Extras: The Christmas Special

[Pip Madeley]

Anyone else looking forward to this?

Click here and here to see Doctor Who-related spoilery pics.

Or if you really can't wait, click to see the clip. David Tennant's Doctor meets 'The Twin Dilemma'.

[Alex]

I'm quite looking forward to this, bar Who it's one of the few things that I'm looking forward to over the Christmas period, but I'm going to be away when it's shown so will have to catch the repeat of it a few days later.

I've really mixed thoughts about Ricky Gervais, I love The Office but thought Extra's was all over the place (though it could still be great at times - I love the bit with Ronnie Corbett in the toilets at the Baftas), but I'm trying to stay optimistic enough about it and hope it will be good.

Whatever he does next, I just hope it's stronger, and relies less on jokes about minorities / comedy of embarrassment in general, because he's really done it to death now...

[Si Hunt]

I can't wait for this! I'm looking forward to meeting up with Maggie and Bunny and all his other characters again! Especially looking forward to them roping Dean Gaffney into the "Barry from Eastenders" running gag. Hurrah!

Si.

[Si Hunt]

There was much right with it, but also (in keeping with the series as a whole) it never quite found its purpose. I think the direction they took Andy was brave, and rather interesting. However, it was still a little unfocussed and an hour and a half was a long time for what is essentially a half-hour sitcom. I got the impression that for its final foray, "Extras" became under the impression that it was a serious drama. In fact, at times it was quite depressing, and it came over at times like watching a long and all-too familiar descent of a celebrity into the trap of his mistakes. I think it needed a stronger resolve, and more of a feel-good ending, than just him walking away. It was all left a little up in the air.

I think "Extras" has been excellent, but the celebrity cameos were used curiously here. Hale & Pace were good, and the Big Brother segments were very well done (although marred by the fact that Andy was spiralling towards his doom; the drama sat uneasily with the comedy. How could you laugh at Lisa Scott-Lee sending herself up when the scene was essentially about the lead character crashing and burning in what was presented as a very serious way indeed?)

In the end, it gave its characters a very interesting final story, and on the up side the scenes where Andy said Sorry to Maggie on air were nicely touching. There was only one thing I felt quite offended by in his special - the treatment of our own "Doctor Who". For some reason, Gervais and Merchant seemed to think it was 1993 again and, oddly, Andy turned down the chance to appear on "Doctor Who" as if it were bargain basement telly! When he did cave in, we got a scene which appears to give fans a glimpse of what Who would have been like if David Tenant had been the Doctor in 1984 - a big rubber slug costume and an unconvincing set. Worse, Tennant himself was a willing participant in this. What were the production team thinking? It seemed at a stroke (and bear in mind a lot of viewers may have been watching this) to undo all that work put into dissauding people that DW is a tacky and cheaply-made panto show. When I found out DT was going to be in this episode, I'd thought he would be sending HIMSELF up, not Doctor Who itself in a way that unfortunately ressurects its "old" reputation.

Anyway, that aside it was thoughtful, at times funny ("They sent us a lorry load of absolute hogs and this was the best one!" and all the Carphone Warehouse scenes) but a little too serious and gloomy. I look forward to the "Extras" Extras on the DVD, to find out just what they were aiming for with it. I also wonder if the doom-laden feel to this show was why it went out the day after Boxing Day, and not in a more central season slot like on Christmas Day.

Si.

[Alex]

I've just watched this now and I pretty much agree with everything you say Si, it was a mixed affair, with some genuinely very funny moments, but with others that didn't work.

I think one of my main problems with it is that I've always found both Andy and Maggie to be fairly bland characters, Andy's always been a bit unsympathetic whilst Maggie's a bit nothingy, and so I struggled to care that much during the first hour or so. Also, some of the scenes where we were supposed to feel sorry for Maggie seemed too forced, what with the Kate Bush track over the top of it, it screamed "Oh my god look how awful her life is" whereas a lot of other people have things a lot worse.

Credit to Gervais though, I did start feeling really sorry for her in the final half hour, and Millman too, I found the Celebrity Big Brother scenes really enjoyable to watch (especially Lionel Blair and his waiting for death speech), and it almost felt like we were watching Gervais in the house rather than Millman, he seemed quite a different character a lot of the time. The end speech, however obvious, was fantastic too, and the ending redeemed a series for me which I had a lot of mixed responses too.

Like Si says, the cameo appearances were a mixed bag (and their take on Who completely confused me too), but it was nice to see Hale and Pace and Gordon Ramsey, and I have to say I absolutely loved the Barry, Darren, Dean Gaffney triple act at the Carphone Warehouse, and would love to see a sitcom based around those three!

A mixed bag then, a pretty enjoyable 80 odd minutes of tv, but I'm glad that the series is over now and that Gervais and Merchant will (hopefully) go on to do something different.

[Si Hunt]

I feel the whole of "Extras" is slightly flawed as it begs the question "why doesn't he just get a new agent?". It therefore felt slightly odd when monumental emphasis was given to this very action half-way through this, the final show. We were then (I think) invited to feel sorry for Darren, who has ruined Andy's life since the first episode. It all felt a bit uneven and "what exactly are they getting at here"?

Si.

[Alex]

Exactly. It may have made sense if Darren was a complete creep or a really good friend of Andy's, despite not helping his career at all, but as he wasn't either, it didn't make sense at all.

The first series really seemed to be about having fun with the concept of showing celebrities in a different light (ie Ross Kemp's a wimp, Patrick Stewart a pervert) / the comedy of embarrassment without any other agenda, but the second series and this finale seems to be their views on celebrity and how the rise to fame can affect you. And that seems to be negatively it seems, especially if you 'sell out' at your first attempt.

The thing is though that whilst that may apply to some people, the opposite's equally true, and that fairytale ending could never have happened if Ricky hadn't sold out, as he'd still be broke and Maggie still would be cleaning toilets for a living.