Extras: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 08:42, 21 December 2007

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 – December 2007
No. of episodes	13
	IMDB Profile

Extras is a sitcom about extras 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 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 21 July 2005 on BBC2 in the UK and premiered on 25 September 2005 on HBO in the U.S.. The second series premiered in the UK on BBC2 on 14 September 2006 and on HBO in January 2007. The show concluded with a Christmas special that premiered on HBO on 17 December 2007 and later aired on BBC1 on 27 December 2007.

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. Maggie, on the other hand, sees every new film as a chance to find a boyfriend. Every episode of the first series featured a high profile guest star, like Ben Stiller and Samuel L. Jackson, whom Andy and Maggie would interact with on the set.

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 surefire success, while at the same time relishing his newfound fame.

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 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

Stephen Merchant as Darren Lamb (referred to in Series 1 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 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, 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
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

External Links

BBC - Comedy
Extras at Ricky Gervais' official website
British Sitcom Guide
Extras at the TV IV wiki

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    | imdb_id = [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445114/ IMDB Profile]
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-'''''Extras''''' is a sitcom about extras 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 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 21 July 2005 on BBC Two in the UK and premiered on 25 September 2005 on HBO in the U.S.. The first series DVD was released in the UK on 31 October 2005. The second series premiered in the UK on BBC2 on 14 September 2006. The series concluded with a Christmas special that premiered on HBO on 17 December 2007 and later aired on BBC1 on 27 December 2007.
+'''''Extras''''' is a sitcom about extras 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 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 21 July 2005 on BBC2 in the UK and premiered on 25 September 2005 on HBO in the U.S.. The second series premiered in the UK on BBC2 on 14 September 2006 and on HBO in January 2007. The show concluded with a Christmas special that premiered on HBO on 17 December 2007 and later aired on BBC1 on 27 December 2007.
 ==Premise==
-{{spoiler}}
+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. Maggie, on the other hand, sees every new film as a chance to find a boyfriend. Every episode of the first series featured a high profile guest star, like Ben Stiller and Samuel L. Jackson, whom Andy and Maggie would interact with on the set.
-Initially, ''Extras''' followed [[Andy Millman]] and his friend [[Maggie Jacobs]] as they worked as extras on film and TV sets and in theatre, but whereas Maggie continues to work as an extra, Andy is now the star of a BBC sitcom which he wrote. In series one, each episode was 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. Meanwhile, Andy's agent [[Darren Lamb]] would fail to procure Andy any substantial roles. And in every episode at least one guest star, usually a television/film celebrity, would play what Gervais and Merchant have referred to as "twisted" versions of themselves.
-In series two, celebrity cameos are still a feature. But while film and TV sets are still a major location for both Maggie who's still an extra, and Andy who is working on the set of his own sitcom, Andy's "celebrity" is taking them to new places, e.g. awards ceremonies and celebrity-inhabited clubs and bars. This shift has also seen Andy's agent Darren Lamb and sidekick [[Shaun Williamson|Shaun Williamson/"Barry from EastEnders"]] come out of their office and accompany Andy to various places.
+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 surefire success, while at the same time relishing his newfound fame.
-The series has no traditional opening credits theme tune. Each episode usually begins with a short segment from the production on which either Andy and/or 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 from the Cat Stevens song ''Tea for the Tillerman''", the title track from his 1970 album.
 ==Cast/Characters==