies doing finger knitting.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 1 September 2018 source ↗

Abi Morgan Welsh playwright and screenwriter

Yesterday. Everything seemed impossible.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 10 October 2015 source ↗

More from Ricky Gervais

View profile →

Question What one change would most improve the quality of your daily life? Daily life

A dog. (I don't have one because we're back and forth over the Atlantic and it would be cruel to leave it.)

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 April 2014 source ↗

Question What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy? Time & hindsight

I can't remember a time when I was happier than now, to be honest – though that's always been the case.

Recorded The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 19 April 2014 source ↗

Question What does happiness look like for you when life is going well? Identity & self

Playing with a dog. And we’re both drunk.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 10 August 2017 source ↗

Question Which quality in your friends matters most to you? Relationships

It’s hard to narrow it down, because I want them to have a bit of everything—humor, kindness, integrity, intelligence, tolerance (they need lots of that). But if I had to choose just one it would probably be loyalty.

Recorded The Proust Questionnaire, Vanity Fair, 10 August 2017 source ↗

Also answered this

Charlotte Rampling, Julie Delpy, Kate Mosse, Lauren Laverne, Richard Eyre, Bobbi Brown

Search the directory for somebody in particular.

Explore further

All identity & self questions
The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject

Report this answer

Others on this question

More from Ricky Gervais

More on identity & self

Also answered this

Explore further