When Ricky Gervais finished 'The Office', he was in an interesting position; dozens of Hollywood stars and British favourites were asking him to include them in his next project. The unprecedented success of his show meant he was in a powerful position, and one he used well.
Extras is a sitcom about (wait for it) film extras. Gervais plays Andy Millman, a lovable guy who is both very funny but also very vulnerable - a comic mix. Office co-creator Stephen Merchant also takes a role in the show, playing the idiotic agent and ex-Carphone Warehouse worker Darren Lamb.
Andy Millman is very different to David Brent, sharing only a couple of facial expressions. Millman is more down to earth, a very cynical guy with a biting sense of humour and a vulnerable desire to achieve.
Each episode sees Andy working as an extra on a film or theatre show, and stars a celebrity. The celebrity plays themselves but (this quote is from Wikipedia) 'twisted versions of themselves; an exaggerated or inverted parody of their famous public personas'.
The best episode in series 1 is week 3: Kate Winslett. Kate is playing a nun in a film, but is foul mouthed and dirty which is absolutely hilarious.
Because each episode contains a different star, the quality of each episode varies depending on who is in it. Myself, I didn't much enjoy Ross Kemp or Samuel L Jackson, but Les Dennis was absolutely great, as was Kate Winslett. Ben Stiller was OK, and Patrick Stewart was just crazy funny.
The regular characters are well written and lovable, particularly Andy and Maggie, his friend. Suggestions of a romance between the two add a bit of spice to the show too.
After a cracking first series, the pressure was on to match it, and they have. Guest stars in this series are Orlando Bloom, David Bowie, Daniel Radcliffe, Chris Martin, Sir Ian McKellen and Jonathan Ross.
The plot has moved on from series 1; Andy has been commissioned for his own Sitcom with the BBC, but it's far from great. We see Gervais and co satirising sitcom, with numerous jabs at Little Britain painfully obvious. Gervais is making fun of the world he works in, and it works brilliantly.
As with series one, some episodes are stronger than others, but the episode with Sir Ian McKellen is mindblowingly funny. Millman is starring in a play of McKellen's, but the role he has is of a gay man. Disturbed by the role, Millman forces himself to do it, and it's just so funny to watch I can't explain!
The Jonathan Ross episode is very funny too, and the real friendship the two have is evident on screen with a great chemistry show.
The character of Maggie is more developed in this series, and she's so lovable - she's Britain's answer to Phoebe in Friends I suppose. Again, the chemistry between Andy and Maggie is always present - will they get it together or not? You'll have to watch and find out.
In conclusion, for £18 from Amazon, this is an excellent collection to have.
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