Extras (TV series) Totally Explained

Everything about Extras Tv Series totally explained

Extras is a BAFTA, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning British television sitcom about extras working on film sets and in theatre. The series is co-produced by the BBC and HBO, and is created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also star in it.
Extras has two seasons of six episodes each as well as a Christmas Special. The first episode aired in the UK on 21 July 2005 on BBC Two and on 25 September, 2005 on HBO in the US. The second series premiered in the UK on BBC Two on 14 September, 2006 and began airing in the US on HBO and in Australia on ABC on 14 February, 2007. The Christmas Special aired on 27 December, 2007 on BBC Two and on 16 December, 2007 on HBO. Both series are available on DVD in the UK and the US. The series is filmed in a more traditional sitcom style than the mockumentary style used by Gervais and Merchant in their previous series The Office. Each episode has at least one guest star; a television or film celebrity, who play what Gervais and Merchant have referred to as "twisted" versions of themselves; an exaggerated or inverted parody of their famous public personas.

Synopsis

Extras charts the lives of Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais), his friend Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen) and Andy's substandard agent and ex-Carphone Warehouse employee Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant) as Millman rises to fame.

Season 1

Andy and Maggie begin as extras — "supporting artists". Andy, who believes himself to be a "proper" actor, despite never having a speaking role in a production, is discontent with just appearing in the background and often being cut out of programmes altogether. His agent, Darren Lamb (whose only other client is "Barry off Eastenders"), is unable to attain any substantial or suitable roles for Andy and, although morally well-guided, is terrible at his job.
Eventually, determined to produce a sitcom, Andy writes a pilot script for When the Whistle Blows — a show centred around factory workers in Wigan. Andy's agent fails to draw attention to the script but, while working as an extra on set with Patrick Stewart, Andy gives the script to Stewart who eventually passes it on to the BBC.

Season 2

The BBC takes an interest in the script and decides to film a pilot with a view to making a series. However, when the BBC starts production of the show, Andy is forced to wear a black curly wig, stereotypical large framed red glasses and make the show broad and catchphrase-based ("Are you havin' a laugh? Is he havin' a laugh?"). Although Andy loses considerable artistic control and the respect of his peers, he continues writing and performing in the show because his only other alternative is to go back to life as an extra. The show is broadcast on BBC One, despite Andy's wish that it be broadcast to a BBC Two audience. The show attracts six million viewers but Andy believes them to be "the wrong six million". Meanwhile, Andy learns the pitfalls of being a national celebrity, including how misunderstandings can blow up into national scandals.

Christmas special

Andy wants dignity and respect as well as fame but working on the sitcom is selling out on this dream and the only way to recover, according to Andy, is to perform in more dignified roles — preferably a Hollywood film. As Darren Lamb is unable to acquire any decent parts, Andy fires him and hires a new dynamic agent, Tre Cooper. During this time, Maggie observes how Andy becomes more hostile and egomaniacal because of his fame to the point where he even asks Maggie, his closest friend, to stop approaching him on set because of the image of superiority he wants to project to the other extras.
   Maggie, discontent with the treatment meted out to her as an extra on a big film, quits and, as a consequence of her reduced income, moves into a small one-roomed flat. She feels that she's accomplished nothing with her life — stating that she's never even traveled abroad — and Andy refuses to listen to her about it, as he only cares about his profile and his fame.
   With a new agent, Andy quits filming the now repetitive and degenerative sitcom in the hope that he'll be successful and respected. After five months, however, Tre has only offered Millman roles which are as broad as the show that he left and the BBC are reluctant to work with him after his abrupt and public departure from the sitcom. Andy grudgingly takes these roles in order to keep his profile up but eventually confronts his new agent and complains about the tired and shoddy roles that he wanted to stay away from to begin with. Tre is angered by this and offers Andy the choice of either fame and fortune or integrity stating that "very few people have both".
   Yet again, Millman is forced to take the offer of fame because the alternative would be a return to his previous discontenting lifestyle. With this, Tre forces Millman into the Celebrity Big Brother house. Millman had previously rejected the idea when it was proposed by Darren Lamb, who has now returned to working at the Carphone Warehouse (alongside Barry and Dean Gaffney).
   The housemates are hardly celebrities (they include a glamour model who got her big break when her boyfriend was accused of rape, and the mother of a murder victim) and their narcissistic actions make Millman reflect on what he was doing with his life. This provokes Andy to give a speech to the cameras of the house in which he describes fame, as it stands today, as an easy way for cowards to sell their dignity and respect to avoid an honourable job such as a doctor or war hero; he comments that shows such as X Factor and Big Brother are just reincarnations of the Victorian freak show. He apologises sincerely and tearfully to his friend Maggie for his maltreatment of her and then abruptly gets out of the house.
   Tre greets him and states that interest in him has skyrocketed: "The world is your oyster". Andy, instead of greeting the photographers, walks out of the back exit to discover Maggie waiting for him. They drive off together discussing going to some place where they won't be recognized. Andy has rejected fame and fortune in the hope that he'll lead a happier, fulfilling and dignified life with his friend Maggie.

First season episode order

When the first series was first broadcast in the UK, the episode featuring Ben Stiller was broadcast first, followed by the Ross Kemp and Vinnie Jones episode the following week. When the series was repeated over the Christmas holiday 2005, the episodes were returned to their intended order, with Ross Kemp first, followed by Stiller. The first series DVD, released in the UK on 31 October 2005, also preserves this same order, along with the Extras script book.
When the first season is shown in North America another order is used:

Kate Winslet
Ben Stiller
Ross Kemp/Vinnie Jones
Samuel L. Jackson
Les Dennis
Patrick Stewart

This episode order was maintained for the North American DVD release, issued on 9 January 2007.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman � Andy used to work in a bank, but left to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. He is forced to scrape a living as an extra on the sets of various film and television productions. Being around more successful performers has made him cynical and bitter about the whole process. He usually fails in his attempts to improve his lot, partly due to his agent's incompetence, partly due to events and people beyond his control, but mostly due to his own ability to put his foot in it and then dig a hole for himself. At the end of the first series Andy manages to get his sitcom made by the BBC. Although at first this is a boost to his morale, he soon returns to his cynical nature when his show is tampered with and becomes a clichéd 1970s-style sitcom, relying on catchphrases and wigs to get laughs.

Stephen Merchant as Darren Lamb (credited as "Agent") � Darren Lamb is Andy's incompetent agent. Incapable of breaking an act, his usual negotiating tactic is to agree with whatever anyone else says, or, more likely, suggest someone other than Andy for the part. He is very good at deducting his 12.5% commission (15% for adverts). He doesn't watch Andy's sitcom, much to Andy's annoyance. Andy sacks him in the Christmas special and he begins working full-time at the Carphone Warehouse.

Ashley Jensen as Maggie Jacobs � Maggie is Andy's best friend and a fellow extra. Maggie is a sweet, well-meaning Scottish soul, who only wants to help. Unfortunately, her general social incompetence combined with a loveable dimness means that she's more likely to say precisely the wrong thing to the wrong person at exactly the wrong time, despite her lack of malicious intent. This usually means that she's 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.

Shaun Williamson as Barry from Eastenders (himself) � Shaun Williamson plays himself as one of Darren's clients. He used to play Barry Evans on the British soap opera EastEnders, but left to pursue a multi-million pound contract elsewhere and failed. Darren Lamb doesn't use his real name, but instead calls him "Barry off EastEnders" or just "Barry". This also extends to other characters as seen in episode 1.2, where Ross Kemp only seems to know Shaun Williamson after being told his EastEnders character name. He carries an air of accepted defeat, and helps Lamb around his office. They later team up with another ex-Eastender, Dean Gaffney, at the Carphone Warehouse. Andy and Dean are the only ones who ever call him "Shaun".

Shaun Pye as Greg Lindley-Jones � Snide RADA grad and Andy's arch-nemesis Greg started out a fellow extra but became a successful stage, television and eventually film actor. Unlike Andy, he's often secured a line in various productions such as The Bill; as a result, he possesses an extremely high opinion of himself and is constantly belittling to Andy. Andy rarely gets ahead in his encounters with Greg except for gaining the audience's sympathy. Greg is notably annoyed when Andy tries to celebrate his BBC series triumph with fellow extras in Season 1 Episode 6.

Other recurring characters

Bunny (Gerard Kelly) - three episodes, a camp pantomime director whose daughter appears in the first series. He reappears in the Christmas Special.

Iain Morris (Guy Henry) - The head of Comedy at the BBC, Morris is one of the contributors to stealing artistic direction of 'When the Whistle Blows' from Andy and has a strong friendship with Damon Beesley who, like him, is gay and takes it very personally when any implied homophobia is used in his presence. He appears in three episodes as well as a minor role in the Christmas Special.

"Make-up woman" (Sarah Preston) - three episodes. Asks for signed pictures but no one can remember her name.

Damon Beesley (Martin Savage), the very camp comedy script writer who is brought in to work alongside Andy.

Liza Tarbuck - although she mainly appears in character as Rita in When the Whistle Blows, she's also seen in make-up as herself.

Episode guide

Series One

#	Episode	Celebrity Guest Star(s)	Original Airdate

Series Two

#	Episode	Celebrity Guest Star(s)	Original Airdate

Christmas Special: Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale

Gervais stated that he couldn't see himself doing a third series, as he and Merchant believed that more episodes would dilute the quality. They have often cited that Fawlty Towers only ran for two series, and this was also the reason given for ending The Office after two series. However, after the second series had finished, Gervais was quoted in the Mirror as saying that there was "some mileage in it" and suggested there could be a third series,. In December 2006, Gervais announced that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was on his wishlist to appear in "another series", but then denied it a month later. Gervais had also mentioned Bruce Willis, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Van Dyke as possibilities for the third series. At the Live 8 concert it was reported that Madonna had asked to appear in the series, and in a separate interview Will Ferrell revealed his desire to join the show if Gervais asked him. Gervais had also reportedly been keen for Robert De Niro to appear again, after having only a small role in the last episode of the second series.
   On March 19, 2007 the BBC reported that Gervais and Merchant would be writing a one-off finale episode (similar to how they finished The Office). At that time, a representative for Gervais said that the idea was in its "very, very early stages". The final part, like The Office, would allow the series to be sold into syndication worldwide.
   As a guest on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Ricky Gervais said there would be no third series but, like with The Office, there would be a two-part special. Also appearing on the show at the time was actor John Travolta who agreed to be the guest star in the specials.
   On July 13, 2007, it was reported by the Hollywood Reporter that the show would end with a final, one hour episode, to be filmed in August of 2007. This was confirmed by a video posted on Ricky Gervais' site starring Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
   On September 15, before his stand-up performance of Fame at the Hammersmith Apollo, a trailer for the special was shown. It showed clips of Clive Owen, David Tennant (in costume as the Tenth Doctor, whom he plays in Doctor Who), Lionel Blair, Lisa Scott-Lee, Hale and Pace, Gordon Ramsay, George Michael and Barry from EastEnders. The trailer shows a selection of scenes from the special, including Andy helping George Michael avoid paparazzi on Hampstead Heath, scenes from a Christmas special of Andy's television series When the Whistle Blows, and Andy with his head in his hands in the Big Brother house while other celebrities perform a dance routine. There is also a cameo appearance by Karl Pilkington as an autograph hunter who shuns Millman when he's at a low point in his career.
   It aired in the United States on December 16, 2007 and on the UK December 27, 2007. It is yet to be aired in Australia. The episode's soundtrack features the song This Woman's Work by Kate Bush and Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want by The Smiths. Originally Broadcast: (US) December 16, 2007; (UK) December 27, 2007. Guest Stars: Lionel Blair, Dean Gaffney, Hale & Pace, George Michael, Clive Owen, Gordon Ramsay, Lisa Scott-Lee, Chico Slimani, June Sarpong, Vernon Kay, and David Tennant.
   After three series of When the Whistle Blows Andy is more famous than ever. He can get a table at the exclusive Ivy Restaurant without booking, and he's moved to a posh new flat on Hampstead Heath as well. But it's arch-nemesis Greg who's got the career — and agent — Andy wants. With a new blockbuster film opening to rave reviews, Greg's portrayal of Percy Shelley alongside Clive Owen's Byron has earned him a firm place on the A-list. Fortunately, Greg's agent offers to represent Andy as well, which means Andy can finally hand Darren Lamb his walking papers - or at least leave a message to that effect. With a proper agent on board, Andy abruptly quits his sitcom in order to free himself up for better offers.
   Andy is so caught up with new agent Tre Cooper's plan to get Andy "to the top of the B-list" as soon as possible that he completely fails to notice things aren't going nearly as well for Maggie. Though Tre secures her a small part in Clive Owen's new film, she decides to call it quits on being an extra after Owen and the director come up with a bit of staging that involves Owen flinging manure in Maggie's face. With no experience in any other line of work, Maggie has to resort to being a cleaner to pay the rent, which she can no longer afford and so is forced to move from her flat to a dingy little bedsit. Since Andy now phones only when he needs her to help him with some scheme or other, Maggie is left entirely to her own devices. Nearly destitute and thoroughly despondent, she pops in at Darren's new (and former) employer, the Carphone Warehouse, to see if he can offer her a place alongside former Eastenders co-stars Shaun Williamson and Dean Gaffney, who have also resorted to working there.
   Meanwhile, Andy's decision to walk away from his sitcom has backfired. New agent Tre won't return his calls, so Andy is forced to accept acting gigs that he sneered at only a few months ago (specifically, roles on Doctor Who and Hotel Babylon) just to keep himself in the public eye. Andy finally manages to track down his agent, who tells Andy that he can have either "fame and fortune" or "credibility and respect" — but not both together — Andy chooses fame and fortune and begs Tre to pull whatever strings necessary to get Andy back on telly.
   Andy finds that the strings Tre has offered to pull land him in the latest cast of Celebrity Big Brother, but Andy has no idea who anybody else is (apart from Lionel Blair). He quickly realises that rather than bolster his career, what he's actually done by appearing on a show where everyone is so desperate for fame that they voluntarily "hand in their dignity at the door" is just the opposite. After making an impassioned speech to this effect on camera, at the same time using the opportunity to make a heartfelt and tearful apology to Maggie, who is watching at home, Andy walks off the show.
   Ironically, Andy's Big Brother speech gives him exactly the kind of attention and respect he's always wanted. Though he finds himself suddenly a media darling, with his agent fielding calls from the likes of Elton John and the Beckhams, Andy decides that the only place he really wants to be is anywhere Maggie wants to go. Happily reunited, the two drive off down the motorway towards Heathrow Airport.

Extras Spinoff

There have been rumours circulating that Gervais and Merchant will write a spinoff series which revolves around Darren Lamb, Barry and Dean Gaffney. The ex-EastEnder – Barry in the comedy – said Ricky was toying with a spin-off about Barry and agent Darren Lamb, played by co-writer Stephen Merchant.
Shaun told Heart FM: “We talked half-jokingly about a show with the pair in a camper van, solving crimes.”

When the Whistle Blows

When the Whistle Blows is the show-within-a-show sitcom in Extras created, co-written by and starring Andy Millman. It was first mentioned in episode "1.3", as a script that Millman had written and given to his agent who neglected to read it. The script was turned into a sitcom on BBC1 in the first series finale, after Millman gave the script to Patrick Stewart. Excerpts from the sitcom are featured in the second series, and many of the Extras plotlines have revolved around Millman's experiences with the show. When the Whistle Blows is set in a Wigan factory canteen. The humour is broad and lowbrow in the manner of many catchphrase-based sitcoms. The show is unpopular with reviewers but popular with the public. It did receive a BAFTA nomination, though Millman suspected it was there simply to make up the numbers, and in the end it lost heavily to an unspecified programme by Stephen Fry.
Millman is deeply unhappy with the show, feeling that too many people have interfered with his original ideas in the hunt for ratings. It appears that Millman originally set out to do a comedy similar to The Office, with true-to-life characters in a realistic work environment, without a studio audience or laughter track. The show has turned out to be the opposite of what he originally intended. The show is further debased by the unexplained guest appearance by Chris Martin of Coldplay, in episode 2.4, which bears no relation to the plot — this can be seen as something of a reflexive joke, for example, a celebrity appearing on a show within a show, which features celebrities.
It has been suggested that the presence of studio audiences/canned laughter, and the reliance on funny wigs, costumes and catch phrases for humour is a comment on recent comedy hits such as Little Britain. Many people that Millman sees at the recording of the pilot wear T-shirts displaying recent comedy catchphrases, such as "Wassup", "It's Chico Time", "I'm a lady!", "Am I bovvered?" and "Garlic bread?". It should be noted that in the US version of that episode, the shots of the catchphrase t-shirts have been cut out of the show, presumably because American audiences wouldn't understand the references. However, some of the reviews that the show gets refer to it as a "time warp comedy", and Millman's character talks about 1970s catchphrases such as Mr Humphreys' "I'm Free" (from Are You Being Served?) and Frank Spencer's "Ooh Betty" (from Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em), suggest that it's also partly sending up 1970s British comedy. In Episode 2.5 at the beginning, Germaine Greer (playing herself) suggests that When the Whistle Blows is "sub Carry On". Ricky Gervais himself has said that he doesn't dislike all "broad humour", but that rather it's about being "careful what you wish for".

Characters

Ray Stokes:
Ray is the manager, played by Andy Millman, in turn played by Ricky Gervais. His catchphrase is an incredulous "Are you having a laugh!? Is s/he having a laugh?". The character was based on a man Millman worked for before deciding to pursue acting full time, and originally his catchphrase was merely something Millman wrote in because it was something that man used to say. Millman's co-writer decided to develop it into a catchphrase. To play the part of Ray, Millman is forced into wearing oversized glasses and a curly black wig to add the "hilarity", despite the fact that the real Ray Stokes didn't look like this. Rita:
Rita is played by Liza Tarbuck, who also sings the When The Whistle Blows theme song. She is a single parent and is the central, straight character of the show. She is married in the Christmas Special. Gobbler:
Gobbler is a large, unintelligent character, played by Andrew Buckley. His inability to understand his co-workers' jokes often prompts his catchphrase, "I don't get it!" It is suggested that he's appalling personal hygiene. He becomes intelligent after being hit in the head by a donkey in the Christmas Special. Brains:
Brains, played by Jamie Chapman, is the stereotypical smart one of the group, sporting glasses and a pedantic voice. His rather detailed knowledge of all subjects doesn't impress Ray, who will inevitably come out with the "are you having a laugh?" line. He 'comes out' in the Christmas Special. Kimberley: Kimberley, played by Sarah Moyle is the only other female character on the show. She seems to lead a rather homely lifestyle. In the Christmas Special, she received a promotion. Keith:
Keith is played by TV presenter Keith Chegwin in the pilot episode. His character was originally called "Alfie", but a frustrated Millman changed it because Keith Chegwin was confused at being addressed with a different name. We are told he's always late for work, but in this instance turns up late because he was at his sister's funeral. This also confused Chegwin, who confided: "the thing is, my sister's not dead".
Other characters - there are relatively few other characters in the sitcom, but they include Chris Martin (playing himself), and a Japanese couple. Ray's wife is mentioned, but never appears - which is an old cliché of British comedy, for example, Minder and Dad's Army. Andy appears in a dual role as Ray's twin sister.

Awards

Awarding Body/Event	Awarded
Rose d'Or	2006 Best Sitcom 2006 Best Sitcom Actress, Ashley Jensen for Extras
Emmy Awards	2007 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Ricky Gervais for Extras
Golden Globe	2008 Best Television Series - Best Comedy or Musical
BAFTA Awards	2007 Best Comedy Performance, Ricky Gervais for Extras
British Comedy Award	2005 Best Television Comedy Actress, Ashley Jensen for Extras 2005 Best Television Comedy Newcomer, Ashley Jensen for Extras 2006 Best Comedy Actor, Stephen Merchant for Extras
BANFF World Television Awards	2006 Best Comedy Actress, Ashley Jensen for Extras

Overall, Extras has been received very well by critics in the UK. The show received 3 BAFTA Award nominations in 2006 including Best Comedy Performance for Ashley Jensen, Best Writer for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and Best Situation Comedy. In 2007, both Gervais and Merchant were nominated, separately, for Best Comedy Performance. Gervais ended up winning the award.
The show has also received high accolades in the US. In 2006, the show received four nominations for the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Ben Stiller and Patrick Stewart received nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series and both lost to Leslie Jordan on Will & Grace. Kate Winslet received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series and lost to Cloris Leachman for Malcolm in the Middle. Gervais and Merchant were also nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode with Kate Winslet. They lost to Greg Garcia for writing the pilot episode of My Name Is Earl. In 2007, the show received four nominations for the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. Gervais was nominated for and won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Ian McKellen was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Gervais and Merchant were also nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode with Daniel Radcliffe and Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for the episode with Orlando Bloom. Extras made the Top 10 list of Outstanding Comedy Series, but wasn't nominated in the Top 5.

Trivia

According to a segment in the extras section of the Season 1 DVD, Jude Law was scheduled to appear in one of the episodes, after meeting Gervais backstage on the Late Show with David Letterman, but had to pull out due to film commitments. This resulted in Gervais and Merchant having to scramble to find a replacement actor at the last minute, with Leonardo DiCaprio being considered. A featurette on the first series DVD release, "Finding Leo", consists of late-night videocamera footage (shot mostly by Merchant) chronicling Gervais' fruitless and ultimately unsuccessful attempts to contact DiCaprio's manager. Law was ultimately replaced by Patrick Stewart in the series 1 finale, although a poster for the Jude Law film Alfie appeared at the end. Other actors that didn't appear in Extras despite initial reports from Gervais include Madonna, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise.

Extras was launched with promotional appearances from Gervais and Merchant at Live 8, as well as multiple covers of Radio Times, which featured many of the series' A-List celebrities. The publication also carried an interview conducted by respected BBC journalist John Humphrys. In the interview, Gervais made clear his desires for Extras to receive a low-key launch on BBC2.

In the US, the phrase "You having a laugh?" has been used as a sports catch phrase on ESPN's Sportscenter by host Kenny Mayne.

On an episode of Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Gervais asked John Travolta to appear in the Extras special on air. At the end of the show, Jonathan Ross persuaded them to dance together in order to seal their deal, in reference to Travolta's story of how he danced with Sean Connery.Further Information

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