Ricky Gervais fans be aware, or beware, the second series of Extras is out now on DVD.
The first series was enjoyable indeed with Gervais making Andy Millman the straight man to nearly everybody else’s stupidity.
Idiocy, along with a mixture of arrogance and insecurity, has always been a staple of English humour as evidenced by characters such as Basil Fawlty.
In the latest instalments of Extras look out for many hilarious moments including Ronnie Corbett getting busted – not for the first time – with drugs at the BAFTAs and Chris Martin from Coldplay behaving like a knob and then turning up on Andy’s sitcom to promote his band’s greatest hits CD.
The ongoing rivalry between Greg and Andy is a perceptive and amusing take on the pettiness of thespians.
At the end of series one Andy was in the ascendancy with his script being picked up by the BBC, but it soon becomes obvious in series two that it’s Greg (Shaun Pye) who has become the artiste.
Even if Andy has managed to make it out of the drudge that’s supporting actor work, the success of his When the Whistle Blows can also be judged a failure.
That is, he has “allowed” it to become the kind of TV show that’ll attract lots of viewers, but has no integrity or wit.
Celebrities abound, for good and ill, in Extras take two, with none better than the acclaimed Sir Ian McKellen playing a ridiculous version of himself.
“How do I act so well?” he asks Andy, before giving the budding star a lesson in drama that’s shockingly basic.
Guests like Robert Lindsay from My Family are less convincing when uttering the over-the-top lines that Gervais and his co-writer, Stephen Merchant, have penned for them.
Gervais and Merchant seem so eager to divide the world into “thick” (i.e. those who find catchphrase-based comedies funny) and smart (i.e. experts who understand comedy and hate the programs the general public loves) people that they neglect to give some characters any complexity or common sense.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty to laugh at including the running joke about Andy losing his virginity to a woman who could’ve been Ronnie Corbett’s twin.
While it probably wasn’t intended, the double entendres of When the Whistle Blows and the absurd Ray Stokes with his bad wig and big glasses are wonderfully comical.
Perhaps the loveliest moment appears in episode four when Andy sees Maggie in a beautiful red dress for the first time. Going against his misanthropic tendencies, he comes across like a man in love during this scene.
Unfortunately, Maggie, as portrayed by Ashley Jensen, seems depressed as well as stupid, as opposed to the charming and ditzy woman she was before. Possibly the aim is to contrast her woes with Andy’s popularity, but it’s a shame to see the Scot become so hollow.
Incidentally, if she’s so dumb why doesn’t she find When the Whistle Blows funny?
The best lines belong to Merchant’s “Agent” and Barry from EastEnders aka Shaun Williamson. They get to indulge in some absurd conversations such as their analysis of the women’s movement:
Agent: Why did Germaine Greer and all those feminists burn their bras? What was going on there?
Shaun (aka Barry from EastEnders): Well, it was a symbolic gesture to suggest emancipation from a patriarchal society.
Agent: But I thought a bra was supposed to help a lady, you know, stop her getting a backache or whatever.
Shaun: You couldn’t tell them at the time, they were furious.
It’s been reported that Gervais and Merchant’s second big hit will be put to bed in a way not dissimilar to the finish of The Office. The end of Extras mightn’t be a bad thing because even though it’s really good; it’s easy to believe its creators are becoming a little too clever by half.
Extras Series 2 is available “here”:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Extras-2-Ricky-Gervais/dp/B000MMMSJW/ref=pd_sbs_d_h__1/203-9636351-0887935