Well, let me help you out! As a British ex-pat living in the USA perhaps I can shed some light on who these "famous" people are:

Ep. 3 Ross Kemp: A former regular cast member of BBC soap "Eastenders", he played tough-thug-with a-heart-of-gold Grant Mitchell ('e loved 'is Mum, 'e did!) for many years, then went on to front a TV show about fishing. Hmm.

Ep. 3 Shaun Williamson: Another Eastenders regular, he played failed son of a second-hand car dealer Barry Evans, who (in the show) married Natalie, who had an affair with Ricky, who was married to Samantha Mitchell (Grant's sister). Oh, and Barry's father was married to Ricky's mother, Pat. It's all true!!

Ep. 3 Vinnie Jones: Actually you may have heard of him - he was recently seen in X-Men 3: The Last Stand as Juggernaut. He was also in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (debt collecting) and Swordfish (random thug). In the UK however, Jones is best known for playing football (sorry, Soccer...) for Wimbledon and grabbing fellow UK football star Paul Gascoigne by the scrotum during a game (all true and caught on film). I realize it may be confusing for those who associate Wimbledon only with Tennis, but the place is well known for its (now defunct) football team and Wombles (but that is another tale for another day).

Ep. 5 Les Dennis: Les came to the public eye as part of a comedy/impersonations duo with Dustin Gee on Russ Abbott's Mad House (old-fashioned British humor from the eighties, say no more), which led to their own show "The Laughter Show". Their best known skit featured impersonations of Vera Duckworth (Gee) and Mavis Riley (Dennis) from UK soap Coronation Street. The Mavis Riley character was known for being wimpy, downtrodden and indecisive, hence Dennis's (over)use of the phrase, "I don't really know!"
Dennis's more recent role was that of host of Family Fortunes (the UK version of Family Feud) which spawned his famous catchphrase, "If it's up there I'll give you the money myself", when contestants came out with particularly stupid answers. Both of these catchphrases feature in the Extras episode, hence the long and boring explanation.

I hope that shed some light on things. Episode numbers are per HBO screening. Fortunately there are fewer UK celebs in Season One than in Season Two!

As a huge fan of The Office, which I think is one of the best sitcoms ever, I was anxiously anticipating Extras by the brilliant Ricky Gervais.

Extras follows Andy Millman who earns a living as a "background artist" in film and television. Andy wants to break out into bigger and better parts but first needs to at least get one line in a feature that won't end up on the cutting room floor. Andy's best friend Maggie, played by the adorable Ashley Jensen shares Andy's dream but is also in search of a relationship she can maintain past the two week mark.

Gervais' underacheiving Andy is not a cringe-worthy David Brent knock off but a multi-dimensional character whose struggles are shared by the audiance albeit in a unique field. Each episode features a relatively big named star such as Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Samual L Jackson and Patrick Stewart, though some stars such as Les Dennis and Vinny Jones are less well known here in the United States, though we get the general idea, Andy wants a speaking part and tries to befriend each of the stars in order to snag a speaking part.

Andy, pretending to be catholic, or "the "C" word" as he calls it and claiming that Michael Flatly was his childhood priest certainly remind us of David Brent but moments such as keeping suicidal Les Dennis company for the night or taking a more pathetic and desparate extra to dinner show Andy isn't quite the narcissist Brent was. Watching highly acclaimed and well respected actress Kate Winslet offer phone sex suggestions to Maggie is one of the most hilarious moments in television. Ben Stiller as a control freak threatening to shoot a childs mother in order for the child to act better and Samual L Jackson putting up with Maggie calling Louis Armstrong Sasquatch are refreshing and original compared to most watered down sitcoms.

For those of you familiar with Ricky Gervais, the man behind the original and best BBC Office, Extras is a real treat. For those of you unfamiliar with Gervais, Extras may take some time getting into, but once you do, you'll find a rewarding and comedic experience. Gervais plays Andy, a bit actor who desperately wants to make the big time. His partner throughout most of his antics is Maggie (Ashley Jenson), whose acting troubles are overshadowed even more by her man troubles. Andy's woes are only exasperated by his useless agent (Stephen Merchant), who seems to be doing Andy's would-be career more harm than good. The real highlight of Extras besides the excellent Gervais is the celebrity guest spots playing themselves on every episode that are brilliantly done. Ben Stiller is a scream, as is Samuel L. Jackson, while Patrick Stewart is laugh out loud hilarious as he tells Andy of his plans of writing a screenplay where he has mental powers and women have no clothing. It's Kate Winslet though that will leave you doubling over in laughter, as she attempts to help Maggie in the "talking dirty" department. Though it's only six episodes long, the first season of Extras is superb hilarity all the way, and this DVD set deserves to be picked up by fans of Gervais old and new.