RRP £39.99 Lowest New Price £19.50

Suitable for 15 years and over Universal Pictures UK Release date: Monday 3rd of November 2008 Starring: David Bowie, Chris Martin, Ricky Gervais, Robert De Niro, Orlando Bloom, Director(s): Format: PAL, Region code: 2 Running time: 451 minutes

RRP: £39.99
Superb follow-up from the makers of The Office
Review date: 2008-10-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's follow-up to The Office was burdened with the weight of how to succeed one of the most popular sitcoms in recent years. Arguably, they have made an even better series.

The Extras follows the fortunes of two struggling bit-part actors and their life on the fringes of stardom: talking to Patrick Stewart as he describes his secret project, in which all the female participants' clothes fall off ("So it's a comedy?" "No."), or Sir Ian Mckellen revealing the secret of his success - that all his lines are written in advance..

Life on the periphery of celebrity makes the majority of the narrative in the first series. Season Two gives us a chance to sample some hard won success, when Gervais' character is finally given a chance to make his cherished sitcom - a sitcom that is meant to be funny but also honest and authentic. The finished product is a pathetic affair in the vein of Some Mothers Do Have Them or My Family ("Ooh, Betty, I think the cat might have just shat out the worst sitcom of all time!" writes one critic). The final closing Specials look at whether Gervais is prepared to walk away from his possibly only chance at stardom, in order to redeem his self-respect and credibility.

People like Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson have walk-on parts in Extras and those who would normally be in the background of a film take centre stage. This is no celebrity love-in, quite the opposite. Extras exposes the hollow existence of fame, especially that pursued by those who have no ostensible talent, something The Office briefly touched on.

Bottom line, though, is that Extras is hilarious. Co-writer and director Stephen Merchant, who had only a cameo in The Office, takes a major supporting role as Gervais' incompetent manager ("Barry from Eastenders" is also on his books: "I've got plenty of work lined up for you!" "Like what?" "A lightbulb upstairs needs changing"); he steels almost every scene he's in. Extras is another fantastic achievement from Gervais and Merchant. The only debate is whether it's better than The Office.