I love the show Extras, starring Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. When I bought the DVDs I was excited, however these discs did not play in my DVD player because of the region code. American players use the NTSC format, while British and other foreign discs use the PAL format. This is very important! If your player doesn't play PAL, then your purchase is a waste. Also the region code has to match. Extras is terrific, it borrows some of the same ideas as The Office, using no laugh track and uncomfortable humor. I enjoy the predicaments the two lead characters find themselves in. Racial and other sensitive issues are not taboo for Gervais and Merchant who use uneasy silences as comic gold. Each episode cameos a different guest star such as Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller and Vinnie Jones. Great comedy from two of todays comic heavyweights.Read full review
I had never seen extras before, but found it hysterical throughout. I would strongly recommend this to anyone and it is an ideal gift sure to keep the receiver laughing. I do not dislike anything.
SERIES 1 - First broadcast 2005 Episode 1 Comedy actor Ben Stiller makes an attempt at directing. The film is based on the plight of a young man named Goran, who saw his wife and child killed in the Balkans war. Ambitious Andy manages to get a line in the script by effectively bribing Goran with a £15 Topshop voucher (lovely top, incidentally). Meanwhile Maggie thinks she's found her ideal man. Unfortunately her superficiality shines through when she realises one of his legs is shorter than the other and that his disability affects his ability to wear stylish shoes. Her unique method of Chinese/Japanese distinction doesn't help her or Andy's career either. First broadcast: 21st July 2005 Episode 2 Andy and best pal Maggie are appearing as extras in a costume drama starring Zippy-look-alike Ross Kemp. The heat is on as Ross (ex-Super Army Soldier, apparently), plays up to his tough guy image and challenges Vinnie Jones' macho-ism. Not to his face though obviously! Andy can't get his face (or voice) in a scene for love nor money. But he can console a much-bullied Ross. And romance is on the cards for Maggie but she fears her lack of intellect may let her down. Actually it's her sexual technique. First broadcast: 28th July 2005 Episode 3 Maggie's three-week relationship is thriving-mostly. Pity she can't think of anything to say during phone sex; which is where Kate Winslet comes in. The actress, taking on the role of a nun during the Holocaust in the hope of winning an Oscar, shares her secrets for a good (phone) sex life. This turns out to be more harm than good and consequently Maggie's days of heavy breathing on the phone are over. Andy is also spurned as he adopts the Catholic religion (and a rather fetching John Travolta-style suit) in order to get a date. Rejection turns to relief though, as Andy finds out his potential date doesn't believe in non-conjugal rites... 'In this day and age!'! First broadcast: 4th Aug 2005 Episode 4 Useless agent Darren lands Andy a part as the gay, tanned genie in Aladdin, alongside Les Dennis. It soon becomes clear that Les' 26 year-old fiancé is getting some behind-the-scenes action with the stage hand (and other parts of him). Andy is left to pick up the pieces as Les spirals into a depression which leaves him crying into his beer. Meanwhile, Maggie bumps into old acting friend Lizzie whose life is completely consumed by her camp, controlling father, Bunny. Her only friends appear as though they've been ambushed from the local day care centre but Maggie gets no sandwiches for her honesty. First broadcast: 11th Aug 2005 Episode 5 Andy is frantically pursued by The Most Boring Man In The World and manages to bag himself a candlelit meal with the man in question. Much to his delight. Maggie is out on another date, this time with a good-looking black actor, but manages to put her foot in it again by trying not to be racist. Andy's advice has a little too much influence on Maggie, particularly in front of Samuel L Jackson who she mistakenly believes starred in The Matrix. And the elusive line slips out of Andy's grasp once more. First broadcast: 18th Aug 2005 Episode 6 Andy takes the bull by the horns and passes his sitcom script to Patrick Stewart (who professes to have written a script himself, mainly about women's clothes falling off). For once, Andy gets a break as he is summoned to the BBC studios in order to write a pilot episode. Interfering bRead full review
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant -- creators of the award-winning BBC series "The Office" -- introduce yet another memorable character: full-time movie extra Andy Millman (Gervais), who's quit his former day job to become an actor. Insisting that most of Hollywood's A-listers are "just lucky," Millman spends his days hanging around the set with best friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen), desperately stroking egos to score his next big break: dialogue.
I loved the Office, and also Ricky's stand up dvd's, and so extras was looked forward to. I must admit I can see extras as being a bit of a 'marmite' series. Some poeple will love it for its clever plots and different topics each episode, others who will be expecting David Brent might be disapointed and might not get into it. It makes me laugh out loud when I watch any of the episodes, each one has several great incidents in it, my favorite has to be the Les Dennis episode. It makes you cringe, Brilliant.
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