TV Review:
Extras - Ross Kemp, Shaun Williamson in 3rd episode of Gervais's New HBO Comedy’
By Kent Gibbons
Being savvy, Brit-TV lovers, you doubtless know that The Office's Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have a new comedy on HBO. It’s called Extras and it’s about actors who work as extras. It has a very Office feel kind of combined with a movie you might see on IFC like Living in Oblivion.
What you might not know is that the third episode, premiering on Oct. 9 at 10:30 pm (EST), has a very familiar guest star: Ross Kemp (Grant Mitchell). I’ve seen a screener and let me say, Ross is spectacular. He hilariously plays off his Grant Mitchell, only-a-TV-star tough guy persona while also showing off some serious comedic and dramatic chops.
He plays the full-of-himself star of a Napoleonic war drama, wearing a powdered wig and Hornblower epaulets and hat. He’s the consummate ham in the opening scene, which ends with him promising to return to a corseted lass—”because if Napoleon doesn’t kill me, then being away from you surely will.” Followed by a big, tender kiss!
Later, Ricky Gervais, an extra in Kemp’s love scene, starts grumbling about him to another extra pal of his. Ricky (his character is a former bank-office worker named Andy Mellman) has a funny line after his pal says Kemp’s shaved head looked cool, like Vin Diesel. “Vin Diesel hasn’t got a perfectly round little head that opens and shuts like Pac Man!”
The camera finds Ross doing more or less that. Then Ricky mocks him with an exaggerated cockney voice saying stuff like “Phil, why’d you sleep with my wife?”
Anyway, Ross starts trying to impress Ricky with how tough he is. Says he was in the SAS. (Later says actual SAS men had told him that stands not for Special Air Services but for Super Army Soldiers. Riiiight.) Says, “If I do get in a fight, I’d better have an escape route because I don’t want to go to prison for murder. Because that’s what it would be. Because my body is—a lethal weapon.”
It emerges that “bloody footballer” [turned actor] Vinnie Jones (Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels; Snatch, Mean Machine) is making a film across the way, and Ross of course brags he’d kill him if he tried any antics on him. “He starts with me, I will destroy him.” Later line: “If Vinnie Jones comes near me, looking for a fight, I will unleash hell,” ending with a big Ross tough-guy stare.
Ross also promises to get Ricky a speaking line, which of course he can’t do.
In between all that, there’s a hilarious long cameo by Shaun Williamson (EastEnders’ Barry Evans). He comes into Ricky’s agent’s office (played by Merchant in an amazing deadpan performance as the totally uninterested representative).
The agent only calls him “Barry” or “B,” not Shaun. Ross’s name comes up, but it turns out (spoiler might be ahead?) “Barry” is not too keen on Ross because “Barry” left EastEnders and had his hapless agent try to do what Ross did—go to ITV and say I’ll only come over for a million pounds or nothing. “They chose nothing.”
“Barry” leaves—to go fix a flickering lights in the gent’s upstairs, just for something to do—and asks if he can use the computer later to type in a new C.V.
You can see where this is headed. Vinnie Jones catches up with Ross while Ross is chatting with Ricky in costume. (Absurd exchange: Ross: “Well, I headedbutted a horse once.” Ricky: “He must have really annoyed you.”) Vinnie RIGHT in his face, Ross backs his head so fast his Hornblower hat goes flying, and he cowers, the way Grant never had to. He takes his verbal licking then ’fesses up to Ricky that he really doesn’t know super-secret SAS killing techniques.
“All I want to do is act,” he tells Ricky, plaintively.
Ricky, reassuringly to a man on the ledge: “And you’re good.” Ross, ultra-pathetically: “Am I?”
Camera pans back with Ross standing with Hornblower hat in hand. Cue Cat Stevens song and credits. Sensational!
There are also riffs on Ultimate Force (thanks, Walford Gazette, for the recent “Grant’s Coming Back!” article explaining the ITV joke) and more character-actor confusion jokes also involving Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp and “Phil Mitchell.” As I read in the Gazette that Ross is coming back, I can’t decide whether this tour de force performance is a perfect setup to that for him or whether he’s incredibly brave to lampoon himself and “Grant” this way before stepping back into the role.
In the second episode of Extras, Ben Stiller sends himself up as a self-important director, again lampooning himself, so it appears that’s going to be a steady motif.
It’s less hard edged than The Office but has the same integrity.
It’s off to a great Walford-riffing start! Cheers, mates!
Sibling Confusion: Kemp and Mitchell
Here's an excerpt from the episode, in which Gervais plays Andy and his mate is Maggie:
Maggie: Go up to Ross Kemp and say:
“I thought you were brilliant in EastEnders, Ultimate Force and Spandau Ballet.”
Andy: He wasn't in Spandau Ballet—that was Martin Kemp. Martin Kemp was in EastEnders and Spandau Ballet.
Maggie: So who's this one?
Andy: Ross Kemp.
Maggie: Are they not brothers?
Andy: No. Martin Kemp and Gary Kemp are brothers.
Maggie: Well who's this one?
Andy: Ross Kemp.
Maggie: Who's his brother?
Andy: I dunno if he's got a brother.
Maggie: Yes he does, he's got that little bald one with a pig face who looks like him.
Andy: Phil Mitchell? His on-screen brother. Phil and Grant Mitchell. But they're not really brothers.
Maggie: Yes they are. They're the Mitchell brothers.
Andy: What do you mean the Mitchell brothers? You know his name's “Ross Kemp.”
Silence.
Andy: What's confusing you?
Maggie: The brothers.
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