In the holiday television special "Click & Collect," which debuted on the streaming service BritBox on Christmas Eve, Stephen Merchant ("The Office") plays Andrew Bennett, a father who goes on a disastrous journey just to get a must-have toy for his daughter. The English writer, director and actor knows exactly what it means to want a very special gift for Christmas.
"There was a Lego airport that I wanted and my parents spent a lot of time tracking it down. They had to raise money for me to get it," Merchant says. "I opened it on Christmas Day and I was thrilled."
Unlike his character, Merchant's parents didn't have to make a 300-mile road trip on Christmas Eve with an annoying neighbor. The film looks at such a last-minute trek by Andrew and his annoying neighbor, Dev D'Cruz (Asim Chaudhry) that takes them through an off-road adventure, a series of illegal activities and a few moments where they fear this could be their final holiday just to pick up the last available Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess in the country.
Merchant was eager to be part of "Click & Collect" because he's always had a great love of Christmas. One of his favorite holiday films to watch is "A Christmas Carol" because it's a story about how a person changes the way they think during Christmas. That is one of numerous themes in his holiday movie as his character begins to see past his neighbor's annoyances.
Another reason Merchant signed on was he knows how popular this kind of programming is in the United Kingdom during the holidays. And the majority of what is popular are the family-friendly programs.
"I have done a lot of quite interesting stuff but I wanted to be in something I would watch with the family this Christmas. I didn't want to have to leave the room when it comes on and I like that this is far more user friendly," Merchant says.
"Click & Collect" also gave him a chance to take on the kind of character he loves to portray the most.
"I love playing anyone who is a frustrated person who is angry at the world through circumstance," Merchant says. "I find that an actual delight to play. I get frustrated and angry roles, but bizarrely they are not about Christmas but more about life in general."
"Click & Collect" features one of Merchant's particularly frustrating circumstances both at work and in the real world. A large part of the special takes place in a small car, and because Merchant stands at 6-foot-7, the number of cars he can get into are limited. He laughs and says he's never picked a new car because of how much he likes it, but if he can push the seat back enough to get behind the wheel.
The special Lego gift Merchant got when he was 9 ended up having a great influence on his professional life.
"I built the airport and then I started to make stories around the airport. There would be hijackings, airplane crashes and industrial disputes. I played with that toy for years and I would just concoct stories," Merchant says.
When Merchant got older, that passion for storytelling became the basis for his career path, which started with a stint in radio and eventually moved to TV and film. While he's well known for his on-screen work in "Extras," "Life's Too Short," "Hello Ladies," "The Big Bang Theory," "Logan" and "The Girl in the Spider's Web," he has many credits as a writer, producer and director. He joined forces with Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington as the co-writer and co-director of the original British sitcom "The Office."
Merchant did not write the script for "Click & Collect," but both he and Chaudhry were allowed to add their own words during filming.
"I will improvise and offer alternatives in any project that I didn't write," Merchant says. He jokingly adds, "I did a play a few years ago and I tried to change the words there because I was repeating them every night. I don't know if you have been to a play, but they repeat themselves every night."
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