How they play and play

Thanks to Carolyn for loaning it to me, I got to watch the first season of the BBC show Extras. The series deals with the lives and encounters of background actors Andy Millman and his Scottish gal pal Maggie. He (Ricky Gervais) is more likeable than his character in The Office, but still severely lacking in social skills. She comes across as a bit daft. Together they fumble their way through life and work, perpetually sticking a foot in their mouths, then extracting it only to stick the other one in its place. Some quotes:

• You are guaranteed an Oscar if you play a mental.
• Sorry to interrupt you again when you’re thinking about your slaughtered loved ones.
• I can’t – I’m doing anything else.
• I love all the number films.
• At the moment I’m concentrating more on background work looking out towards getting a speaking role.
• Your heart’s not in it, is it?
• If you do get a hair in there, he just gets it out with his big sausage fingers.
• Why do men not dress like that nowadays? –Because they’d get beaten up on the tube.
• That’s three years of drama school for you.
• They’re only human. – He’s not.
• What’s ET short for? He’s only got little legs.
• I looked at you and thought, what a pathetic loser.
• You might be a mental case but let’s find out.
• She’s really lovely but she’s a wee bit mental.
• Microphones are for wimps.