Series 1 - Les Dennis

Episode 4
Aladdin and the Genie
Episode no.	4
Original airdate	11 August 2005
Written by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Directed by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Guest stars	Les Dennis

The fourth episode of the first series of Extras.

Plot

Sorry Barry.

Andy meets with his agent, Darren, and is frustrated that he still isn’t getting any acting roles. Darren has one part for him as the genie in the stageplay Aladdin with Les Dennis. Andy reluctantly accepts the role. During rehearsals, Les introduces Andy to his fiancé, Simone, who is half his age. The daughter of the choreographer, Lizzy Bunton, knows Maggie, and Andy suspects that her father, Bunny, is gay. Later, Andy sees Simone getting off with a stagehand; poor Les is completely oblivious. Just before the show starts Les tells Andy that he doesn’t want to marry Simone so he can protect her from the media spotlight. Andy is relieved and immediately informs Les that Simone has been cheating on him. The news leaves Les devastated and he breaks down onstage in the middle of the play. Meanwhile, Maggie gets stuck going to Lizzy’s birthday party since she’s her only friend. At the party, Maggie talks to Lizzy about her father pressuring her to do theatre when it’s not what she wants. Then Lizzy and Bunny perform an inappropriate and awkward medley for everyone and Bunny is not pleased with the performance. After being inspired by Maggie’s talk, Lizzy stands up to her father who then kicks Maggie out of his house. Andy takes Les out for drinks after the show to try and cheer him up. Les ends up going home with a woman from the pub and Andy goes home alone.

Quotes

• Les Dennis: I even considered suicide, yeah, actually thinking, “I’m gonna end it all,” I’m thinking, “I’ll do it here live on telly, that’ll show ‘em.” And as I was thinking it, Melinda Messenger came in, lovely girl, just chatting away.
  Andy: Took your mind off it.
  Les Dennis: Yeah, I was looking at her tits.
• Andy: Hold on, his daughter? But he’s definitely gay.
  Maggie: He can’t be gay if he’s got a daughter.
  Andy: Oscar Wilde was married with two kids.
  Maggie: Well he couldn’t have been gay.
  Andy: What? Oscar Wilde?
  Maggie: Yeah.
  Andy: I’ve got to stop hanging around with you.
• Andy: Hello.
  Maggie: Would you rather have a bionic arm, or a bionic leg?
  Andy: Good question. Um…bionic leg, so I can hop to work.
  Maggie: So would I, I’d have a bionic leg, but it’d be for kicking.
  Andy: Actually tell you what, a bionic arm would come in useful some nights.
  Maggie: How do you mean?
  Andy: Doesn’t matter.

Cultural References

• Family Fortunes: a long-running British game show, based on the American game show Family Feud. The programme began on ITV and ran from 1980 until 2002 and revived four years later in 2006. The difference in the show title is because the producers thought the word "feud" too confrontational in the UK cultural context.
• Melinda Messenger: an English television presenter and one of the country's most successful glamour models. In 2002, she appeared on Celebrity Big Brother where she was described as a "blonde Vulcan" by fellow contestant Sue Perkins, who questioned her apparent lack of range of emotions.
• Mavis Riley: a renowned fictional character on British television soap opera Coronation Street between 1971 and 1997.
• Last of the Summer Wine: the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world. It is set and filmed in and around Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England and centres around a trio of old men whose line-up has changed over the years.

Gallery

• 

  Fat bloke with a tan.

• 

  Pinched my watch.

• 

  Lizzy's party.

• 

  What does that do?

• For more images go to: Gallery:Extras - Series 1 Episode 4

External links

• HBO episode guide: "Les Dennis"