Extras
| 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, HBO |
| Original runs | 21 July 2005 (UK), 25 September 2005 (US) – 17 December 2007 (US), 27 December 2007 (UK) |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| IMDB Profile | |
Extras is a sitcom about background actors working on film sets. It is written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The series is filmed in a more traditional sitcom style than Gervais and Merchant's previous award winning series, The Office. The show is perhaps most notable for its reliance on celebrity guest stars who play exaggerated or nasty versions of themselves. It has been nominated for several awards, and in 2007 Ricky won both an Emmy and a BAFTA for his performance of Andy Millman.
Premise
The series follows two friends, Andy Millman and Maggie Jacobs, who are barely scraping a living as lowly film extras. Andy is a bit more ambitious than Maggie, and is constantly trying to finagle his way into getting a speaking part. He also hires an agent, the ineffectual Darren Lamb, to help him find serious acting work. Maggie, on the other hand, merely sees every new film set as a chance to find a boyfriend.
In addition to his acting aspirations, Andy is also developing a sitcom script. He manages to pass it along to the BBC, and in the second series it not only gets made but becomes a huge hit. But the BBC waters it down significantly, making it very broad and catchphrase-driven. Andy regrets giving up his artistic integrity for commercial success, while at the same time relishing his newfound fame.
Cast/Characters
Main Cast
- 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.
- 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 humiliate Andy as help him. Maggie is constantly on the lookout for Mr. Right, but her frequent attempts are usually frustrated quite spectacularly.
Recurring Cast
- 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 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 light bulb. 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 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 is extremely smug and condescending to 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
Daniel Radcliffe
Warwick Davis
Chris Martin
Ronnie Corbett
Richard Briers
Moira Stuart
Davina McCall
Patricia Potter
Stephen Fry
Sir Ian McKellen
Jonathan Ross
Robert Lindsay
Robert De Niro
Christmas Special
Clive Owen
Gordon Ramsay
George Michael
See also
External Links
- BBC - Comedy
- Extras at Ricky Gervais' official website
- British Sitcom Guide
- Extras at the TV IV wiki