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TV: The week ahead
by Conrad Astley14/ 7/2005
IT'S the only big issue anyone's talking about this week. Will
Ricky Gervais' new series be any good?
The Office was probably the only sitcom in recent memory that
seemed to be liked by everybody, and was responsible for words like
"genius" being tossed around like confetti by lazy TV writers
everywhere. Good job you'd never catch me doing anything like
that.
Of course, fame is a fickle thing and
Extras
(
Thursday, BBC2) will probably either see him made a
knight of the realm or an international pariah.
Gervais plays Andy Millman, an actor struggling by on extra parts
while trying to impress the Hollywood stars he occasionally comes
into contact with.
The basic idea of a disenchanted middle aged man desperate to
follow his dream despite being kicked in the teeth repeatedly by
life doesn't sound a million miles away from David Brent - who
doesn't appear to be a million miles away from Ricky Gervais,
judging by the comic's recent talk show appearances. We can only
hope and pray this won't turn out to be his Max And Paddy's Road To
Nowhere.
The BBC has used the opportunity to build an impressive-looking
comedy night, following Extras with a second series of the
Catherine Tate Show (
Thursday, BBC2) and
the return of
Absolute Power (
Thursday,
BBC2) Stephen Fry and John Bird's send-up of the wonderful
world of public relations. While this may sound like shooting fish
in a barrel, in Stephen Fry's hands it can't be anything other than
genius. Whoops, sorry. A highlight is likely to be the attempt to
get Jordan onto Celebrity Mastermind. The PR gurus have a lengthy
discussion about what her specialist subject could be, and wonder
whether they would let her do it on breasts.
Don't laugh too loudly though, it'll probably actually happen in a
few months.
It's difficult to think of a more appropriate host for
Are
You Younger Than You Think (
Saturday, BBC1) than
Des Lynam. The ageless silver fox presents the views of experts,
while the obligatory celebrities provide their own tips on keeping
old father time at bay. Some of it doesn't seem that difficult -
we're told that owning a cat or a dog can take years off you - but
the programme also claims to present the nation with a health test,
from which we can work out how old our bodies really are. All you
need is a pen and paper to follow the questions as they go
along.
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