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 any fans of Extras out there or is it just me ?

 im a big fan of Ricky Gervais - loved the office and all his stand up material

 and i also think Extras is a brilliant comedy.

 the first series was really good , especially the ones with Les Dennis and Ross Kemp

 the new series looks great too , i think you really need to be into Gervais type of comedy thought to like Extras

 any opinions ?

Definately the best prog on the telly at the mo

very funny the first series was great.


not a patch on the greatest sitcom ever wrote though "phoenix nights" simply the best

Gervais is awesome

ugg i miss it?

 i loved pheonix nights as well , did u see the outtakes of the Tommy '' Dickfingers '' scene

 i cried with laughter at that

 http://youtube.com/watch?v=FJPybQ7Ebjs

 '' im like a ladybird ''  rotflmfao

Extras and Curb your Enthusiasm are the ones I watch religiously.

LOOOOOL, great link Tomatoes, when does the new series of Extra's start by the way?

I just found one of the funniest bits of comedy i have seen!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PpdZiBTjzK8&mode=related&search=

 hee hee

 youve mssed the 1st one rook , was on tonight at 9

 not o worry though cos the dvd will be out soon enough

i think Gervais is a genius


extremely clever man


First episode tonight was class.

very funny!

Willy wonka? Jonny wanka!

lol, loved it, gervais is a leg-end!

 rotflmfao Orlando had some great lines :D

Genius, pure genius - loved the show last night.

 ;tightend;  There is absolutely no doubt about it, Gervais leaves all others of this generation in the shade when it comes to writing comedy.  I've already watched the scene where he's sitting down with Cheggers a million times and it just gets funnier the more i watch it!  rotflmfao

It's gonna be a week of pain waiting for next Thursday... i'm addicted!

maybe i'm the only one who just doesnt get it  :dontask: I hear people constantly raving about this program so i tune in to see what the fuss is all about. i got one word:-

"anti-climax"

Peter Kay on the other hand - now there's a comedian!! :)up

I must say, i'll watch Peter Kaye over Ricky Gervais anytime of the week. But that doesn't mean i don't like Gervais, they are both absolute class! 3rd in line has to be Alan Partridge too!

I just don't get Peter Kay..every time I watch him he makes the exact same joke....yes Garlic bread...funny.

Partridge is great...missed the first epi of Extra's yesterday cus my bloody GF was watching to sodding rangers game (and after that we stuck on Richard Pryor :):):):):):):):):) ) but I@m sure it will be repeated on dvd or available for free download soon enough.

The first series was very funny..hell, even the one with Ben Stiller was funny and I can't stand that guy.

I thought the office was terrible, i don't get the humour at all.
I watched Extras last night and one bit i laughed out loud, the rest was just not funny at all.

  what sort of comedy are you into if you don't find the office funny!? :dontask:

I think some people get "dry" humour and some don't. I think Gervais is like this, people are very polarised about him. I think its hilariously funny and love the way the celebs send themselves up too.

Les Dennis in series one was sensationally funy

I remember too one Xmas a few years ago. i was still married and we had a houseful of my wife's family in the living room one evening, round the TV

I wanted to watch Dom Joly's Trigger Happy. I literally fell around laughing for half an hour whilst about 10 others sat there stony faced thinking I was a moron. They did anyway, but even more so after that!


It brought it home to me how different we all are when it comes to comedy.

trigger happy - now you are talking!  "are you grey squirrel?"

did you see the one he did in the States when he went into the art gallery and asked how much something was?  Class!

I get dry humour - i just dont find anything Gervais has done that funny. You will get the occasional funny line or joke but unfortunately its been wrapped in 20 minutes of cringeworthy Gervais drivel.

That's the appeal for me though, it is cringeworthy, it's so painful it's brilliant.

yep..many a time had to look through my fingers while watching the office...especially the christmas special was horribly painfull to watch (but very funny)..I often just went "OHNO Brent, don't do it..."

Gervais' standup stuff is fantastic to...though if you want great dry humour...Rich Hall is the way to go. (I like my comedians cranky)

Thats my problem - once it becomes cringeworthy i no longer find it funny. Trigger happy tv was funny, League of Gentlemen is funny but that borders sometimes on cringeworthy for me. Not a big fan of Little Britain as there are more cringeworthy characters than non-cringeworthy but Gervais tops my cringeworthy comedians chart  :D

claw, you are my TRUE forum twin

yes peter kays stand ups are very repeated the market has been overly satuarated with them.


but im talking "pheonix nights"   a sitcom simply the best

I love dry humour, Gervais isn't dry, he does embarrassment comedy.
He is the king of cringe and i don't find it funny at all.
For dry humour see Frasier.

Just remembered the bit in Extras i thought was brilliant, when he was asked to name a funny British black comedian and he was stumped. When he glanced at Lenny Henry's picture and back again!!!!
Brilliant :D

Think its time for Monkey to go into hibernation - i need a lie down.

First Flushy and now i find myself agreeing with IFM - whats the world coming too!!  :D

The office and phoenix nights are both class.

A little different is the channel 4 comedy peep show, genius

Just watched the first episode of the new series of extra's from last night.


Really clever stuff, it took me a while to get into the 1st series but man its funny. Cheggers part in it very good :)

the whole point of these comedies is its not aimed at the main stream gervais even has a little dig when he says to Maggie i want to reach everyone even 40 year olds etc etc not everyone gets it and thats the whole point its not My family or 2 point 4 children where every things shit i think its bloody brilliant. Oslo his 3td season of podcast is out at the moment for those that need there gervais hit i Oslo found there old xfm radio shows online which are fantastic too

You can watch the episodes via the BBC website.

I went to see Gervais live with Mrs Steeley. She didn't get the Office but the tears of laughter were streaming down her face 5 minutes into his routine. It was the only time where I literally could not stop laughing and the veins in my neck were sticking out. I got a bit worried when I almost couldn't breathe at the bit about the industrious mouse and the lazy mouse (watch Politics).

 yeah peep show was a good cult show pab

 thats actually where my screenname came from , a lot of people think it means big ahem cojones

 but its fom the scene where the guy is trying to mix in with ' the lads ' , he goes out and plays pool

 then they go back to a flat for a game of poker , he hasnt a clue how to play the game but looks at his hand and thinks

 '' mmmm ...   all reds cant be bad ! '' - he then goes all in and declares

 '' when the chips are down , the big tomatoes come out ! ''

 i watched that round about the time i signed up for online poker and the line stuck , so i thought it was a cool screenname


 back to the office ..... a very funny scene was the one hes waiting for his blind date and a massive , ugly women walks up

 '' oh for fuck sake '' he mumbles

 lady : '' you alright ? is allan in there ? ''

 db '' oh yeah , phew !! ''

 lady " sorry ? "

 db '' oh im waiting on a blind date and i was worried you were it ! ''


  :D   :D  :D  :D 

I found last nite episode of Extras so cruel....

But perhaps it is due to me getting old and sensitive....

Cried with laughter along with Mrs Acidmouse when he asked his mate to come up and ask for his autograph :) Gonna have to watch the repeat :)

i wonder if gervais was bullied at school



the last episode was very funny but soooo cruel


Bowie was immense

yeah it was hilarious "Stupid little fat man"...man that song was in my head for days,

Love extras and the office. Peep show very good as well.

curb your enthusiasm and alan partridge are my favourites

Trigger happy tv was tainted by meeting some of the people who did the surprised public parts, i don't think they were all actors though.

Little of subject but anyone know where I can get all Gervis podcasts? I have the 1st series 1-12 just looking for rest.

Go to his website

http://www.rickygervais.co.uk/

don't know if there was another thread started on this but last night show was funny as hell never laughed so much makes up for the dire last episode with bowie

Thought last nights' show was pure class - the best yet!  I was literally crying with laughter, to the point that I missed a few minutes of what was going on after the "I don't even know what a 'worrum' is" comment!

;iagree; for anyone saying that it's gone off the boil, this was the perfect reply.

I caught the end of last night's, first one I've ever seen and I'm sorry to say:


I just don't get it!!



Gimme Phoenix Nights anyday..

Aye last nights was class.


In the toilet doing coke had me in stiches.

 feet up , for another classic

Ricky Gervais-- ;tightend; ;tightend; ;tightend;

No, I'm sorry, but tonight's episode was rubbish. Lazy and rubbish.

The 'he couldn't remember the make-up girl's name' bit went on for aaaaaaagggggggggeeeeeeees with no pay-off.

The whole play storyline was Gervais's old 'I'm not a poofter' schtick which may as well have been David Brent.

The Maggie (whose character seems to have regressed this series) and agent storyline was a build-up to a joke about poo.

After the first series had so many good bits, and managed to be both funny and touching at times, this second series is lazy, one-dimensional, stereotyped rubbish.

With crap jokes.

Gervais - do your funny dance or sod off.

The bit where he was asking the lady out and the drink exploded in his mouth  I was absolutely pissing myself, tears were streaming from my  eyes , and in writing this im still laughing to myself :D

Ditto! I was in absolute stitches! Classic bit of tv

Perhaps this series is not directed to the viewer like yourself, but that does not mean that the programme is not good.

After all, not always one needs candy laughs type moments to validate a good comedy programme.

A viewer like me? Someone who thought The Office was really funny? Someone who enjoyed the first series of Extras?

If it's not aimed at someone like me then who exactly should it be aimed at?

The sad truth, I think, is that Gervais is out of ideas. His Simpsons episode was utter rubbish. More effort seems to have gone into deciding which celebrites to have in Extras than went into the script.

He's David Brent - and it looks like that's all he'll ever be.

I agree with Andrew - thought last night's episode was very poor, but it did have a hard act to follow after last week. 

The last episode was probably the weakest so far, which was especially unfortunate when last weeks was probably the best so far. But I don't think it's because he's out of ideas, I just think that it misfired slightly.

There is also a different emphasis to this series than the first. The first series was pure comedy, with the superstars providing the comedy and the regular cast just supporting them and linking the narrative between the different episodes. This series has a proper story arc for Andy with the guest superstars providing the support this time rather than the emphasis, I think this makes it more of a comedy-drama (but still mainly comedy) than the first series.

Andy Milman made his break into BBC.  He wrote a sitcom that was compromised by big wigs at BBC (this is his interpretation so far).  He wants to regain his status as an actor, but he has never been an actor.  He aspiration is to be like Robert De Niro.  He is not very pleased that everyone thinks of him as low brow comedy sell out, who makes crap sitcom for the plebs.

The whole programme works on various levels of irony, and some of them are there to magnify the tragedy of the protagonist.  This becomes apparent at the end of the programme where Andy is unable to act out the story in the presence of his 'school friends'.

I think Gervais moved away from the first series, and it is possible that the second series won't satisfy many.  There is nothing wrong with liking or not liking the programme.  For me it works, for you perhaps it is disappointing, which proves that 'death of the author' concept is as valid as ever.

The text is open for interpretation, but the interpretation depends on the viewer's expectations, prior knowledge of the characters, his/her preferences.  It is very easy to say something is bad because you don't like it. Your arguments are valid in the same way as mine.

I think it is an interesting series to discuss whether the second series can be put into the comedy sitcom genre category.

Gervais is breaking few rules, and in a way, slightly departs from the comedy sitcom formula. The each segment can not be treated anymore as individual and self contained episodes.  The story arc is continuous, and Andy Millman's journey has to be seen in the whole concept of the story.  Whether Gervais can pull it off with all the characters being constant is another matter.  As to the argument that Andy Millman is like David Brent, I am not so sure it is quite true.  David Brent is unaware of his limitation as a human being, Andy Millman has some kind of awareness of his artistic and personal impotency. 

 I am inclined to admit therefore that 2nd series is not that funny anymore in a conventional sense of traditional sitcom.  There are no happy endings, Andy Millman is spirialling into murky world of being a total loser and there is no one to help him. 
I personally don't mind this shift in the structure, but on reflection can see how others can be put off by the second series.

A very nice post Tantrum.

I get how this series has more of a story arc, as opposed to the first series. My point is that it's not done well. I actually care less about Andy and Maggie than I did in the first series.

Remember, Gervais did 'story arc' in The Office, and did it brilliantly. The Tim and Dawn saga was one of the most fantastically cohesive story arcs in what was, let's face it, a sitcom. The scene where Tim finally asks Dawn out, and the scene where Brent pleads for his job were pathos of the level of Steptoe & Son. Steptoe & Son had very dark undercurrents, which led to great pathos, but the funny bits were also not only funny in their own right, but made funnier by the context they were in, as they often arose out of the situation.

In this series of Extras, the 'serious' bits are in one bucket, the 'funny' bits are in another, and they jar against each other. As Jim-D said, the one funny bit was the water fizzing up - a joke which is just a piece of slapstick (nothing wrong with slapstick) but it could almost have been airlifted in from another programme. Compare with the legendary 'funny dance' scene in The Office. Yes his dancing was funny, but the scene was enhanced by the subtext of Brent's character - the need to be liked, the desire to be in the spotlight, his jealousy of Neil. The fact it was Brent doing the dance was a factor in what made it great - the fizzing water could have been done by any of the other characters and it would have been just as funny because it was just a piece of slapstick.

Gervais did more with Les Dennis's character in one episode of the first series than he has with his own in two whole series.

I'm a big fan but must admit I was disappointed by the episode last night as well.

However I do think Steve Merchant's character has got better this series - he's certainly responsible for a lot of the laughs.

I agree with this - Steve is a very very funny guy. We were on the same student radio station back about 12 years ago and he was so much better than everyone else, it was clear he would go far.

AndrewT,you are raising very valid points.  

IMO the episode would be perhaps better without the fizzy water scene as well as the toilet scene (but then of course there would be nothing so obvious to laugh at)
I suspect that the whole construction of the story has departed from the sitcom genre, and therefore it makes very difficult to judge this programme on those merits. Unless of course we will assume, that he is trying to stick to the pretty rigid constrains of the genre therefore the programme has to fail.


Whether it is intentional or, as you say he has run out of steam, has to be decided if the discussion about the programme can be continued.

Depending on our assumptions, we (me and you) will have different perceptions of the programme.  

The context has to be agreed before the discussion can began.  Nice post AndrewT.


 

I think I can sum up my thoughts like this.

If it's a sitcom, then it fails because it's not funny.

If it's something else, then it fails because the characterisation is poor.

Going off on a tangent, are there any actual funny British comedy programmes at the moment? I had high hopes for The Mitchell & Webb Look, but that has been very patchy (nowhere near as good as Peep Show) and I can't think of anything else.

Yeah Mitchell & Webb has been a bit hit and miss, quite where the humour is in the Numberwang sketches is beyond me. The last great British comedy I can think of was Spaced.

Oddly, I thought I'd tired of Numberwang, but last night's German version had me laughing. Also the Numberwang idea was done before by Adam & Joe - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtInUep_24g.

Spaced was the first great sitcom of the 21st century, despite the fact it was made back in the nineties.

As for other sitcoms in the past 6 years, I did like The IT Crowd and Nathan Barley, though both had their flaws. Black Books was great, as is Peep Show. Anything else?

What if it is neither of that what you have suggested?

But I will stop here, as the whole theory of alternative genres would take up a lot of space on this forum. 

P.S
Curb your enthusiasm is the one.

What lies outside the group of sitcom/something else?

Curb is superb. Did anyone see Jack Dee's Curb rip-off programme on BBC Four last week - a sorry mess.

Plenty, give me  some time and I will provide you with some info. 

I need to collect my thoughts in order to reply to your quesiton.

yes I'm afraid I did...what people don't remember is that Jack Dee is not funny unless he's doing stand up (and even then it's rather patchy sometimes)

I quite like extras but it's beginning to get on my nerves a bit now. Stephen Merchant is still very funny though.

Given the standard of your puns squire it wouldn't be too difficult now would it?

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I agree that Mitchell and Webb has been poor. Most of the sketches are laughter free. The only memorabe ones have been the Green Clarinet Man and the Pin and Cushion/Fish and Chip sketches.