Extras (TV series)
| Extras | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by |
Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant |
| Written by | Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant |
| Directed by | Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant |
| Starring | Ricky Gervais Ashley Jensen Stephen Merchant Shaun Williamson Shaun Pye |
| Ending theme | "Tea for the Tillerman" by Cat Stevens |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Camera setup | Single camera |
| Running time | 30 mins (regular episodes) 90 mins (special) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
BBC Two (UK) (series 1–2) BBC One (UK) (special) HBO (U.S.) |
| Picture format |
576i (PAL) (series 1–2) 1080i (HDTV) (special) |
| Original release | 21 July 2005 – 27 December 2007 |
| Website | |
Extras is a British sitcom about extras working in television, film, and theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO and was created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also starred in it. Extras follows the lives of Andy Millman, his platonic friend Maggie Jacobs, and Andy's substandard agent and part-time retail employee Darren Lamb as Millman muddles through life as an anonymous "background performer" who eventually finds success as a B-level sitcom star.
Extras has two series 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 One 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.
The show has been critically acclaimed, and has a Metacritic score of 81/100.
Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) is an aspiring actor who can only find work as an extra which he often refers to as being a "background artist" as a means of making the work seem more dignified to others than he, himself, believes it to be. Andy is accompanied on his various projects by his platonic best friend and fellow extra, Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen). Maggie is well-meaning but ditzy, often missing obvious social cues and failing to exhibit appropriate tact and subtlety in conversations. Unlike Andy, Maggie has no aspirations toward being anything more than an extra. Andy's agent, Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant) is a part-time employee of mobile phone retailer, Carphone Warehouse, and has no real experience in the field of entertainment. He is incompetent, often taking no steps at all to find work for Andy, and even discouraging potential employers from hiring his client due to his flabby physique, age, and lack of acting experience. Darren is assisted by former soap opera star, Shaun Williamson, who plays himself. Lamb frequently tries to undermine Andy by suggesting Williamson (who Lamb refers to by his former EastEnders character name, "Barry") is better suited for various acting roles that are offered to Andy.
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