Review

by Joanne P

Ricky Gervais at his best

I actually prefer Extras to The Office, as it is written for a broader audience and I have found it easier to warm to the characters. Gervais plays ‘Andy Millman’, an aspiring actor playing extra roles in a desperate attempt to crack the acting world - unfortunately his agent (Steve Merchant) is a bumbling idiot, and he often puts his foot in it in front of a host of big stars in the films. The series has beautiful moments, which mainly involve Merchant’s cringe worthy agent character and Ashley Jensen's Maggie, Millman’s best friend and fellow extra. The featuring stars offer themselves up for embarrassing ridicule throughout - from Maggie confusing Samuel L Jackson with Laurence Fishburne to Kate Winslet saying she's only making a Holocaust film to win an Oscar- to hilarious results. Gervais is a comedy genius, and this awkward, subtle comedy should be hailed in comedy history.