Top Notch Comedy (Extras)

Member Name: SmilingBuddha

Product:	Extras
Date:	28/06/09 (11 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great range of characters, Wide range of humour

Disadvantages: Some might find moments cringey and comfortable, Only two series

Extras has Ricky Gervais starring as Andy Millman a miserable, struggling extra with big ambitions and underwhelmed with his lot in life. As a Gervais virgin, I can safely say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Gervais created the standard comedy duo set up by making Millman's best friend a complete contrast. Ditsy, quirky fellow extra Maggie Jacobs whose loose lips consecutively manage to land Andy into trouble.

And again as standard sitcom rules dictate, Greg, his smirking rival who just about always seems to get the better of him and has no problem rubbing it right in Andy's face. He plays his part well and if you don't genuinely hate the guy by at least the third episode there is something wrong with you.

I am fully aware that Gervais's style of awkward situation humour is not for everybody. As there is no laugh track I can perfectly understand how some people might just find it cringey and uncomfortable. That's a personal thing and one that I do not share but I am a sadist and take great pleasure in watching people make absolute pillocks out of themselves.

Note that quite a lot of the humour is is sexual, so not particularly family friendly material. That said, there is a wide variety of great humour packed in there, some is puerile, yes but it also ranges from basic yet hilarious human misunderstandings to biting satire of contemporary journalism.

At first glance I thought the celebrity cameos would just be cheesy and Gervais would wheel them like eye candy simply to get exposure and boost ratings. This is definitely not the case and he gets some clever gags on a wide range of stars such as Stephen Fry, Daniel Radcliffe, Vinnie Jones and Ben Stiller. Personally, I found Ross Kemp and his definition of SAS to be one of the best appearances.

Darren Lamb, his incompetent agent might be one of my favourite comedy characters of all time. There is something rather childishly charming about his blissful ignorance of the acting industry and social norms which has me in hysterics so easily. His relationship with his sidekick Barry (from Eastenders) is also rather sweet. I also love his cheesy grin.

Fans of this will probably also enjoy Peep Show with David Mitchell & Robert Webb. All said and done, I'm now off to go and buy The Office.

Summary: A quality comedy rooted in the frustrating struggle to become famous.