Today’s recording starts with the end of Dragon’s Den and a trailer for the Ben Fogle show Extreme Dreams. There’s also trailers for How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria and Extras.
Talking of Extras, that’s today’s episode, the last episode in series one. Shaun Pye’s Greg is still tormenting Andy.
The star of the production this time is Patrick Stewart. Andy takes his script to see if Patrick would show it to someone, and Patrick tells him about his own script, in which he has the power to make women’s clothes fall off. “And her uniform falls off and she’s trying to cover up, but I’ve seen everything.” I also liked “You’re not married, you haven’t got a girlfriend and you don’t watch Star Trek?” “No.” “Good lord.”
But it works, and Andy’s agent Darren tells him that the BBC are interested in his script (after trying to take credit for getting the script to Patrick Stewart).
And even then, he tries to suggest that Andy shouldn’t play the lead, and maybe Shaun Williamson (or “Barry” as Darren calls him) should play it. “He did a gig once without a microphone. He turned up for this gig there was no PA system, nothing. They were going to cancel the gig. He said microphones are for wimps.” “And I belted it out, in front of what, 140-odd people?”
I wish I didn’t feel sad every time there’s an establishing shot of Television Centre.
I swear, for an embarrassingly long time, I was somehow convinced that actor Guy Henry, who plays Iain Morris, HEad of New Comedy, was actually a BBC Comedy producer. I think I thought he was Jon Plowman or something and this was just a meta joke. I’ve no idea why.
They’re joined by Martin Savage as Damon Beesley, a script editor who’s very camp.
I’m sure Damon is using WordPad for his script.
Andy tells Maggie that Damon’s camp demeanour is winding him up. Then Maggie makes the mistake of telling Damon to maybe tone it down, thinking she’s being helpful. So at the next meeting, Andy is confronted with a very upset Damon, and Iain asks if it’s even possible to go forward with the project if Andy can’t work with Damon.
Andy has a go at Maggie, for possibly ruining his big chance. “I don’t want you to help me. I want you to stop floating through life like everything’s OK until it actually affects someone, OK? So really my advice to you is you’ve got to grow up. Clean up, sort your own mess out before you get involved in my life.”
But Andy apologizes to Damon at their next meeting, and the project is slated for a non-broadcast pilot. Here’s another picture of Television Centre to cheer you up.
Andy is waiting for Maggie as she leaves her production, and hands her a phone. It’s Patrick Stewart. “This is Patrick Stewart here. And the reason you’re hearing my rich, sexy voice is that Andy is not man enough to apologise himself, even though he knows he’s in the wrong. That’s why he’s asked me to do it for him.” This is a lovely scene.
And it ends with Maggie, rather than going up to the young actor she’s been plucking up the courage to say hello to, walking out with Andy, as he asks her one of those inane questions that they love to share. “What would you rather do? Wake up and your teeth have sort of fallen out, wake up and your hair’s fallen out or wake up and your toes have fallen off?”
Media Centre Description: Sitcom set in the world of film and TV extras. Thanks to a helping hand from Patrick Stewart, things are looking up for Andy and his useless agent when they’re called in for a meeting at the BBC. But events take a turn for the worse when Maggie’s careless talk jeopardises Andy’s career and their friendship.
BBC Genome: BBC TWO Thursday 07 September 2006 21:00
After this, there’s a trailer for the new series, which the announcer again refers to as series 3, when it’s actually series 2. She said the same thing at the start of the programme. A very odd mistake to make.
There’s also a trailer for I’m With Stupid.
And this trailer for That Mitchell and Webb Look which pokes fun at the latest batch of BBC Two idents.
Then, the start of the last episode of the Rob Brydon astrophysicist comedy Supernova.
VHiStory 