Extras Christmas Special

...mistake.

The Extras Christmas Special has very little Christmas feel to it, and of all this seasons Christmas specials I have seen it's certainly the most downbeat. Don't get me wrong there are real laugh out loud moments, those familiar with the two series of Extras, and the hugely successful Office will be familiar with the usual twists and turns that its writer actors Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant chuck at us, but this is by ...
.../> Like each episode of Extras there are a catalogue of stars thrown in to add appeal to the show, George Michael, Gordon Ramsey, David Tennant, George Michael, and Clive Owen all appear, sadly seeming like an anti-climax after Series 2's Robert De Niro cameo. Of the star cast Clive Owen puts in the biggest performance, and George Michael gets the biggest laugh telling a story of fly tipping involving Annie Lennox, Stuart Copeland, and Sting. There ... more

It's that time of year again, and the chances are that if you own a TV this Christmas will be spent watching one or all of the BBC's big gems; you might watch Doctor Who to see a very different side of the Tardis, in Albert Square things are looking bad for Bradley, or seemingly worse still Andy Milman's life reaches rock bottom in Extras.

Andy is still on a personal high in his career, his show When TheWhistle Blows is one of the UK's most popular TV shows. But Andy is feeling low; he wants to be acknowledged as a serious and credible actor. Andy cannot go anywhere without hearing "Are you avin a laff!" or seeing images of him in stupid wigs with glasses. Combine this with the fact that his years spent as a TV extra still bother him, especially when his long term nemesis who also started as an extra is starring in the world's most popular movie Byron. It's time to put the past behind him and look forward, for Andy this means not only axing his show, but turning his back on his friends, but has Andy made a terrible mistake.

The Extras Christmas Special has very little Christmas feel to it, and of all this seasons Christmas specials I have seen it's certainly the most downbeat. Don't get me wrong there are real laugh out loud moments, those familiar with the two series of Extras, and the hugely successful Office will be familiar with the usual twists and turns that its writer actors Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant chuck at us, but this is by far the most sombre piece the duo have delivered, with a massive portion being played for a totally serious audience.

Like each episode of Extras there are a catalogue of stars thrown in to add appeal to the show, George Michael, Gordon Ramsey, David Tennant, George Michael, and Clive Owen all appear, sadly seeming like an anti-climax after Series 2's Robert De Niro cameo. Of the star cast Clive Owen puts in the biggest performance, and George Michael gets the biggest laugh telling a story of fly tipping involving Annie Lennox, Stuart Copeland, and Sting. There are other smaller cameos that include Hale and Pace, Dean Gaffney, Shaun Williamson, but with this billed as the shows finale outing I cant help but think that a little more star quality could have been added.

The story in this special is told in flashback, as having found himself in the Celebrity Big Brother house with Lionel Blair, Chico, June Sarpong and Lisa "Tragedy" Scott Lee, Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) looks back at the events that caused his arrival there.

While not necessarily Christmas themed with the exception of a few random references, Extras does have all the key factors that spell out Christmas, it's a rush of good storytelling, humour, and sadness. Morally this is the strongest offering we have seen from Gervais, and it's a really great story, which echoes the life we often believe and see of a celebrity.

On the humour front the special offers some great laughs, the most popular comedy moment from The Office in which Merchant's character is mocked for his unusual height and looks, makes a comeback with an even more hysterical punch line. Mishearing of words allows for an unusual reference regarding Fish Stew. And Andy's long suffering friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen) is again knocked for her looks, getting the most vicious drubbing by Clive Owen, which is both heartbreaking and hysterical. There is of course the usual addition of Maggie being forced to pretend to be something she is not in order to make Andy look good, with the usual jaw dropping results. June Sarpong and Lionel Blair deliver some real quality moments, with Blair showing the side that all of us really associate with him, a dancing singing silly old sod, and it's great that he allows himself to be shown in this light. In the Doctor Who skit, Gervais and pays homage to the more traditional Who rather than its modern incarnation, with Tennant playing along for the laugh.

But it's the serious nature of this special that makes all the difference, both Andy and Maggie are going down a terribly steep slope. And aggression on Andy's part for his failures means that the one person who really loves him is left in the sidelines. And for some, this may all be far too serious especially as Maggie's life is shown in the bleakest of ways; it's truly heartbreaking stuff. With a strong undercurrent of depression running beneath the comedy and towards the shows conclusion an outburst on Big Brother found me admitting I had to fight back tears. This is far from the Extras we have all got used to; this is Extras with real feeling. With reflection to recent media about Ricky Gervais' behaviour and diva like behaviour; this could almost be a confession if the stories are true, or at the very least a window into Gervais soul.

Extras is a really good offering for the Christmas season, though it may cause some disappointment; because despite the statement that this is the last Extras the door has been left very much ajar. With its movie style length, and its glossier more refined Hollywood look, this Christmas special could easily sit in cinemas and to a certain degree does not cause the viewer to have previous Extras experience.

I apologise if my review seems a little lifeless, it's hard to review a show that will achieve a large audience (being available to everyone) without ruining its story for fans.

The Extras Christmas Special can be seen on BBC One on the 27th December at 9pm; and next to Doctor Who's Voyage Of The Damned it's the best thing on TV this Christmas.

Spencer Hawken 12/07 

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