Ger ais says that Bloom was a tremendously good sport

Increasingly rustrated, he tries to win her o er by planting his most passionate kiss on her lips. When he steps back, howe er, she looks distinctly non-plussed, shrugging: "Not really my cup o tea."Ger ais says that Bloom was a tremendously good sport. or this series, Ger ais and Merchant ha e persuaded such high-pro ile names as Da id Bowie, Chris Martin, Sir Ian McKellen, Jonathan Ross, Robert Lindsay, Stephen ry and Daniel Radcli e to send themsel es up.In the irst episode, Orlando Bloom bra ely takes the rise out o his image as one o the world's most swoon-inducing heart-throbs. What he's actually saying is: 'This is why I'm better than you.' Why should we laugh at this man who has a great li e? We don't want to listen to people telling us what a great holiday they had That's not unny or interesting. Where's the ulnerability?"Ger ais chips in that "you want someone stumbling on stage and telling you his li e is shit. You can admire cool comedians, but you can't lo e them or hug them like we want to hug Oli er Hardy or Johnny egas.

Comic characters should be precarious."You care about Stan and Ollie because you want to stop them alling backwards o that wall. In the same way, you can't help warming to Woody Allen when he asks a girl, 'What are you doing on Saturday night?' 'Committing suicide.' 'What about riday?' He's so desperate, he'll make do with someone who wants to kill hersel !"The other element that sets Extras apart, o course, is its employment o real-li e stars playing twisted ersions o themsel es. We lo e a loser.The more comic characters stri e or success, the more they are doomed to ounder. Like all the great domestic comedy igures, including Ger ais' most celebrated creation, the woe ully and wonder ully misguided Da id Brent, Andy is trapped by his own weaknesses and crippled by awkwardness and embarrassment."One o our bugbears," Merchant re lects, "is the stand-up who thinks he's cool and abo e the audience.

requently playing with tone and dancing with thematic partners not readily associated with post-alternati e comedy (racism and homophobia, or instance) the series works on se eral other le els, too.It adheres, or example, to the irst rule o British sitcom: ailure is unny. No, I won't mention any names!"When they're standing there chatting to me, they are clearly lo ing it so much more than I am. I try to be polite, but I'm thinking 'I don't respect your work in the slightest.' What am I supposed to say to them? 'Bring me your ideas - I'm just dying to work with you'? 'Let's go skiing together'?"But, ascinating and topical subject though it undoubtedly is, Extras is much more than a meditation on the pernicious e ects o ame. I there's one thing worse than members o the public coming up to talk to me at parties, it's actors rom terrible shows like... "I don't like being recognised much and I always eel a bit sel -conscious.