Back on form ... Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman
Despite being dismissed here by Jim Shelley (no less) as a "tiresome embarrassment" less than six months ago - in the wake of the Diana Concert, his sickly love-ins with Messrs Stiller and Guest, and his underwhelming Simpsons episode - the Ricky Gervais backlash is about to hit a snag. Gervais has rediscovered his funny bone.
Just when it appeared he was in danger of being blinded to his own limitations by the bright lights of Hollywood and his new showbiz pals, Gervais closes another fine sitcom series with a perfectly pitched feature-length episode that savages the very celebrity culture that threatened to claim him as its latest victim.
Showing the timing that deserted him in front of a massive global TV audience at Wembley on July 1, Gervais's last ever Extras - airing tonight - is the equal of anything in his back catalogue. Whether he has unjumped the shark remains to be seen, but he knows how to kill off a sitcom. Fact.
If previous episodes, in which his fame-hungry Andy Millman slimed his way up the showbiz ladder from humble extra to writer and star of critically-panned but hugely popular catchphrase comedy When The Whistle Blows, poked fun at celebrity culture, now Gervais brings out the heavy artillery.
"To me, saying you've got Britain's number one catchphrase is like saying you've got Britain's number wasting disease," Andy sneers, as he prepares to walk out on the show that made him famous. This charmless man's search for credibility inevitably hits the skids - leading to a reluctant appearance on Celebrity Big Brother with Lionel Blair and Chico - while we are treated to a surprising and slick essay on fame and our celebrity obsession.
The queue of real-life celebrities - Gordon Ramsay, Vernon Kay, Clive Owen, George Michael, Hale and Pace(!) - prepared to send themselves up in tiny cameo roles adds another layer to the debate. Gervais walks a fine line. Is he sending up the egotism and vacuity of celebrity, or merely giving his guests a leg-up in the fame game?
When Andy moans "I'm just sick of these celebrities," in a monologue that could lead to accusations of having his cake and eating it, let's just hope Gervais agrees with his second-most-famous alter-ego. His future success and popularity could depend on it ...
