Extras: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
|||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
The series has no traditional opening credits theme tune. Each episode usually begins with a short segment from the production on which Andy and Maggie are working, followed by a fade into the white Extras logo on a black background. Each episode does, however, end with the same music over the closing credits: an excerpt of the Cat Stevens song "Tea for the Tillerman", the title track from his 1970 album. | The series has no traditional opening credits theme tune. Each episode usually begins with a short segment from the production on which Andy and Maggie are working, followed by a fade into the white Extras logo on a black background. Each episode does, however, end with the same music over the closing credits: an excerpt of the Cat Stevens song "Tea for the Tillerman", the title track from his 1970 album. | ||
==Synopsis== | |||
The show follows Andy Millman and his friend Maggie Jacobs as they work as extras on film sets and in theatre. Each episode is based around a different film with Andy and Maggie playing extras. Andy tends to spend a lot of his time looking for ways to get a speaking role, while Maggie is more content with looking among the cast and crew for a boyfriend. Darren Lamb is Andy's agent, who fails to procure Andy substantial roles. Every episode has at least one guest star (a television/film celebrity), and these guest stars play what Gervais and Merchant have referred to as "twisted" versions of themselves. | |||
==Cast/Characters== | ==Cast/Characters== | ||
===Main Cast=== | ===Main Cast=== | ||
*[[Ricky Gervais]] as Andy Millman | |||
: Andy used to work in a bank, but left to pursue his life-long dream of becoming an actor. Sadly, he hasn't made it yet, and he is forced to scrape a living as an extra on the sets of various film and television productions. Being around far more successful performers has, not unnaturally, made him rather cynical and bitter about the whole process. Still, he gives it his best shot, though he usually fails in his attempts to improve his lot - partly due to his agent's utter incompetence, partly due to events and people beyond his control, but mostly due to his own ability to step right in it and then dig a hole for himself when trying to extricate himself. | |||
*[[Ashley Jensen]] as Maggie Jacobs | |||
: Maggie is Andy's best friend and fellow extra. Maggie is a genuinely sweet, well-meaning Scottish soul, who only wants to help. Unfortunately, her general social incompetence and complete lack of any sort of internal censor means that she is more likely to say precisely the wrong thing to the wrong person at exactly the wrong time, despite her lack of malicious intent - which usually means that she is just as likely to humilate Andy as help him. Maggie is constantly on the lookout for Mr. Right, but her frequent attempts are usually frustrated quite spectacularly. | |||
===Recurring Cast=== | ===Recurring Cast=== | ||
*[[Stephen Merchant]] as Darren Lamb (referred to in the credits as "Agent") | |||
: Darren Lamb is literally the worst agent in the history of acting. Incapable of breaking an act, his usual negotiating tactic is to agree with whatever anyone else says, or, more likely, suggest someone other than his client for the part. He is very good at deducting his 12.5% commission, however. His skill at his profession can be summed up by the fact that he once left his office phone unplugged for two days without noticing. | |||
*Shaun Williamson as Barry (Himself) | |||
:Shaun Williamson plays himself as one of Darren's clients. He used to play [[Barry Evans (EastEnders)|Barry Evans]] on the popular British soap opera ''[[EastEnders]]'', but left to pursue a multi-million pound contract elsewhere. As Darren is his agent, this was a spectacular failure, and the most recent job his agent has managed to secure for him is changing a lightbulb. It says a lot about Shaun's career prospects that even his own agent doesn't know his real name, but instead calls him "Barry from ''EastEnders''". He is, quite naturally, very depressed about his life. | |||
*Shaun Pye as Greg | |||
: Greg is a fellow extra. Unlike Andy, he has often secured a line in various productions; as a result, he possesses an extremely high opinion of himself and is extremely belittling to Andy and his fellow extras. Underneath this, he is extremely petty, jealous and snide - probably because he wouldn't be doing so well if it weren't for the support given by his wealthy parents. | |||
===Guest Stars=== | ===Guest Stars=== | ||
====Series One==== | |||
'''Ben Stiller''' | '''Ben Stiller''' | ||
<br>'''Ross Kemp''' | <br>'''Ross Kemp''' | ||
| Line 40: | Line 52: | ||
<br>'''Patrick Stewart''' | <br>'''Patrick Stewart''' | ||
== ''' | ====Series Two==== | ||
'''Orlando Bloom''' | |||
<br>'''Keith Chegwin''' | |||
<br>''' | <br>'''David Bowie''' | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
Revision as of 14:06, 24 September 2006
| Extras | |
 [l-r] Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Ashley Jensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, Ross Kemp | |
| Genre | Comedy (sitcom) |
| Running time | 28 mins. |
| Creator(s) | Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant |
| Writer(s) | Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant |
| Starring | Ricky Gervais, Ashley Jensen, Stephen Merchant, Shaun Williamson |
| Country | UK |
| Network | BBC |
| Original runs | 21 July 2005 – 25 August 2005 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| IMDB Profile | |
Extras is a sitcom about extras working on movie sets and theatre. It is written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The series is filmed in a more traditional sitcom style than the mockumentary style used by Gervais and Merchant's previous award winning series The Office. The series is a BBC/HBO co-production which first aired on July 21, 2005 on BBC Two in the UK and premiered on September 25, 2005 on HBO in the U.S.. The first series DVD was released in the UK on October 31, 2005.
The second series began filming in the second week of June 2006; at present David Bowie, Chris Martin, Orlando Bloom, Daniel Radcliffe, Sir Ian McKellen, Germaine Greer, Diana Rigg, Moira Stewart, Richard Briers, Ronnie Corbett, Robert Lindsay and Stephen Fry are confirmed for the second series. While Brad Pitt, Mariah Carey and Madonna were reported to have expressed an interest in guest-starring while at the Live 8 event in London, none of them have been confirmed by Gervais or the BBC. [1]
The first episode of the second series will premiere in the UK on BBC Two at 22:00 on 14 September.
The series has no traditional opening credits theme tune. Each episode usually begins with a short segment from the production on which Andy and Maggie are working, followed by a fade into the white Extras logo on a black background. Each episode does, however, end with the same music over the closing credits: an excerpt of the Cat Stevens song "Tea for the Tillerman", the title track from his 1970 album.
Synopsis
The show follows Andy Millman and his friend Maggie Jacobs as they work as extras on film sets and in theatre. Each episode is based around a different film with Andy and Maggie playing extras. Andy tends to spend a lot of his time looking for ways to get a speaking role, while Maggie is more content with looking among the cast and crew for a boyfriend. Darren Lamb is Andy's agent, who fails to procure Andy substantial roles. Every episode has at least one guest star (a television/film celebrity), and these guest stars play what Gervais and Merchant have referred to as "twisted" versions of themselves.
Cast/Characters
Main Cast
- Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman
- Andy used to work in a bank, but left to pursue his life-long dream of becoming an actor. Sadly, he hasn't made it yet, and he is forced to scrape a living as an extra on the sets of various film and television productions. Being around far more successful performers has, not unnaturally, made him rather cynical and bitter about the whole process. Still, he gives it his best shot, though he usually fails in his attempts to improve his lot - partly due to his agent's utter incompetence, partly due to events and people beyond his control, but mostly due to his own ability to step right in it and then dig a hole for himself when trying to extricate himself.
- Ashley Jensen as Maggie Jacobs
- Maggie is Andy's best friend and fellow extra. Maggie is a genuinely sweet, well-meaning Scottish soul, who only wants to help. Unfortunately, her general social incompetence and complete lack of any sort of internal censor means that she is more likely to say precisely the wrong thing to the wrong person at exactly the wrong time, despite her lack of malicious intent - which usually means that she is just as likely to humilate Andy as help him. Maggie is constantly on the lookout for Mr. Right, but her frequent attempts are usually frustrated quite spectacularly.
Recurring Cast
- Stephen Merchant as Darren Lamb (referred to in the credits as "Agent")
- Darren Lamb is literally the worst agent in the history of acting. Incapable of breaking an act, his usual negotiating tactic is to agree with whatever anyone else says, or, more likely, suggest someone other than his client for the part. He is very good at deducting his 12.5% commission, however. His skill at his profession can be summed up by the fact that he once left his office phone unplugged for two days without noticing.
- Shaun Williamson as Barry (Himself)
- Shaun Williamson plays himself as one of Darren's clients. He used to play Barry Evans on the popular British soap opera EastEnders, but left to pursue a multi-million pound contract elsewhere. As Darren is his agent, this was a spectacular failure, and the most recent job his agent has managed to secure for him is changing a lightbulb. It says a lot about Shaun's career prospects that even his own agent doesn't know his real name, but instead calls him "Barry from EastEnders". He is, quite naturally, very depressed about his life.
- Shaun Pye as Greg
- Greg is a fellow extra. Unlike Andy, he has often secured a line in various productions; as a result, he possesses an extremely high opinion of himself and is extremely belittling to Andy and his fellow extras. Underneath this, he is extremely petty, jealous and snide - probably because he wouldn't be doing so well if it weren't for the support given by his wealthy parents.
Guest Stars
Series One
Ben Stiller
Ross Kemp
Vinnie Jones
Kate Winslet
Les Dennis
Samuel L. Jackson
Patrick Stewart
Series Two
Orlando Bloom
Keith Chegwin
David Bowie
External Links
- BBC - Comedy
- Extras at Ricky Gervais' official website
- British Sitcom Guide
- Extras at the TV IV wiki