Fans of the Office? Bigger fan of the UK version? Then you already are a fan of Ricky Gervais. A good friend of mine last night directed me to some rather funny clips of this show called Extras. As usual, we are coming to the table late, as it seems this show is already over.
BBC.co.uk describes its origins:
After the international success of The Office the pressure was on for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to come up with a successful successor. Wonderfully, they succeeded. Extras was another naturalistic show that mined the theatre of embarrassment for its laughs and – particularly in the second series – reached real comedy peaks.
This is an incredible concept for a television show that twists reality enough to make it all work.
You see, the “stars” in the show are extras, and the Extras are the stars. Did you follow that? Neither did I.
The show is based on a number of collegues who are themselves aspiring actors and for the most part only get roles as extras. The guest stars on the show play themselves. We meet these big name celebrities on the show are the stars of the show the characters aspire to get a job with. In a way that makes them the extras, as the story doesn’t revolve around them, but rather our stars, the Extras.
Its confusing to explain. From the clips I have seen, this looks to be a riot. I need to see this show. Other celebs that make appearances are Dan Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, Samuel Jackson, and Sir Ian McLellan. Check out this clip featuring Patrick Stewart:
