This article contains character information for the British television sitcom Extras.

Main characters[link]

Andy Millman[link]

Portrayed by Ricky Gervais, Andrew "Andy" Millman is the lead character of Extras. Andy's dream to become an actor – he left his steady day job at Natwest in Wokingham in order to pursue it - is endlessly frustrated by the fact that his agent Darren Lamb is incompetent, circumstances seem to conspire against him, and the only work he can get is as a film extra. His best friend is fellow extra Maggie Jacobs, but her fervent desire to help, coupled with a lack of tact and subtlety, means that she more often than not causes him just as much trouble.

At the end of Series 1, Millman successfully managed to sell a sitcom called When the Whistle Blows, which was a commercial but not a critical success.

In contrast to Gervais' other famed role as David Brent, who, through his desire to be liked by those around him comes off as pathetic, Millman often makes little or no attempt to be liked - often being downright rude - but frequently comes across as being a much more likeable character than Brent. This may be due to his increased sense of self-awareness and intelligence; when compared to Brent, Millman is all too aware of when he has stepped over the line and become genuinely offensive (although this doesn't stop him from causing genuine offence). Also unlike Brent, who was largely in denial about the world around him, Millman is a more bitter and cynical character with a more realistic appraisal of the world and how it works. Whereas Brent was based on a former boss of Gervais, Millman's personality is more autobiographical in origin.^[1]

A running joke is that Millman did not lose his virginity until the age of 28 (although the first time this is mentioned, Maggie says he was 22), and to a woman who looked like Ronnie Corbett (who turns up in a later episode as himself). Andy's arch-nemesis throughout the programme is Greg Lindley-Jones, who also started out as an extra before finding success in a number of productions and becoming a well-respected actor, much to Andy's annoyance.

Maggie Jacobs[link]

Portrayed by Ashley Jensen, Maggie Jacobs is characterised as a genuinely kind and supportive individual who only wants to help out. Unfortunately for her and those around her, she is also portrayed as being rather socially inept and lacking in any sort of internal censor or sense of tact, which means that she's more likely to say precisely the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person, and thus create more trouble for herself and those around her (especially Andy, whom she frequently embarrasses by inadvertently puncturing his pretensions towards being an actor). Although the character possesses no malicious intent, she also appears to be rather naive and poorly educated when it comes to matters of race and political correctness - which, when coupled with her general tactlessness, frequently results in her causing genuine offence through inadvertent insults and stereotypes. Gervais has stated that he thinks the personality of Maggie resembles a female version of his real-life best friend Karl Pilkington.^[2]

Maggie is rather man-hungry, and throughout the series she is constantly on the lookout for 'Mr. Right.' However, owing to circumstance and her aforementioned tendency to commit social faux-pas, the relationships she starts with men throughout the series rarely last long. However, there have been instances in which the men she's interested in turn out to be very much less than desirable, through no fault of her own. Also, in one episode was constantly pestered and eventually kissed by Orlando Bloom, when she told him that she didn't find him particularly attractive.

Darren Lamb[link]

Portrayed by Stephen Merchant, Darren Lamb is Andy Millman's agent. He is utterly incapable of breaking an act, and his usual negotiating tactic is to simply agree with whatever anyone else says, or suggest someone other than his client for the part. He's very good at deducting his 12.5% commission ("15% for adverts") despite frequently having done nothing to contribute to his act's success. For example, in series two episode two, whilst in the pub, he asks for £27.50 from Barry for the £220 he was paid for fixing someone's gutter, despite having no involvement in getting him the job. He can often be seen begging for this type of payment. His lack of professional skills is typified by the occasion he inadvertently left his office phone unplugged for two days without noticing. He is also known to make inappropriate remarks at the least helpful of times. Lamb works part-time at the Carphone Warehouse, but in Episode 4 of Series 2, he mentions he only works on Saturdays while "Narinder" is pregnant.

Despite these (and more) overwhelming examples of incompetence, Lamb is nevertheless the agent of the series' protagonist, the long-suffering Andy Millman, who is more than aware of his agent's utter uselessness but nevertheless feels compelled to retain him out of a slightly perverse mixture of loyalty and pity. Lamb is also the agent of "Barry from EastEnders".

In episode six of the second series, an increasingly frustrated Millman threatens to sack Lamb after he is caught masturbating in his office. However, Lamb manages to arrange a meeting between Millman and his hero Robert De Niro, with the indication given that he managed to keep his job as a result.

Lamb does not have a regular girlfriend and his rather crude way of chatting up women (as seen in episode two of series two) means few have any wish to fulfil his sexual desires.

[edit] Barry from EastEnders

Shaun Williamson plays himself as one of Darren's clients. He used to play Barry Evans on the British soap opera EastEnders, but left to pursue a multi-million pound contract elsewhere and failed. Darren Lamb doesn't use his real name, but instead calls him "Barry off EastEnders" or just "Barry" and occasionally "Barr". This also extends to other characters as seen in episode 1.2, where fellow EastEnders actor Ross Kemp only seems to know Shaun Williamson after being told his EastEnders character name. He carries an air of accepted defeat, and helps Lamb around his office. They later team up with another ex-Eastender, Dean Gaffney, at the Carphone Warehouse. Andy and Dean are the only ones who ever call him "Shaun".

Greg Lindley-Jones[link]

Portrayed by Shaun Pye, Greg Lindley-Jones is a snide Royal Academy of Dramatic Art graduate and Andy's arch-nemesis. Like Andy, he started out as an extra, struggling to get more significant roles. However, unlike Andy, he has managed to secure lines in various productions such as The Bill and consequently he possesses a rather high opinion of himself and is constantly belittling Andy. Andy rarely gets ahead in his encounters with Greg except for gaining the audience's sympathy. Greg is notably annoyed when Andy tries to celebrate his BBC series triumph with fellow extras in Season 1 Episode 6.

Greg gradually gains more recognition as a successful stage, television and eventually film actor. In the Christmas special he boasts to Andy how the fictitious film Byron, (in which he starred alongside Clive Owen) is number one in the UK film charts and number two in America. Andy becomes envious of the fact Greg is now a well-respected Hollywood actor whilst he is only recognised for featuring in a lowbrow sitcom.

Other recurring characters[link]

• Bunny (Gerard Kelly) - three episodes, a camp pantomime director whose daughter appears in the first series. He reappears in the Sir Ian McKellen episode and the Christmas Special.
• Iain Morris (Guy Henry) - The head of Comedy at the BBC, Morris is one of the contributors to stealing artistic direction of 'When the Whistle Blows' from Andy and has a strong friendship with Damon Beesley who, like him, is gay and takes it very personally when any implied homophobia is used in his presence. He appears in three episodes as well as a minor role in the Christmas Special.
• "Make-up woman" (Sarah Preston) - three episodes. Asks for signed pictures but no one can remember her name.
• Damon Beesley (Martin Savage), the very camp comedy script writer who is brought in to work alongside Andy.
• Liza Tarbuck - although she mainly appears in character as Rita in When the Whistle Blows, she is also seen in make-up as herself.

[edit] When the Whistle Blows

Ray Stokes

Ray is the manager, played by Andy Millman, in turn played by Ricky Gervais. His catchphrase is an incredulous "Are you having a laugh!? Is he/she having a laugh?". The character was based on a man Millman worked for before deciding to pursue acting full time, and originally his catchphrase was merely something Millman wrote in because it was something that man used to say. Millman's co-writer decided to develop it into a catchphrase. To play the part of Ray, Millman is forced into wearing oversized glasses and a curly black wig to add the "hilarity", despite the fact that the real Ray Stokes did not look like this. Many of Ray's mannerisms, such as raising and lowering his glasses, suggest that he could be a parody of Reg Holdsworth, an old character from the long-running British soap Coronation Street.

Rita

Rita is played by Liza Tarbuck, who also sings the When The Whistle Blows theme song. She is a single parent and is the central, straight character of the show. She is married in the Christmas Special.

Gobbler

Gobbler is a large, unintelligent character, played by Andrew Buckley. His inability to understand his co-workers' jokes often prompts his catchphrase, "I don't get it!" It is suggested that he has appalling personal hygiene. He becomes intelligent after being hit in the head by a donkey in the Christmas Special.

Brains

Brains, played by Jamie Chapman, is the stereotypical smart one of the group, sporting glasses, a quiffed hairstyle and a pedantic tone. His rather detailed knowledge of all subjects does not impress Ray, who will inevitably come out with the "are ya 'avin' a laugh?" line. He 'comes out' in the Christmas Special.

Kimberley

Kimberley, played by Sarah Moyle is the only other female character on the show. She seems to lead a rather homely lifestyle. In the Christmas Special, she received a promotion.

Keith

Keith is played by TV presenter Keith Chegwin in the pilot episode. His character was originally called "Alfie", but a frustrated Millman changed it because Keith Chegwin was confused at being addressed with a different name. We are told he is always late for work, but in this instance turns up late because he was at his sister's funeral. This also confused Chegwin, who confided: "the thing is, my sister's not dead".

There are relatively few other characters in the sitcom, but they include Chris Martin (playing himself), and a Japanese couple, who also spawn another catchphrase "Velly velly solly" (as seen on a T-shirt worn by a crowd member in the Christmas Special). Ray's wife is mentioned, but never appears - which is an old cliché of British comedy, e.g., Minder and Dad's Army. Andy appears in a dual role as Ray's twin sister.

References[link]

1. ^ Ricky Gervais... Obviously
2. ^ Ricky Gervais Twitter 17/11/2011

External links[link]

• HBO.com: Extras — cast and crew

• Andy Millman
• Maggie Jacobs
• Darren Lamb
• Barry

Ricky Gervais
Gervais in October 2010
Birth name	Ricky Gervais
Born	(1961-06-25) 25 June 1961 (age 51) Reading, Berkshire, England
Medium	Stand up, television, film, books, radio
Nationality	English
Years active	1982–present
Genres	Cringe comedy, insult comedy, observational comedy
Influences	Steve Coogan, Chris Langham, Garry Shandling, Jerry Sadowitz, Larry David, Woody Allen, Laurel and Hardy, Christopher Guest, Stewart Lee, Groucho Marx[1]
Domestic partner(s)	Jane Fallon (1982–present)
Notable works and roles	The Office Extras An Idiot Abroad
Website	rickygervais.com

Ricky Dene Gervais (/dʒərˈveɪz/; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, director, producer, musician, writer, and former radio presenter.

Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant. In addition to writing and directing the shows, Gervais played the lead roles of David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras. Gervais has also starred in a number of Hollywood films, assuming leading roles in Ghost Town and The Invention of Lying. He has performed on four sell-out stand-up comedy tours, written the best-selling Flanimals book series and starred with Merchant and Karl Pilkington in the most downloaded podcast in the world as of March 2009,^[2] The Ricky Gervais Show.

He has won multiple awards and honours, including seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and the 2006 Rose d'Or, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In 2007 he was voted the 11th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups and again in the updated 2010 list as the 3rd greatest stand-up comic.^[3] In 2010 he was named on the TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people.^[4]

In 2010 Gervais became the first British person to host the Golden Globe Awards in 14 years; he returned to host in 2011 and again in 2012.^[5]

Early life[link]

Gervais, along with siblings Larry (born 1945), Marsha (born 1948), and Bob (born 1950),^[6] was born and raised in Whitley, Berkshire. His father, Lawrence Raymond "Jerry" Gervais (1919–2002), a Franco-Ontarian, emigrated while on foreign duty during the Second World War from London, Ontario, Canada. Jerry Gervais met Eva Sophia House (1925–2000),^[7][8] during a blackout,^[9] and they settled in Whitley. She died, aged 74, in 2000, of lung cancer.^[10]

During Xfm London's The Ricky Gervais Show and in further newspaper interviews with The Independent, Gervais noted that he believes his birth was unplanned due to the age difference between his oldest sibling and himself. During one interview with The Independent, Gervais tells the author that even his mother admitted his birth was unplanned.^[11] He has claimed that his father was "drunk when he filled in the birth certificate", leading to the unusual spelling of his middle name.^[12] Gervais has stated that his upbringing and childhood were stable and trauma-free, with a high level of honesty and openness between his family members. He claims that his family, "much like The Waltons", made fun of each other regularly.^[13]

Gervais attended Whitley Park Infants and Junior Schools and received his secondary education at Ashmead Comprehensive School, before moving on to University College London in 1979.^[14] He arrived to study biology but changed to philosophy after only two weeks,^[15] and earned an upper second-class honours degree in the subject.^[16] During his time at UCL, he met Jane Fallon, with whom he has been in a relationship since 1982.^[17]

Music[link]

In 1983, during his final year as a student at UCL (University College London), Gervais and Bill Macrae formed the New Wave pop duo, Seona Dancing. They were signed by London Records, which released two of their singles—"More to Lose" and "Bitter Heart". The singles failed to break the top 40, with "More to Lose" charting at #117 and "Bitter Heart" peaking at #70 on the UK Singles Chart.^[18] Despite not being successful in the UK, Seona Dancing did manage to score a hit in the Philippines with "More to Lose". According to the 20 December 2003 broadcast of the Ricky Gervais Show, Gervais later had a band called the Sacred Hearts, which Ian Camfield described as Gervais's Bon Jovi phase.^{[citation needed]}

Radio[link]

Gervais later worked as an assistant events manager for the University of London Union (ULU),^[19] where he continued working until he took a similar job as "head of speech" at Xfm London.^[20]

Needing an assistant, Gervais interviewed the first person whose curriculum vitae he saw. The CV belonged to Stephen Merchant. During the interview at a local pub, Merchant agreed to do "all the boring stuff" because of his experience in media studies while Gervais "mess[ed] around".^[21] In 1998 Gervais was made redundant^{[citation needed]} when the station was taken over by the Capital Radio group.

Gervais was music adviser for the BBC drama This Life, which was being produced by his girlfriend, Jane Fallon. He and Merchant also contributed sketches to BBC Radio 1's The Breezeblock in 1999 and 2000.

After the first series of The Office, Gervais and Merchant returned to Xfm in November 2001 for a Saturday radio show. The show ran intermittently until January 2004 with breaks of 1–3 months between new shows. This was when the pair first worked with Karl Pilkington, who produced the shows and later collaborated with them on their series of podcasts.

Podcast[link]

On 5 December 2005 Guardian Unlimited began offering free weekly podcasts featuring Gervais, Merchant, and Pilkington. Throughout January and February 2006 the podcast was consistently ranked the number-one podcast in the world; it appeared in the 2007 Guinness World Record for the world's most-downloaded podcast, having gained an average of 261,670 downloads per episode during its first month.^[2] On 20 February 2006, after the conclusion of the twelve-podcast series, it was announced that all future episodes would be available from Audible.com at a "nominal fee" (later, these had to be called audiobooks in accordance with iTunes policy). Two more series—-each with six podcasts—-were released between February and September 2006.

In late 2006 three more free podcasts were released. Together called "The Podfather Trilogy", they debuted individually at Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. These three were known by Ricky and Steve as "The Fourth season". In October 2007 another free full-length podcast was released through iTunes; this podcast was originally given out for free during a performance of Gervais's Fame tour in London. On 25 November 2007 Gervais, Merchant, and Pilkington released another free full-length podcast, which lasted just over an hour.

In August 2008 Gervais, Merchant, and Pilkington recorded their fifth season of audiobooks, totalling 4 chapters, which were released on 16 September 2008. These audiobooks were described as the 'guide to...' series, covering several topics. As of May 2011, there are 12 "Guides" in total: Medicine, Natural History, Arts, Philosophy, The English, Society, Law & Order, The Future, The Human Body, The Earth, The World Cup 2010 & Comic Relief. The conversations typically begin on topic, but constantly stray away from the topic at hand.

Television[link]

Gervais has contributed to the BAFTA-winning The Sketch Show (ITV), penning several sketches. His mainstream-TV debut came in September 1998 as part of Channel 4's "Comedy Lab" series of pilots. His one-off show Golden Years focused on a David Bowie–obsessed character called Clive Meadows. Gervais then came to much wider national attention with an obnoxious, cutting persona featured in a topical slot that replaced Ali G's segments on the satirical Channel 4 comedy programme The 11 O'Clock Show in early 1999, in which his character used as many expletives as was possible and produced an inordinate amount of politically incorrect statements. Among the other regular featured comedians on the show was Mackenzie Crook, later a co-star of The Office. Two years later, Gervais went on to present his own comedy chat show for Channel 4 called Meet Ricky Gervais; it was poorly received and has since been mocked by Gervais himself. The Independent newspaper has described Gervais as "obsessed by his own celebrity", but adds, "Who wouldn't want to be Peter Lawford in a comedy Rat Pack?" in reference to Ricky Gervais Meets...; the article, however, also describes him as "a very funny man" who "created one of the great sitcoms".^[22] The Guardian's Chris Tryhorn explained the "few gripes" he had with Extras, "particularly in the second series". "You can forgive Gervais a certain arrogance after the success of The Office, but..." He remarks on the confused tone of the series, taking in the clash between the broad comedy of characters Barry (Shaun Williamson) and Darren (Stephen Merchant), and the apparent parody of this style with When The Whistle Blows, and "given their total indulgence of Gervais, the BBC is portrayed as interfering, its comedy department run by a rather crudely stereotyped gay couple".^[23]

Throughout this time, Gervais also wrote for the BBC sketch show Bruiser and The Jim Tavare Show, and he had a cameo role in Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes's sitcom, Spaced, as Dave. Pegg later joked that Dave was a younger David Brent and that he and Hynes were the real minds behind The Office. Gervais also appeared in a few of Channel 4's 'Top 100...' list programmes, and he voiced the character of Penguin in Robbie the Reindeer's Legend of the Lost Tribe. His voice was redubbed for the US market.

On 5 January 2006 he interviewed Larry David in a one-off special, Ricky Gervais Meets... Larry David. On 25 and 26 December of the same year Channel 4 aired similar specials in which he interviewed the actor/comedian Christopher Guest and comedian Garry Shandling. There are no plans for further episodes of Meets..., although editions with John Cleese and Matt Groening were recorded in 2006 for broadcast in 2007. A source claimed, "The Shandling experience put him off for good".^[24]

Gervais guest-starred in an episode of The Simpsons entitled "Homer Simpson, This Is Your Wife", which aired on 26 March 2006 in the United States, on 23 April 2006 on satellite station Sky One in the United Kingdom (first appearing on terrestrial television in 2010), and on 18 July 2006 in Australia. He is the only British comic to write and star in a Simpsons episode. The episode was the highest rated in Sky One's history, arguably because of its extensive promotion, which revolved around the angle that Gervais was the episode's sole writer (and the first guest star on the show to also receive a writing credit for the episode of his appearance). Gervais clarified the extent of his input in a joint interview (with Christopher Guest) for Dazed and Confused magazine (January 2006): "No, all I did was put down a load of observations on an email and they made it look like a Simpsons script. I'm going to get the credit, but I think everyone in the industry knows it was a joint effort". Asked in a separate interview about how his idea for the episode (in which Homer swaps Marge on a game show) came about, Gervais replied:

I've always been fascinated with reality game shows but I think it was my girlfriend's idea. We watch Celebrity Big Brother at the moment, we watch I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here... we watch all those reality TV shows — The Office came out of those docu-soaps".^[25]

Gervais, a longstanding Simpsons fan, presented a segment to mark the show's 20th anniversary on BBC Two's The Culture Show on 16 June 2007. Recently on Gervais's blog it was announced that he will be returning to The Simpsons and will feature him doing a skit based on his recent controversial performance at the 2011 Golden Globes. It is unknown if he will be writing the episode this time around.

Gervais has also guest-starred on Alias (appearing in the third-season episode "Façade") as Daniel Ryan, a former Royal Navy bomb-disposal specialist turned rogue Irish Republican Army bomb-maker. He has said about the appearance, "I did an episode of Alias, and I can't watch it. Me being serious. I can't watch it".

Gervais made a cameo appearance on Saturday Night Live in a Digital Short during which he claims that The Office was adapted from a Japanese programme of the same name (with Steve Carell reprising his role as Michael Scott). The sketch re-creates scenes from the American and British pilot episode with Japanese elements (although in an exaggerated way). "It's funny", Gervais laughs at the end, "because it's racist".

In January 2009, Gervais was interviewed by James Lipton for Season 15 of BravoTV's Inside the Actors Studio.

In January 2010, he hosted the 67th Golden Globe Awards, making him the first master of ceremonies since 1995. He stated:

"I have resisted many other offers like this, but there are just some things you don't turn down."^[26]

His performance as host received a mixed response with positive reviews from the New York Daily News and the Associated Press, but also some negative comments from industry bible, and The Hollywood Reporter.^[27][28] He returned to host the show again in 2011 and 2012, and his performance was more warmly received by critics.

Gervais was a guest judge on Jerry Seinfeld's NBC show The Marriage Ref alongside Larry David and Madonna.^[29] On 1 April 2010, Gervais made his first appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC.

In June 2010, it was announced that Gervais had been cast in the upcoming Season 8 of Curb Your Enthusiasm playing himself.^[30]

As of April 2011, he has made 18 guest appearances on Late Show with David Letterman on the CBS network.

[edit] The Office

In August 1999, while on a BBC production course, Stephen Merchant had to make his own short film. He chose to make a docu-soap parody, set in an office. This sketch later formed the basis of the interview episode.^[31] With help from Ash Atalla, Merchant passed this tape on to the BBC's Head of Entertainment Paul Jackson at the Edinburgh Fringe, who then passed it on to Head of Comedy Jon Plowman, who eventually commissioned a full-pilot script from Merchant and Gervais.

The first six-episode series of The Office aired in the UK in July and August 2001 to little fanfare or attention.^[32] Word-of-mouth, repeats, and DVDs helped spread the word, building up huge momentum and anticipation for the second series, also comprising six episodes, in September 2002.^[33] The second series topped the BBC Two ratings, and the show then switched to BBC One in December 2003 for its final two special episodes.

The Office has since been remade for audiences in Sweden, France, Germany, Quebec, Brazil, and the United States. Gervais and Merchant are producers of the American version, and they also co-wrote the episode "The Convict" for the show's third season. The original UK version is currently airing on Adult Swim on Fridays, and prior to the show's airing, Gervais appears as himself talking about the episode that will air. In one of those segments Gervais claimed the episode "Training" to be his favourite.

[edit] Extras

Extras had its debut on the BBC on 21 July 2005; it received its premiere on HBO in the United States in September 2005. Written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the sitcom ran for twelve episodes and starred Gervais as Andy Millman, a background artist. Millman is more self-aware and intentionally humorous than Gervais's The Office character David Brent.

Guest stars on the first series of Extras include Ross Kemp, Les Dennis, Patrick Stewart, Vinnie Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, and Francesca Martinez. A second series began on 14 September 2006 in the UK and featured appearances by Daniel Radcliffe, Dame Diana Rigg, Orlando Bloom, Sir Ian McKellen, Chris Martin, Keith Chegwin, Robert Lindsay, Warwick Davis, Ronnie Corbett, Stephen Fry, Richard Briers, Patricia Potter, Sophia Myles, Moira Stuart, David Bowie, Kate Winslet, Robert De Niro, and Jonathan Ross.

Gervais (right) with Jonathan Ross at Live 8 in July 2005

A Christmas special of Extras aired on 27 December 2007 in the UK and on 16 December 2007 in the US, featuring guest appearances by George Michael, Clive Owen, Gordon Ramsay, Jonathan Ross, and David Tennant.

On 10 June 2006, Gervais and Merchant were seen in a specially-filmed promotional sketch for the second series, in the middle of BBC One's World Cup football coverage. This time Gervais did not perform his famous dance. Instead, Merchant did a take-off of the Crouch Dance, recently popularised by England striker Peter Crouch.

Some have suggested that Gervais is influenced by Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Larry Sanders Show in making Extras, particularly in the format of celebrities making fools of themselves or subverting their public personas,^[23] and in the Gervais joke of someone making inappropriate remarks in front of a member of a minority. He has interviewed both Larry David and Garry Shandling, creators of these shows, on Ricky Gervais Meets....

Extras was awarded the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy on 14 January 2008. Gervais also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

In February 2007, British ventriloquist Keith Harris refused an invitation to appear on the second series of Extras, claiming that Gervais "wanted me to be a racist bigot" and describing the script as "pure filth".^[34] When asked about Harris's refusal on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Gervais claimed that Harris simply "didn't get it".^[35] Keith Chegwin, who assumed the role offered to Harris, said "the people who didn't get it probably think Johnny Depp really is a pirate."^[36]

[edit] The Ricky Gervais Show (animated series)

The Ricky Gervais Show is an animated TV show that debuted on US cable network HBO on 19 February 2010.^[37][38] In the UK, the first season began airing on 23 April 2010 on Channel 4. The show was developed using original podcast recordings from The Ricky Gervais Show starring Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington. After receiving a loyal and enthusiastic following in the US, Cable channel HBO recommissioned the show for a second season, which aired in 2011,^[39] and a third series which started airing in April 2012.

The original audio show was broadcast in November 2001 on radio station Xfm, and aired in weekly periods for months at a time throughout 2002, 2003, 2004, and mid-2005. In November 2005 Guardian Unlimited offered the show as a podcast series of 12 shows.^[40] Throughout January and February 2006 the podcast was consistently ranked the number one podcast in the world; it appeared in the 2007 Guinness World Record for the world's most downloaded podcast, having gained an average of 261,670 downloads per episode during its first month.^[41][42] By September 2006, according to the BBC, the podcasts of the series had been downloaded "nearly 8 million" times.^[43]

[edit] Life's Too Short

In April 2010, it was announced that Gervais and Stephen Merchant would be writing a new show, an observational sitcom series called Life's Too Short, from an idea by Warwick Davis. It is described by Gervais as being about "the life of a showbiz dwarf" and as "a cross between Extras and Curb Your Enthusiasm and One Foot in the Grave but with a dwarf. That is out and out funny."^[44]

The show stars actor Warwick Davis playing a fictionalised version of himself, as well as Gervais and Merchant in cameo roles as themselves.^[45][46] The show began airing on BBC Two on 10 November 2011.^[47][48] Premium cable channel HBO, who co-produced the series with the BBC, have the US rights and began airing the series on 19 February 2012.^[49][50]

[edit] Derek

In November 2011, Gervais filmed in London a 35-minute pilot episode for a potential comedy-drama series called Derek, which aired on Channel 4 on 12 April 2012.^[51][52] The pilot is solely written and directed by Gervais and features him in the title role of Derek Noakes, a 49-year-old retirement home worker, who "loves animals, Rolf Harris, Jesus, Deal or No Deal, Million Pound Drop and Britain's Got Talent - but his main hobby is autograph hunting". The character first appeared as an aspiring comedian who loves animals and still lives with his mother in a 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe sketch.^[53][54] Gervais says Derek was "an excuse to see the world differently."^[55] Gervais's co-host Karl Pilkington makes his acting debut as Derek's friend and caretaker/janitor Dougie who also works in the retirement home. British comedian Kerry Godliman plays Derek's best friend Hannah and David Earl plays Kev. The episode is produced by Charlie Hanson.^[56]

Gervais said that the series is about "kindness [being] more important than anything else". He added "It’s about the forgotten — everyone’s forgotten. It’s all these arbitrary people who didn’t know each other, and they’re in there now because they’re in the last years of their life. And it’s about the people who help them, who themselves are losers and have their own problems. It’s about a bunch of people with nothing, but making the most of it, and they’re together."^[57] Gervais said he wanted to "do normal people with normal problems again" after exploring fame in his previous series and "get close to real emotion".^[55] He chose to set the sitcom in a retirement home after he watched Secret Millionaire - "It was always these people with huge problems who were helping other people. I thought about having Derek help old people because no one cares about old people in this country... I think it's perfect for now."^[58]

The pilot caused controversy even before its broadcast as some critics felt that Gervais was mocking disabled people. Gervais responded: "I’ve never thought of him as disabled. He’s not that bright but neither are Kev or Dougie. He’s cleverer than Baldrick and Father Dougal and he certainly hasn’t got as big a problem as Mr. Bean. When portraying someone with disabilities I usually get someone with that disability to play them."^[55] On 9 May 2012, Channel 4 announced that it had commissioned a full series of Derek to air in early 2013.^[59]

Stand-up comedy[link]

Gervais made some attempts at stand-up in the late 1990s, but his first successful show took place at the Cafe Royal, as part of the 2001 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Titled Rubbernecker, the show also featured Jimmy Carr, Robin Ince, and Stephen Merchant.

Gervais later toured the UK in 2003 with his stand-up show Animals. The Politics tour followed a year later. Both of these shows were recorded for release on DVD and television broadcast. The third part of the themed live trilogy, Fame, took place in 2007. It started in Glasgow in January and ended in Sheffield in April. Blackpool reported selling out of tickets within 45 minutes of them going on sale.^[60] More dates were added.

Gervais performing in 2007

Newsnight Review's panel saw Animals during its Bloomsbury run and covered it in January 2003. They were not favourable, with Private Eye editor Ian Hislop being the most explicit in his criticism.^[61] After this, Gervais closed each show by calling Hislop an "ugly little pug-faced cunt". Further coverage on Newsnight Review has been overwhelmingly favourable, with the panelists playing themselves in promos for the second series of Extras. Panel regulars Germaine Greer, Mark Kermode, and Mark Lawson also appeared as themselves reviewing When The Whistle Blows in a series episode. Critic Mark Lawson is a great admirer of Gervais and Merchant, having interviewed them extensively for television, print Front Row, and the Edinburgh International Television Festival.

Fame was the subject of some controversy in January 2007 when Gervais told a story, ostensibly about how people will do anything to become famous, to a Scottish audience.^[62] The story referred to a question asked of Gervais five years earlier by a reporter: what could someone do to become famous like you? To which he replied, "Go out and kill a prostitute". He followed up with the punch line, "I won't do that bit in Ipswich", referring to the December 2006 murders of five prostitutes in Ipswich. The joke drew criticism from the father of victim Tania Nicol: "These days, they want to make a joke out of anything. I feel he's just being uncaring, quite honestly". Gervais defended himself: "I do want people to know that that happened five years ago and is not related to anything now. That is the problem with comedy, a joke that is funny today can be a terrible faux pas tomorrow".

Gervais's fourth show was entitled Science, and commenced with an eleven date tour in August 2009 at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Glasgow.^[63] The show opened to little critical praise.^[64] Writing for The Independent, Julian Hall gave Science two stars out of five, stating that it was Gervais's "most disappointing" offering yet.^[65] The DVD for Science was released on 15 November 2010.^[66] In November 2009 he headlined the sixth annual New York Comedy Festival at Carnegie Hall, New York.^[67]

Gervais has begun writing his fifth stand-up routine, to be titled Humanity.^[68]

[edit] Grand Theft Auto IV

Gervais is one of two featured comedians (the other being Katt Williams) in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV who performs at the Comedy Club and on the television in the game.

DVD releases[link]

Books[link]

[edit] Flanimals

Gervais released a children's book in 2004, Flanimals (illustrated by his Rob Steen), which depicted nonsense animals. After the success of this book, he released its sequel More Flanimals in 2005, with Flanimals of the Deep coming the next year. A new Flanimals book, Flanimals: The Day of the Bletchling, was released in October 2007. Flanimals: Pop Up was also published in 2009.^[69]

There is a wide range of Flanimals merchandise available, including dolls and gift cards. A six-part Flanimals TV series has been commissioned by ITV,^[70] although Gervais had previously claimed signing a Hollywood movie deal^[71] so that a franchise could be developed. "That way it stands a chance of being the next Dr. Seuss or Mr. Men".^[72]

Other books[link]

The Office scripts have been released in book form, with Series 1 issued in 2002, and the remaining episodes following in 2003.

In late 2006 the Extras script book was released, as well as The World of Karl Pilkington presented by Gervais and Merchant. These were essentially transcripts of Xfm/podcast routines performed by the three.

Film[link]

Gervais's film career has included small roles as the voice of a pigeon in 2005's Valiant, as a studio executive in 2006's For Your Consideration, as museum director Dr. McPhee in 2006's Night at the Museum and its sequel Night at the Museum 2, and as "Ferdy the Fence" in the 2007 film Stardust. His role in Night at the Museum has proven to be one of Gervais's most popular roles^{[citation needed]}, with the movie grossing $570 million worldwide.^[73][74]

Gervais starred in Ghost Town, which was released on 19 September 2008, and was in Lowell, Massachusetts during May 2008 filming his next project, The Invention of Lying, starring himself, Jennifer Garner, Rob Lowe, and Louis C.K., with appearances by Tina Fey, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman, Roz Ryan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Edward Norton. The comedy, released in 2009, was co-written and co-directed by Gervais and Matt Robinson.^[75]

Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant made a film called Cemetery Junction, set in 1970s England, about class, love and fulfillment.^[76] The film was released in April 2010.

Gervais was the voice of Argonaut in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, released in 2011. He has also been cast as Mole in the 2012 adaption of The Wind in the Willows, featuring effects by Weta Workshop in New Zealand.^[77]

Other appearances[link]

Ricky Gervais performing at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 2007

On 2 July 2005 Gervais appeared at the Live 8 event held in Hyde Park, London, where he performed his famous dance. He produced a series of short films for the cause, linked acts from the studio with Jonathan Ross, and also introduced the group R.E.M..

Gervais also has a role in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV, as himself, appearing in his role as a comedian in a comedy club, and as an interviewee on radio station We Know The Truth. For this, a special 3-minute act was written, recorded and fully motion-captured.^[78]

Gervais has also hosted the 2010 and 2011 Golden Globe Awards. His 2011 hosting of the awards was controversial for his edgy jokes that were at the expense of many of the nominees, similar to the New York Friars Club roast style jokes.^[79] His jibes were described as setting "a corrosive tone" by one critic, though some celebrities were seen crying from laughter, leaving the overall reaction to be 'mixed'.^[80][81]

Boxing[link]

In 2002 Gervais took part in a charity boxing match against Grant Bovey — known to the public only due to his relationship with TV personality Anthea Turner. On his Saturday afternoon radio show on Xfm London Gervais and partners Merchant and Pilkington had discussions on both Gervais's attitude towards boxing and training in general, as well as his likelihood of victory against Bovey. Initially, Merchant had questions as to why Gervais was participating in the event, due to his dislike of slight pain and his inexperience with fitness in general.

Gervais was trained for the three-round contest by famous boxing trainer brothers Frank and Eugene Maloney, at their Fight Factory gymnasium. It was the second televised charity boxing match, the first being Bob Mortimer against Les Dennis, for Comic Relief. The fight was televised by the BBC, and Gervais came out on top by a split decision verdict. Gervais later said that the experience was the 'most difficult thing' he had ever done. He donated his £5,000 prize money to the training of a Macmillan nurse.

Concert for Diana and Live Earth[link]

On 1 July 2007 Gervais performed at the Concert for Diana in Wembley Stadium, a music event celebrating the life of the Princess of Wales. Towards the end of the event — after a pre-recorded introduction from Ben Stiller — Gervais appeared along with fellow Office star Mackenzie Crook. They performed Free Love Freeway, a song previously heard in the fourth episode of series one of The Office. Due to a technical problem, Gervais then had to fill time until he was able to re-introduce Elton John to close the show, so he did the David Brent dance again, as well as singing the "Little Fat Man" song as performed by David Bowie in episode two of the second series of Extras.

On 7 July 2007 Gervais appeared at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London. Gervais introduced Rob Reiner appearing in the guise of spoof film director Marty Di Bergi, who in turn introduced Spinal Tap.

In July 2007, following Gervais's appearance at the memorial concert for the Princess of Wales, The Guardian ran a column by Daily Mirror television critic Jim Shelley entitled "Call Me Crazy... But Has Ricky Gervais Lost It?", where he described Gervais as a "tiresome embarrassment".^[82] The following week, The Guardian noted that Gervais had responded with "an exhilaratingly foul-mouthed tirade" on his website, concluding with the words, "Yes I am resting on my fucking laurels you cunt!" In this video Gervais mocked Jim Shelley typing the words "Resting on his laurels" as Gervais jokingly lashed out by stating he was resting on his laurels and that he was not going to make another show for television, quipping "What's the point? What is there to beat?"^[83]

On 18 October 2011, Gervais attracted criticism for his repeated use of the word "mong" (short for "mongoloid"), a historically derogatory term for mentally disabled people, most commonly used against those with Downs syndrome.^[84] Gervais claimed the word no longer represented this meaning.^[85]

Although other comedians and support groups for the disabled pointed out that verbal and physical abuse of the disabled was on the increase,^[86] Gervais initially remained defiant over his use of the word.^[87] He later apologised, saying that he found it hard to believe that "idiots" still used the word to refer to people with Down Syndrome.^[88]

Personal life[link]

Gervais currently lives in Hampstead,^[89] having moved from Bloomsbury, with his girlfriend of 30 years, producer and screenwriter Jane Fallon. He says they chose not to marry because "there's no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God" or have children because they "didn't fancy dedicating 16 years of our lives. And there are too many children, of course".^[90] In August 2008, they bought a second home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.^[91]

Gervais is a fervent supporter of animal rights, and has been a fan of wildlife documentaries since he was a child.^[92] He has spoken out against fox hunting and bullfighting, and wrote to Gordon Brown urging him to stop the use of black bear fur as caps for the Foot Guards.^[93][94]

He told Kirsty Young that he is an atheist during a 2007 interview for Desert Island Discs,^[95][96] later stating he lost his faith at the age of eight,^[97] and in June 2008 he became an Honorary Associate of the National Secular Society. In December 2010 he wrote an editorial for The Wall Street Journal defending his lack of faith.^[98]

Accolades and awards[link]

Gervais at the 2007 BAFTAs

Gervais has received many awards for his work on The Office, most notably two Golden Globes (one for acting, one for the show itself), as well as numerous British Academy Television Awards and British Comedy Awards, amongst others.

Gervais received an honorary award at the annual Rose d'Or ceremony in Switzerland on 29 April 2006. The award is given to "an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the global entertainment business".^[99]

On 16 September 2007, Gervais won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role of Andy Millman on Extras.^[100]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

Video games[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Heatley, Michael (2006). Ricky Gervais — The Story So Far.... Michael O'Mara Books. ISBN 1-84317-219-4. 

Interviews[link]

• Time Magazine (2008). Renaissance Man: Ricky Gervais by Joel Stein
• The Independent, et al. (2005). Ricky Gervais: My life as a pure superstar Electronic Version Independent News Media: United Kingdom
• The Guardian Newspaper, et al. (2005). "Second Coming" Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007: United Kingdom

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: The Ricky Gervais Show

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ricky Gervais

• Official website
• Ricky Gervais on Twitter
• Ricky Gervais at the Internet Movie Database
• Ricky Gervais on Charlie Rose
• Ricky Gervais at the Oxonian Society video
• Behind the scenes of The Office on BBC
• Ricky Gervais's video interview on Big Think
• Video interview & acceptance speech of Ricky Gervais winning Sir Peter Ustinov Award for Comedy @ Banff World TV Festival 2010
• Ricky Gervais collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• Ricky Gervais collected news and commentary at The New York Times

Life's Too Short is a sitcom series created and written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant from an idea by Warwick Davis, and is described by Gervais as being about "the life of a showbiz dwarf" with Davis playing a fictionalised version of himself. Gervais and Merchant appear in cameos as themselves.^[1] The show began airing on BBC Two on 10 November 2011.^[2][3] Premium cable channel HBO, who co-produced the series with the BBC, have the US rights and began airing the series on 19 February 2012.^[4][5]

Genesis[link]

The genesis of the show came when Davis worked with Gervais and Merchant in an episode of the second series of Extras, when he co-starred with Daniel Radcliffe. During filming, Davis told them about the trials of life for a man of 3 feet 6 inches in height, such as having to use a mop handle to reach objects on the high shelves in supermarkets, and people touching him for luck as if he were a leprechaun. Gervais told reporters: "The real Warwick tells us these great stories. They're comedy gold." Stephen Merchant commented of Davis that "he helped create the idea and came to us with the story."^[6] When asked by an interviewer if the title of the show offended him, Davis stated that far from being offended, he was, in fact, the person who had come up with it.^[7]

Gervais and Merchant approached the BBC about developing a show centred on a character based on Davis.^[8]

Gervais described it as "A cross between Extras and Curb your Enthusiasm and One Foot in the Grave but with a dwarf. That is out and out funny."^[9] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly he elaborated: "It's a single camera sitcom following the trials and tribulations of ‘Warwick Davis, showbiz dwarf.' Warwick is playing a twisted version of himself. He's quite conceited and arrogant and manipulative. And he runs a [small person] talent agency, which he does in real life. Me and Steve Merchant pop up as ourselves, just to add some realism. Warwick comes round and says, 'Doing any more Extras? Got any work?' And we go, 'Ooh, no, not really.' And we try to get rid of him. It's fantastic. We did some casting today. I'm off to America for some shows and then I come back after that and we shoot a little pilot, just like we did with The Office ten years ago, and then we'll see."^[10] In an interview with Jonathan Ross, Davis said that his character is egotistical and suffers from small man syndrome,^[11] while Gervais said of the character "he refuses to live his life as a disabled person. We're making him empowered but also give him these foibles".^[8] He also described it as "Third in our trilogy of TV sitcoms ... another naturalist observational comedy, dealing with everyday problems, human foibles and social faux pas ... but with a dwarf."^[12] Gervais also said of the series and of Davis' character: "It's returning to our Office roots of fake documentary ... It follows the life of a showbiz dwarf, Warwick Davis, who's really a showbiz dwarf. He plays a twisted version of himself and he's doing this documentary to try to get his career back on track. He has a big tax bill, he's going through a messy divorce and he's trying to get back his Hollywood career. He's a conniving, back-biting little Napoleon."^[13]

Development[link]

Warwick Davis, the star of Life's Too Short

Gervais first mentioned Life's Too Short on his blog in February 2010, when he and Merchant were writing and casting the project.^[14]

The pilot for the comedy was commissioned by the BBC in April 2010.^[15] Gervais reported on progress in his blog. In April 2010, he stated, "Some reports are saying that the Life's Too Short pilot we are shooting in the summer will be aired. It wont [sic]. It is a non-broadcast pilot. We will shoot the whole series before anything is aired. We're not sure how many eps [episodes] we will record (probably 6) and not sure when the series will air."^[14]

Gervais wrote on his blog in June 2010 "Found the last location today for Life's Too Short. It feels great doing this project. Just like The Office and Extras. Starting from scratch, just me and Steve in a room crafting a brand new show. It doesn't get better than that for me." He later wrote that filming of the pilot was undertaken in June and July 2010. Gervais commented in July 2010 "Finished the pilot for Life's Too Short too. Just have to write the series now".^[14] The series was produced by Charlie Hanson, who previously produced Extras, and Michelle Farr.^[16] The series was executive produced by Gervais and Merchant along with Mark Freeland.^[8][17] On 17 September 2010 the BBC announced, via the BBC Two Controller Janice Hadlow, and the Controller of BBC Comedy Commissioning Cheryl Taylor, that the six-part series had been commissioned and filmed in 2011.^[12]

In June 2010, while talking at the Banff World Television Festival, Gervais described Life's Too Short as "the funniest thing we've done."^[8] Gervais told The Hollywood Reporter "We're having so much fun working with Warwick. Pound for pound he is one of the funniest men I know."^[8] Stephen Merchant said of Davis: "Warwick is very funny, a very physical comedian which we really made use of ... He's very charismatic, very charming in it ... I was really pleased. He's a real comic star in waiting."^[6]

Gervais reported in his blog on the progress of writing Life's Too Short throughout November 2010: "Had a great week writing Life's Too Short. It's the hardest bit, the most important bit and the most invigorating bit", and in a later entry "Wrote one of the funniest sketches we've ever done for Life's Too Short. Six hours hard labour for a potential two minutes screen time."^[14] In January 2011 he reported that he was still working on the scripts for the show, and in February that he and Merchant were trying to finish writing Life's Too Short.^[14]

The owner of a house used as a location for the pilot commented on the BBC Radio 4 programme Broadcasting House on 30 January 2011 that a scene filmed there had involved Davis and a dog-sized pet flap,^[18] and in a February 2011 filmed conversation with American comedian Jerry Seinfeld, Gervais told him that he wanted him to appear in Life's Too Short as a version of himself, playing "quite a whiny Upper East Side Jewish guy".^[19]

In March 2011 Gervais reported on his blog "Getting ready to film Life's Too Short."^[14] Merchant confirmed that filming would begin in May 2011.^[20] Cast members included Jo Enright, who played Warwick Davis' wife in the pilot,^[21] Shaun Williamson, who played himself (known as "Barry off EastEnders") in Extras,^[22] Cat Deeley,^[7] Rosamund Hanson,^[23] Kiruna Stamell^[24] and Jamie Dodd.^[25] Boxer Mike Tyson also asked Gervais to consider casting him in a role.^[14]

On 31 March 2011 Gervais confirmed on his blog that "We've basically got first drafts of all seven episodes of Life's Too Short now. Yes seven!". As the pilot has already been filmed, the series will comprise eight shows. On 1 April he stated "Started casting Life's Too Short this week too. So much fun."^[14] On 29 April he wrote "Did the last of the casting today on Life's Too Short. Some amazing cameos too. You know about the [Johnny] Depp one, but hopefully we might be able to keep a couple of the other really big ones under wraps. Not just because of the surprise factor but because it takes the focus away from the real meat of the show."^[14] On 11 May the cast had their first read-through of all seven episodes, and rehearsals started on the week beginning 16 May 2011 with Gervais commenting "We've put together an amazing cast so it should be a joy."^[14] Filming started on 30 May 2011.^[14]

On 22 June 2011 it was announced that Sting and Steve Carell would be filming cameos for the series.^[26] The teaser trailer released on the same day featured Keith Chegwin, Les Dennis and Shaun Williamson as well as the three main stars.^[27] On 11 July Gervais hinted on his blog that a Doctor Who-related cameo would be in the show, as well as posting a link to a YouTube video of him and Warwick Davis filmed on the set of Life's Too Short.^[14] Earlier in that week he had blogged about how "Matt Groening's favourite character from The Office will make a cameo in Life's Too Short", along with an on-set photograph of actor Ewen MacIntosh who played Big Keith in The Office.

Principal filming ran for eight weeks ending on 22 July 2011.^[14]

Gervais and Davis attended a question and answer session to discuss the making of Life's Too Short at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2011.^[28]

A half-hour long documentary, The Making of Life's Too Short, aired on BBC Two and BBC HD on 5 November 2011, prior to the start of the series run.^{[citation needed]}

After the first season finished airing, Gervais confirmed via Twitter that a second season had been commissioned for early 2013.^[29] Despite this, Gervais stated on his blog that "We are thinking of going straight to the Xmas Special. Lazier and lazier. Now it's down to ONE series and a special. Ha ha."^[30]

Cast[link]