Latest news with #Extras
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Mr Bigstuff season 2 cast as Danny Dyer welcomes fellow EastEnders stars
The second season of Mr Bigstuff is now airing on Sky and NOW and the new episodes see Danny Dyer's Lee Campbell and Ryan Sampson's Glen on the hunt for their dad Mr Bigstuff's second series broadcasts on Sky and NOW, with the latest instalment resuming mere weeks following the shocking revelation that the siblings' father remains alive. Lee Campbell (portrayed by Danny Dyer) and his sibling Glen (Ryan Sampson) have responded to the startling disclosure in contrasting ways, yet manage to come together as they endeavour to locate their dad. Another beloved character making a comeback for the sophomore season is Kirsty (Harriet Webb), who finds herself "taking charge in the bedroom and the boardroom". This season will see a huge EastEnders reunion as Linda Henry, known for playing Shirley Carter, stars in a guest role. Additional returning cast members feature Adrian Scarborough as Ian, Fatiha El-Ghorri as Aysha, Victoria Alcock as Sue, Ned Dennehy as Bunny and Clive Russell as Uncle Ron. Here's everything you need to discover about the fresh guest performers for series two, which Sampson both created and penned. Rita - Rula Lenska Rula Lenska is a 77 year old English performer recognised for her cinema appearances in Queen Kong and Aura. On television, she's remembered for portraying Claudia Colby in the ITV soap Coronation Street. Pam - Linda Henry Linda Henry reconnected with her EastEnders colleague Dyer for this venture, with the duo having shared numerous intense sequences on the soap throughout the years as Mick and Shirley Carter. Most memorably a plot thread that exposed Mick and Shirley were not brother and sister as initially believed, but that he was actually her offspring. Henry is a 65 year old English performer who also featured as Yvonne Atkins in the ITV prison drama series Bad Girls. Angry clown - Shaun Williamson Williamson, a former EastEnders star, is best known for his role as Barry Evans, which became a defining part of his career. He later appeared in the BBC /HBO sitcom Extras, playing a satirical version of himself. Post his departure from the soap, he featured in Sexy Murder, Life's Too Short and Al Murray's Great British Pub Quiz. The second series of Mr Bigstuff is currently airing on Sky and NOW.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘Celebrities are just like us – idiots': Ricky Gervais on Extras turning 20
Samuel L Jackson was a fan of The Office – one of many celebrity fans whom Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant encountered in the wake of their mockumentary sitcom success. Jackson had watched The Office on DVD, a concept that still amuses Merchant. 'It just seemed so weird,' he says. 'The image of Sam Jackson at home, trying to get the cellophane off of the DVD – having to get a key and scratching it off – then popping the DVD in and putting his feet up with a cup of coffee or whatever.' There was a common theme among their celebrity fans: many stars said they'd like to work with Gervais and Merchant in the future. 'It happened often enough that we thought it would be nice to take advantage of that,' says Merchant. The celebs had unwittingly cast themselves in Gervais and Merchant's follow-up sitcom, Extras, which first aired on BBC Two 20 years ago this week, on July 21, 2005. Across Extras' two series and feature-length Christmas special, A-list guest stars included Samuel L Jackson, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, George Michael, Daniel Radcliffe, Orlando Bloom, David Bowie, and Robert De Niro. Most played what Gervais and Merchant described as 'twisted' versions of themselves: egomaniacs, oddballs, fantasists, buffoons. 'It wasn't as common at the time to have these A-listers ridiculing themselves,' says Gervais. 'It was before social media – before everyone found out that celebrities are just like us. They're idiots!' But the celebs were, ironically enough, just supporting players to Extras' real lead characters: Andy Millman (Gervais) and best friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen). 'We didn't want it to be, 'look at my celebrity mates,'' says Gervais. 'They had to be bonuses, appendages. Because it was really about a guy who was struggling and selling everything for an ambition.' In the first series, Andy – a film extra and frustrated wannabe actor – scrabbles around film sets for one meagre line of dialogue, sucking up to and putting his foot in it with star names. In the second series, Andy's dreams seemingly come true when he gets his own BBC sitcom. But ratings-chasing compromises – broad gags, funny wigs and catchphrases ('Are you havin' a laugh?') – turn his modicum of celebrity into a series of humiliations. He sells any semblance of artistic integrity to cling on to fame while grumbling to Maggie that he should be higher up the showbiz ladder; that he deserves more respect. 'No matter how successful you are, you'll never be famous enough,' Maggie warns him shortly before he signs up for the ultimate profile-boosting indignity: Celebrity Big Brother. Who's who in Extras Maggie is the heart and conscience of Extras, Andy is the snark and insecurity, and his hilariously useless agent, Darren Lamb (Merchant) is the s--t-for-brains. The tragedy (and all great British sitcoms need a touch of something tragic) comes from the lower rungs of showbiz, a source of imagined desperation. Les Dennis lays his personal and professional woes bare (while also baring his backside) and Shaun Williamson – best known as Barry off EastEnders – plays himself as a down-on-his-luck sad-sack. He's so unable to shake the EastEnders image that even his agent, Darren, calls him Barry and describes him as having 'an undercurrent of tragedy'. Looking back, Gervais remembers an old sketch idea that now feels like a precursor to Extras. It was a Braveheart-like scene, with a Mel Gibson-like star, in which a camera would pan across the battle lines until one extra suddenly asked, 'What time's lunch?' 'Imagine being at the bottom of the pile and ruining it,' says Gervais. 'That was the funny seed.' Gervais likens it to a moment that sums up the first series, when Andy tries to edge into a shot – in the background of a Ross Kemp period drama – then hears the director say, 'Cut before that fat little extra gets his face in.' 'It was an absurd world' Extras was also inspired by the fact that Gervais and Merchant were, at the time, new to show business. 'It was such an absurd world that we'd entered,' says Merchant. 'It was bizarre encountering award ceremonies and film sets and celebrities. It was hard not to think of that as a fun subject. We felt like outsiders.' 'I worked in an office for nine years, so I wrote about it,' says Gervais. 'After that, my job was sort of show business. It's irresistible to write about your own job. Write what you know.' Merchant recalls that they originally planned to use A-listers as actual extras. 'They'd literally be walking around in the background,' he says. 'You'd see Sam Jackson or Kate Winslet, but they'd say nothing. They were just extras in the show. At some point, we thought if we got them all the way to the set, it seems silly to squander them. We started to think about how they could interact with the characters.' It wasn't a new idea. The Larry Sanders Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm had featured Hollywood stars playing fictionalised versions of themselves. In Extras, the celebrities are there to make Andy squirm under the backstage power dynamic and to hold up the cracked mirror of fame – they reveal themselves as out-of-touch with reality, or as massively out-of-step with their public persona. 'Famous people behaving badly' Ben Stiller turns his hand from comedy acting to directing a war drama. But he's a tyrant, threatening to shoot a child actor's mum in the face and screaming about Meet the Fockers' box office take. 'When I sent Ben Stiller the rough idea, he said, 'You've tapped into my inner soul,'' says Gervais, laughing. In another episode, Kate Winslet plays herself as a foul-mouthed nun in a Second World War film. She dishes out advice on dirty phone calls and admits that she's only doing a Holocaust drama for an Oscar. 'And then she wins an Oscar for a Holocaust film!' says Gervais, in reference to The Reader (2008). As smart as Extras is – tinkering with multiple levels of the fourth wall and playing out the John Updike quote that 'celebrity is a mask that eats into the face' – Gervais agrees there was some childish glee in getting their A-listers to say and do outrageous things. 'It was famous people behaving badly,' Gervais says. 'That's what it could have been called.' 'The more that these people said that they were interested, the more it became a game of what would be the most unpleasant or funniest version of themselves – the one that was most incongruous with their public image,' says Merchant. He adds: 'Normally, we'd get a tentative yes and we'd write a script with them in mind to see if they were happy. They almost all were. I think Kate Winslet had a couple of lines that were particularly offensive that she wouldn't say, but other than that she was game for it. They were just game for a laugh. There was very little push-back. It was surprisingly easy.' A personal favourite from the first series is Patrick Stewart, who begins by bellowing out a speech from The Tempest then tells Andy about a script he's written himself, in which he controls the world with the power of his mind – a power he mostly uses for making ladies' clothes fall off. ('Even before she can get her knickers back on, I've seen everything ... I've seen it all.') 'One of the most dignified Shakespearian actors in the world talking about knickers,' sniggers Gervais. Another highlight is Ross Kemp, who lies about feats of hard-nuttery ('I headbutted a horse once') and boasts he could batter Vinnie Jones – until Vinnie turns up to show him what being hard is all about. There's a touch of melancholy to Kemp – a wounded, lip-quivering Billy no-mates. 'He was a little bit nervous,' says Gervais. 'He did talk about portraying himself and going too far. He said, 'Well, it's OK if you're Sam Jackson!' He was very conscious and worried about perception. But he still did it!' Les Dennis goes close-to-the-bone The celeb who played the riskiest version of themself was Les Dennis. The episode is daringly close-to-the-bone, portraying the former Family Fortunes host as a washed-up has-been who – between panto performances – showers a much-younger girlfriend with £50 notes and calls up Heat magazine to report celebrity sightings of, well, himself. The lowest moment comes when Les discovers his girlfriend is cheating. He slumps into his dressing room chair, traumatised and naked. Gervais rates it as the best episode. 'It was the one where we sailed very close to the wind as to the public perception of him,' says Gervais. 'As opposed to playing against type or making something up.' 'It was a way of exploring how celebrity works,' says Merchant. 'It chews you up and spits you out.' It came after Dennis's real-life divorce from Amanda Holden and a maudlin stint on Celebrity Big Brother that made him a tabloid target. One headline read, 'Is this the most pathetic man in Britain?' 'My agent called to say Ricky Gervais wants you to call him,' says Dennis. 'I thought, 'What? Why would Ricky Gervais want me to call him?' It wasn't long after Big Brother. The phone wasn't exactly ringing at the time. Ricky asked me if I wanted to play a 'twisted, demented' version of myself.' Dennis visited their office to talk about the episode. 'They said, 'How far can we go?' and I said, 'Go as far as you like!' On the way out, Ricky said, 'How do you feel about the arse shot?' I said, 'What?' He said, 'You'll be naked in the dressing room. Do you want a double?' I said, 'No I'll do it myself.'' When they shot the scene, he wore nothing but a cricket box. 'Ricky said, 'I'm not having Les's offal in my face! I want him to wear something!'' Dennis recalls, laughing. 'There were tea and biscuits around and Ricky picked up the ginger nuts.' Dennis's friends were concerned about him taking the role – they were suspicious that it might be a Brass Eye-type set-up – but Dennis knew he had to do it. 'At the time I was known as 'Les Miserables,'' he says. 'I came out of the Big Brother house and had a lot of stuff going on. People thought I was grumpy, but I just didn't like being invaded by the press. I thought, just go for it and show you've got a sense of humour about all this stuff that's being written.' Dennis came up with lines to ridicule himself even more. For one climactic scene – in bed with a woman he's just pulled – Dennis suggested blurting out his Family Fortunes catchphrase: 'If it's up there, I'll give you the money me-self.' Dennis remembers that Gervais was laughing so much filming the scene that Merchant ordered him off set. 'He said, 'Ricky, you've ruined the take, you've laughed over the dialogue, you've got to go out,'' says Dennis. 'He got thrown out of the room by Stephen.' The role changed the public perception of Dennis and boosted his theatre career. 'They helped me reinvent myself,' he says. Orlando Bloom told us to 'go harder' Dennis wasn't the only celeb insisting they go more extreme. Orlando Bloom told Gervais and Merchant to 'go harder' when he's trying to prove he's a bigger heartthrob than Johnny Depp. 'Orlando Bloom said, 'Go harder, let me go after Johnny Depp harder, make it worse!'' says Gervais. 'Willy Wonka? Johnny w-----r! ' says Bloom, trying to impress Maggie on the set of a courtroom drama. In other ridiculous celebrity appearances, Daniel Radcliffe plays himself as a randy teenager and accidentally flicks an unravelled condom onto Dame Diana Rigg's head. Gervais had to delicately position the condom on Rigg's head himself. 'When Daniel Radcliffe flicks it, we had to get it to land,' says Gervais. 'So, at one point I was putting it over her eye a little bit. I was saying, 'Can you see? Is that alright?' She said, 'Yeah. That's alright.' And I just thought, that's a weird day at work.' Elsewhere, they cast George Michael as a kebab-chomping, joint-smoking troublemaker. The much-treasured singer uses his community service lunch break to scout Hampstead Heath for sexual encounters. 'What a performer,' says Gervais. 'Just willing to be cottaging, smoking a joint, eating a kebab … He'd just done that community service, so we had him in trouble with the police.' In the episode, George is in trouble for fly-tipping a fridge freezer with Annie Lennox. Sting grassed them up to the council. 'Because he's a f----er do-gooder,' says George. Gervais and Merchant were, of course, the new darlings of British comedy at the time. Stars wanted to be involved. 'We had a blank cheque of kudos that we could cash-in,' says Merchant. 'Ronnie Corbett said his grandchildren told him, 'You've got to do this,'' says Gervais. 'And then we've got him in the toilets at the Baftas taking coke! It's mad what they were willing to say and do.' 'Two celebrities turned us down' Gervais and Merchant can only remember two celebs who turned them down. One was Syd Little of Little and Large. 'He read the script and thought it was too much, the swearing or whatever. He was an old family entertainer,' says Gervais. The other was Orville the Duck ventriloquist Keith Harris, who thought the show was some kind of wind-up. 'But I think Ian McKellen said he thought it was a wind-up,' says Gervais. Looking back now, do Gervais and Merchant have favourite celebrity appearances? For Merchant, it's the one and only Robert De Niro, who appears briefly with Merchant in series two. 'We were making the show and kept on referring to Robert De Niro without knowing if he was going to do it,' says Merchant. 'Finally, he gave us an hour. Because of my giant height [6ft 7in] and his relatively normal human size, there's a wide shot where I look three times as big as him – because of the weird perspective. There were conspiracy theories that we were never in the same room. I was like, 'Are you kidding me?! We worked so hard to get me in the same room!'' Merchant adds: 'Ricky was behind the camera and gave me a couple of notes. Robert De Niro said, 'Any notes for me?' We just started laughing! ' Yeah, we're giving you notes!'' Gervais chooses Bowie. 'Working with my hero David Bowie – writing a song with my hero David Bowie – is off the charts.' In the episode, Bowie listens to Andy's complaints about the sitcom, at which point Bowie bursts into his song. Gervais admits it's a bit surreal in contrast to other celebs. 'You meet David Bowie and then he writes a song!' says Gervais. 'It's almost like cheating, that. But it was well done and I think we were allowed. If you've got David Bowie for the day and he's written a song, he's allowed to sing it!' Twenty years on, Gervais is still amused by the idea that their A-listers were – to quote When the Whistle Blows – very much up for having a laugh. 'Surprising,' Gervais says. 'Just surprising that they said yes and then went along with it.'
STV News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Ashley Jensen receives honorary doctorate 35 years after leaving QMU
Actress Ashley Jensen has received an honorary doctorate from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh – 35 years after leaving the institution to pursue her career in acting. The 55-year-old studied drama at the higher education institution, then known as Queen Margaret College, before going on to begin her acting career. Jensen has starred alongside Ricky Gervais on comedy series Extras, hit American TV show Ugly Betty and most recently DI Ruth Calder in crime drama Shetland. On Tuesday, she was awarded Doctor of the University for her contributions to the arts at Edinburgh's Usher Hall. QMU She told STV News: 'I still feel as if I am the age of every graduate here in my head, although my body, my face might say otherwise. But I still feel that. And I think you don't ever lose that. 'I think it's important to not lose sight of who you were and how far sometimes you become and actually go, 'Yeah, I've done all right'. 'Sometimes my journey's not been what I expected it to be, but I quite like the way it's turned out.' QMU Sir Paul Grice, principal of QMU, said: 'Aside from Ashley's impressive artistic achievements, she has remained a passionate advocate for the arts in Scotland. 'She has used her platform to support emerging talent, promote diversity in casting, and champion mental health awareness within the creative industries. 'Her commitment to these causes reflects values we cherish at Queen Margaret University – compassion, courage, and community – and she is a shining example of what our graduates can achieve when they combine talent with tenacity, and creativity with integrity.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Sun
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Major bank to axe key bank account perk for thousands of customers within days
A major bank will axe a key bank account perk for thousands of customers in a matter of days. Halifax, part of Lloyds Banking Group, is getting rid of "Extras" for Rewards current account holders. The bank currently charges a £3 monthly fee to run this bank account and customers are given freebies in return for hitting certain targets. For example, customers can get £5 paid into their bank account or a free cinema ticket if they either spend £500 on their debit card each month or hold a balance of over £5,000. Halfiax has plans to close down this service come September, meaning customers who meet these targets will no longer get a reward. To prepare for this, Halifax has told customers that from June 17 they will no longer be able to add Reward Extras to their account or renew an existing Reward Extras offer. But it is not all bad news as the bank is axing the service to make way for a number of new features. Currently, Halifax charges a £3 monthly fee to run this bank account and customers are given freebies in return for hitting certain targets. For example, customers can get £5 paid into their bank account or a free cinema ticket if they either spend £500 on their debit card each month or hold a balance of over £5,000. But the bank has plans to close down this service come September, meaning customers who meet these targets will no longer get a reward. This includes fee-free debit card spending abroad and a £100 interest free arranged overdraft to existing and new eligible Reward account customers. Rewards customers are currently charged a 2.99% fee for using their debit card abroad. Fresh wave of bank branches set to close for good in June That means customers are currently charged an extra £2.99 for using their debit card to pay £100 abroad. This change will come into effect on August 1. Customers who meet the requirements will also be allowed to enter into a £100 overdraft and not face any interest. OTHER BANK CHANGES The Co-operative Bank announced it would be increasing the monthly charge on its Everyday Extra package bank account in July. Currently, customers pay a monthly fee of £15, totalling £180 a year. But starting from July 1, this fee will increase to £18 a month—an extra £36 annually. Elsewhere, Lloyds recently hiked the cost of its Club Lloyds account from £3 to £5. The packaged account provides extra benefits including a Disney plus subscription, cashback rewards, and access to linked savings accounts with preferential interest rates. Skipton Building Society also recently lowered the interest on a total of 92 types of savings accounts. How do I switch bank accounts? SWITCHING bank accounts is a simple process and can usually be done through the Current Account Switch Service (CASS). Dozens of high street banks and building societies are signed up - there's a full list on CASS' website. Under the switching service, swapping banks should take seven working days. You don't have to remember to move direct debits across when moving, as this is done for you. All you have to do is apply for the new account you want, and the new bank will tell your existing one you're moving. There are a few things you can do before switching though, including choosing your switch date and transferring any old bank statements to your new account. You should get in touch with your existing bank for any old statements. When switching current accounts, consider what other perks might come with joining a specific bank or building society. Some banks offer 0% overdrafts up to a certain limit, and others might offer better rates on savings accounts. And some banks offer free travel or mobile phone insurance with their current accounts - but these accounts might come with a monthly fee.
UPI
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Ricky Gervais gets star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
May 31 (UPI) -- Actor, comedian, filmmaker and legendary Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "Lovely day. Got a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame, had lunch with some of my oldest friends, and just washed my shorts in the shower," Gervais posted Friday on X after the event, along with a photo of the aforementioned apparel drying in the sun on a hotel terrace. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and writer-director-actor Christopher Guest were on hand at the dedication ceremony and paid tribute to the star and creator of The Office, Extras, Derek and After Life. "The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is honored to welcome comedian Ricky Gervais to the Hollywood Walk of Fame," Ana Martinez, Walk of Fame producer, said in a press release. "Finally, a star that will give snarky commentary every time someone walks by... I always knew we needed a comedian's touch on our famed sidewalk!" Gervais is scheduled to perform at the famed Hollywood Bowl on Saturday night.
