TVSquad

The other day, I watched the latest season of Extras again and laughed just as hard as I did during my first viewing. It was also during this revisitation that I realized Stephen Merchant, who plays Andy's annoying agent, is still seriously under-appreciated. So, I did the only thing that a little blogger like I can do... Dedicate an "In the Limelight" profile to him.

Merchant was one half of the writing and directing team behind the original The Office. He appeared in the show as the Oggmonster only one and a half times (once during the Red Nose Day episode and another time as a voice over Gareth's speakerphone), so it was only natural that his writing and directing partner, Ricky Gervais, got all the attention as the star of the show.

To my excitement, I later saw that Merchant would have a prominent role in Extras. I used to listen to XFM's "Ricky Gervais Show", the predecessor to the podcast, so I knew how incredibly funny Merchant could be as well. However, I had no idea that he would end up stealing the spotlight from Gervais' character. Actually, whenever Merchant and Shaun Williamson ("Barry off EastEnders") are onscreen together, it's pure magic.

Plus, this special video from the Extras Season Two DVD pretty much makes Merchant one of the coolest men alive:



Hopefully, he'll soon get more recognition in the States and won't be given only split-second cameos on 24...