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Q&A with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant - Radio Times, December 2007 |
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Benji Wilson gets the lowdown on the last-ever Extras.
BW: It's the Extras Christmas special
- what festive treats do we have
to look forward to?
SM: It's like a little
television movie, really. It has a story
you can enjoy, even if you've not seen
the previous series. Ricky's character,
actor/writer Andy Millman, is
successful but not happy - he's
pursuing his ambitions at the expense
of his friend Maggie [Ashley Jensen].
RG: I think that at the
end of this, people will realise that
Extras wasn't really about the A-list
guests, like Kate Winslet and Robert
De Niro. The overriding theme of
Extras has always been friendship.
The most important thing in life
is friends. Apart from health.
SM: It's hopefully in the vein
of classic Christmas fables like,
er, Scrooge - although I'm not
comparing us to Dickens.
You've got Clive Owen,
David Tennant, Gordon Ramsay…and one online trailer
shows George Michael
hiding in the bushes on
London's Hampstead
Heath. How did you get him
to do that?
RG: It was a little bit
uncomfortable. I knew he had
a sense of humour, but I still had
to say, "I'm going to bring up
some things now that you thought
were behind you". But the thing
with George Michael - and this
is why he'll survive - is he won't
apologise for his behaviour.
The press have a go and he's meant to crumble and say sorry. He
doesn't. He says, "Yeah, I'm a gay
man, what's your problem?"
SM: I'm still pretty bowled
over when they turn up at all. You
know, George Michael really does
not have to d**k about in our sitcom.
He's got better things to do.
Ian McKellen, Samuel L Jackson,
Robert De Niro. What's it been
like working with some of the
world's greatest actors…and Dean Gaffney?
SM: Dean's an absolute joy, he's
a treasure. I met him years ago; he
was lovely then and he remains lovely.
RG: When he pops his little head
out from behind Barry [Shaun
Williamson] in the Carphone
Warehouse - it's such a joy. The idea
that Darren [the hopeless agent played by Merchant] goes there and all the
people that were ever in EastEnders
are now working in the Carphone
Warehouse - it's a lovely concept.
Now it's all over, do you think
"Barry from EastEnders" will
ever work again?
RG: I think he's working all the
time now. Actually, out of all the
celebrities we've had on, I think
I might have to count Shaun as
the biggest joy to work with.
SM: I would dearly love to see
the real Shaun in a big hit sitcom
because he's so good. In fact, the one
thing I'll miss most from Extras is
working with him, because he's one
of the nicest men you could meet.
You said your next project might
be a straight drama - is that true?
RG: You want to move on. We will
never better The Office. It's officially
the most successful British comedy
of all time. We've followed it up with
Extras, and I think we've pulled that
off. What's the point in doing another
sitcom? We're not going to leave
comedy behind, and we're not going
to leave television behind, but we
might leave sitcoms behind.
SM: We'd both love to do
something with more of a straight,
dramatic edge to it. What that will
be I don't know. But I'm hoping
it'll move away from celebrity
and media and showbiz.
One final question: it's another
Gervais and Merchant special -
do you think that one day you'll
be judged as almost as good
as The Vicar of Dibley?
RG: That would be
a dream come true. I do
a joke in my live show.
I say, not a year goes by
when Richard Curtis
doesn't call me up and
say, "Africa's ravaged
with famine, it's wartorn.
Would you like
to go there and film
something for Comic
Relief ?" I say, "No, it
sounds awful." Once he
called me and it wasn't about
that. He offered me a part
in The Vicar of Dibley. And
I said, "Tell me about this
Africa trip again…"
**
Now take a look at our full guide to Extras.
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