Título: Extras (TV series)
Seção: When the Whistle Blows
Background: Extras is a British sitcom about extras working in television, film, and theatre. The series was co-produced by the BBC and HBO and was created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, both of whom also starred in it. Extras follows the lives of Andy Millman (Gervais), his platonic friend Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen), and Andy's substandard agent and part-time retail employee Darren Lamb (Merchant) as Millman muddles through life as an anonymous "background performer" who eventually finds success as a B-level sitcom star. Extras has two series of six episodes each as well as a Christmas Special.

Conteúdo: When the Whistle Blows is the show-within-a-show sitcom created, co-written by and starring Andy Millman. It was first mentioned in episode 1.3, as a script that Millman had written and given to Darren, who neglected to read it (in a recurring joke, he would frequently forget the name of the show, often calling it Where the Wind Blows and even confusing it with The Wind in the Willows). The script was turned into a sitcom on BBC One in the first season finale, after Millman gave the script to Patrick Stewart. Excerpts from the sitcom are featured in the second season, and many of the Extras second season plotlines revolve around Millman's experiences on and around the show.  When the Whistle Blows is set in a Wigan factory canteen. The humour is broad and lowbrow in the manner of many catchphrase-based sitcoms. The main catchphrase of the show, "Are you 'avin' a laugh?," is spoken by Millman. The show is unpopular with critics but popular with the public. It does receive a BAFTA nomination, although Millman suspects it is there simply to make up the numbers, and in the end it loses to an unspecified programme by Stephen Fry.  Millman is deeply unhappy with the show, feeling that too many people have interfered with his original ideas in the hunt for ratings. It appears that Millman originally set out to do a comedy similar to The Office, with true-to-life characters in a realistic work environment, without a studio audience or canned laughter. After being forced to collaborat

user: What is When the Whistle Blows?

assistant: When the Whistle Blows is the show-within-a-show sitcom created, co-written by and starring Andy Millman.

user: What was When the Whistle Blows about?

assistant: When the Whistle Blows is set in a Wigan factory canteen. The humour is broad and lowbrow in the manner of many catchphrase-based sitcoms.

user: How did When the Whistle Blows compare to Extras?

assistant: The show is unpopular with critics but popular with the public. It does receive a BAFTA nomination, although Millman suspects it is there simply to make up the numbers,

user: Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?

assistant: Millman is deeply unhappy with the show, feeling that too many people have interfered with his original ideas in the hunt for ratings.

user: Does Millman ever stop working on the show?

assistant: CANNOTANSWER

user: Who does Millman feel interfered with his original ideas?

assistant: After being forced to collaborate and compromise many of his ideas with producers at the BBC, the show is transformed into lowest common denominator fare