How An Extra Stole Doctor Strange’s Thunder & Why Parliament Always Looks So Empty

[@garyn4ocw]

Discovering this Podcast on KZbin has ruined my life.... All I have been doing is binge watching episode, subbing on Spotify and registering on the website. Thank God I am retired 🙂

[@EleanorPeterson]

Retired? Why, you're never too old to start a new career as an extra, dear boy!😁

[@krisinsaigon]

i ran an agency for years in asia finding western people to be extras in movies, everything Marina says is exactly right. You are there as a very small cog in a big complex machine with many moving parts. The most important thing is don't cause problems and be a team player. Turn up on time, have zero ego, and do what you are told. Also I always told my extras to take a book or something because there will be many many hours of waiting

[@huzefaishaki1805]

I am 46 and I shouted with glee when Richard said Danger Mouse. Made my day. Thank you

[@sayeager5559]

Im 57 and did the same when Marina said " shit mouse".

[@DrLordKipper]

The extra (Wanda Ventham) hamming it up in the background of the movie, Dr. Strange and the multiverse of madness, is actually Benedict Cumberbach's real life mother.

[@lesleyallerby1295]

I can remember when she was the star of so many tv shows. I was very young and so was tv.

[@DrCalamityJan]

Richard's episode of Murder in Successville is an all-time classic. Richard was such a worthy deputy to Tom and the only one who has ever given Tom pause. So very good.

[@Cchogan]

Richard, when it comes to character continuity, I have had to discipline myself! I am a OneNote addict - I like it because it is just blank pages for me to waffle in. I plan hugely, but I don't initially detail everything about a character. BUT, as I write, if I introduce a fact about them, or something that happens, I stop writing and note it on their character page. Now, even over a huge series (my current WIP is an undecology), I am amazed what I remember, but also what I remember wrong. Even worse, I sometimes write something and think, oh, I need them to have granny, and I have said they are an orphan!!! So I go back and rewrite the earlier bit. But now, I have TWO memories - one where they have a granny and one where they don't.... So, stopping for a minute and noting down the little fact, saves me, as long as I remember to use the notes. And where did I get this from? Years ago, I dated a continuity girl, and that is what is what she did for a living. The trouble was, she kind of carried it on into her life too - she never forgot anything!

[@amandarose2798]

My favourite extra moment - the kid in North by Northwest who makes sure to cover his ears BEFORE Cary Grant fires the gun. Safety first! 😂 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXLLfH-cr6l7massi=Ce5GyITsDrgXU_Qa

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

What about the guy on the beach during the tidal wave scene in The Abyss

[@Tyrconnell]

During my acting career in the 90s I didn't do any background work (I was mainly theatre), but a couple of years ago, now living in Japan, I was asked to audition for a tiny westerner part in a TV show, which I got. The part was covered in the first day of filming, but the character needed to appear in a second scene, which was a party, so in that I was essentially background. But here the problem started because I was officially a 'featured guest artist', which meant I couldn't be given instruction by the 3rd AD who dealt with background, while the Director and 1st were dealing with the star actors. So myself and the other foreign guest role had to just make up what we did and hope it was basically right. Fortunately my colleague, unlike myself, spoke perfect Japanese and could work out what was going on for the most part. What I did learn, twenty years on from my acting career, was that I found background work the most grindingly boring and irritating experience, so very glad I never went down that route when younger!

[@sheltyhorn4332]

Hammy Hamster, Tales on the Riverbank. No contest.

[@abzulooks6012]

Richard modestly forgets to mention that his episode of "Murder In Successville" is one of the best of the lot. Marina you should absolutely watch it.

[@phueal]

Is it the kind of thing you can jump right into, or do you need to have seen previous episodes?

[@abzulooks6012]

@@phueal Well, if you watched this Q&A then you know the premise.... and that's all you need. The only reason I'd suggest maybe watching other episodes first is to contrast the deer-in-the-headlights panic of some of the other guests with Richard's mastery of the situation.

[@phueal]

@@abzulooks6012 haha, sounds good!

[@lakrids-pibe]

"Mister..." "Doctor." "...Mister Doctor?" "It's Strange." "Maybe. Who am I to judge?"

[@philipwhiuk]

Thank you Richard. I was worried for a hot second that DangerMouse wouldn't be it.

[@andykey78]

The life drawing class in Richard's episode of Murder in Successville is hilarious! "You don't want to see the meat and the veg!?" 😂

[@Ryanneey]

Oh, I need to watch this! I saw the American version but haven't been able to find the original.

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

SAs (extras) are really wrangled by the 3rd AD as the 1st AD is likely doing more pressing things. The 1st AD, by the way, is the most important job that non-crew people don't know about or appreciate. They are in effect the ringmaster and have the air of stern school teacher or drill sergeant but you count on them throughout the day to keep the ball rolling and get you all home on time. The trick with being an SA is to never be in the front row. As soon as you have become recognisable in a shot they will not want to see you again and you will lose your cache. There is a film called Elstree 1976 about a bunch of real SAs that's on streaming that you may find of interest too.

[@themattitude]

"Shit mouse" 😆

[@themattitude]

"Ellie White as Björk." Perfect.

[@princesspinkblue]

Pinky and the Brain are the top two mice. Anyone who says differently are wrong 😂

[@MrForbinator]

Quantum of Solace brush man is a classic extra.

[@CamMcGinn1981]

Richard, how could you not mention The Brain during your top 3? Even if to discount him. LOL

[@awesomelyizzy]

Fascinating episode as always! I’m finding the audio really quiet, not sure if anyone else is having that issue?

[@FarmerJAB]

No

[@tjchill8634]

Top 3 cartoon mice: 1) DangerMouse 2) The Brain (from Pinky & The Brain) 3) Mighty Mouse

[@ChrisH78]

Marina's face when Richard mentions Barry from Eastenders lmao

[@stephendonovan6773]

The guy is a proper smart but will forever be known as Barry from Eastenders 😂

[@Elwaves2925]

@@stephendonovan6773 Yeah, Shaun does know a lot, especially about music but he's also the perfect example of someone forever typecast for one role. He'll likely never been known as anything (outside of family, friends and colleagues) except Barry from Eastenders. He seems to have accepted it and cashed in on it though, so fair play to him.

[@RobDW24]

​@@Elwaves2925he was on an episode of Jenny Ryan (Vixen from The Chase) and Lucy Porter's podcast Fingers on Buzzers, he LOVES Quizzing, it's a great podcast if you love game shows.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@RobDW24 I've heard Lucy's and Jenny's podcast (which is great) and I also remember him from Al Murray's TV pub quiz show. Shaun was the on set barman but also went up against the contestants in a head to head round.

[@R.Daneel]

I love for some reason it looks like you're both in front of a green-screen when you're not. That's some high-level reverse-psychology FX right there!

[@reggycide]

Succesville has been redone in the US as Murderville with Will Arnett and both are a lot like Thank God You're here.

[@hannahk1306]

Phone-a-friend definitely didn't used to be like that: I remember watching older episodes where the friend was surprised to receive the call or even occasionally they didn't even know that they'd been nominated as someone's phone-a-friend! Although, perhaps that's part of the reason why they introduced the current process. I do have a follow-up question based on your answer though. If the phone-a-friend's don't know when filming is, how does the production team ensure that they're actually in and available to receive the call? I'd just imagined that it was all mobiles now, so people could be anywhere and were simply given a time frame in which to be available to receive a call.

[@daviebananas1735]

Phone a friends have always had to be informed about ready to take a call during whatever time period it’s in. They don’t leave it to chance.

[@hannahk1306]

@@daviebananas1735 I've definitely watched at least one episode where they hadn't been told and were surprised to be called. I couldn't tell you which episode it was though, but I think it was when Chris Tarrant was presenting. It is of course possible that they were supposed to have been told and something went wrong in the process.

[@FarmerJAB]

Somebody being with phone-a-friend was introduced after the Charles Ingram cheating scandal

[@oneworldfamily]

The best stand in was Ben Stiller, standing in for Tom Cruise 😁

[@adammuir5130]

Marina saying "shit mouse" so matter of factly made me laugh out loud

[@firewoman2863]

Jill Goldston's Dec 2023 interview in The Guardian is fun and includes several still pix from her more than 2,000 films. What a gal! (BTW - "Jill, Uncredited" can be watched in USA on MUBI channel on Prime - time for me to bite the bullet and get a week's freebie of MUBI!).

[@dixieflatline1189]

SA's achieving legendary status is Willrow Hood / Ice Cream Guy from Empire Strikes Back. There is a very brief 4 seconds of him running around a corner holding a white prop that looks like an American ice cream maker. Ice cream guy has become a thing over the years. He even had his own action figure in 2009 and now has an entire history dedicated to him + conventions have cosplayers turn up as him all the time. 4 seconds of filler..... Disney+ probably should have a spin off series as he's more popular than many of their recent characters.

[@danbo433]

Re extra moments - the guy in the background in Quantum of Solace who's using a broom, but is VERY clearly sweeping about two feet off the floor.

[@CamMcGinn1981]

Also, Richard, Penfold being a Hamster was an answer for a round of "Can You Feel It" on House of Games. LOL. I can't remember the episode, but I thought that was a great game.

[@Ardnasper]

Danger Mouse and Speedy Gonzales were the mouses I thought as soon as you said Top 3 Mouses. I guess it’s a generational thing 😅

[@morphunkown]

I watched "Murderville" so I was excited when Richard said they have the original British version. So I signed back up to Netflix and...of course it isn't available in America. Stupid region restrictions.

[@daviebananas1735]

@@Est-os9ycVPN

[@FarmerJAB]

On KZbin in Australia

[@morphunkown]

@@Est-os9yc Cheers mate. I saw they had the American Traitors on Peacock here and they also have the rights to the international versions. So I was hoping that was going to be a new trend.

[@Ryanneey]

I can't get it in Canada either 😢

[@TheWhisperCorner]

If you did actually pull out your phone to Google something during the Phone A Friend part what would the "security guy" do?

[@johnmightymole2284]

You would be cut. Not a live show.

[@timburbagereads]

I only knew it was Space Discovery 1 because I knew the other spaceships were from different films

[@EastyyBlogspot]

That continuity question i wondered about that with comics but tbh they may have been but with so many multiverse's and variations not to mention one shot i suspect its impossible now

[@clukenz]

Yikes, that color contrast on the text of the questions is so difficult to read. Fix that next time! (Love the pod!)

[@chrisknight2631]

Murder in Successville was amazing. I absolutely loved that show, gutted there’s no more. The American version is also in Netflix (Murderville) and is also decent. Not quite as good but still worth watching if you like the British version. Not a huge fan of Jamie slang but he seems like he’s always up for a laugh and his episode was superb. It’s at its best when Davis cracks. Sometimes another member of the cast does and that’s also brilliant.

[@Midnight-e2s]

Agreed 1000%. I have no idea how this program wasn't a bigger or more well known hit. Richard's episode is the best, but it doesn't matter if you don't know or like the guest, Tom makes it all incredible.

[@ScotSteam47]

need to up your mixing on the episodes going forward, this was very quiet and then I got my ears blasted on the adverts.

[@finneganwoolley6557]

i know it's old now, but what about top three cinema snacks

[@davidjscox1]

And who can forget Martin Crane on Fraiser telling us in one season that he never had a brother only for us to meet his brother a few seasons later 😅

[@lewismcnulty8737]

Pinky and the brain are definitely in my top Mice

[@fakeport534]

Thankyou. I was infuriated by the lack of Pinky or The Brain.

[@adamdwyer776]

Amazing neither pinky or the brain made your top 3

[@Tozzywozzy01]

Okay as an animation nerd can I just say Mickey Mouse is quite funny in the more recent Paul Rudish series so his boringness got turned down a notch and 2, clearly Pinkie and The Brain are also top 3 worthy mice. Maybe combine them as 1 so as to fit Danger Mouse back at the top obviously. 😆 Top 3 hamsters probably Penfold, Hamtaro and then a tie between the one Barbara Windsor voiced in 'The second star to the left' and Manuel's definitely a hamster, Basil from 'Fawlty Towers'. 🤔😆

[@mikefjames]

Have done odd SA jobs but never registered with an agency always on referrals from friends. Did an episode of Whitstable pearl (s01 ep03). This was filmed during lockdown and they were restricted on numbers The opening scene has me marching down a hill as a soldier shooting at another unit marching up a hill. Cut to the other unit and the close up of me (in another coat) being shot at My 5 minutes of fame

[@RobDW24]

Love the podcast, Top 3 TV Theme songs?

[@dufflepod]

David Niven was a CA before he was 'discovered'.

[@daveslifehacks]

My top 3 mice: 3: Finger Mouse (not a cartoon but hey ho). 2: Danger Mouse of course and number 1: Mighty Mouse

[@smcmorran100]

If you say Benedict Cumberbatch three times while staring into a mirror...nothing happens.

[@daviebananas1735]

Can confirm.

[@shifttheshaman]

I love the background actor in Back to the Future 3 who indicates for a toilet break during filming. So Doc Brown's son just likes pointing at his willy.

[@CulturePhilter]

Yes Danger Mouse is absolutely the best cartoon mouse.

[@EleanorPeterson]

I've just noticed that Marina has no red varnish on the index finger nail of her left hand. Can anybody tell me why? Does it mean anything? Is it a 'thing' done in support of some particular cause? Is it a silent protest? Does it send out a message - political, societal, psychological - or has she been stirring beakers of acetone? Has she cut her finger and covered the wound with a flesh-coloured plaster, making nail varnish redundant? If there's a serious reason for it - such as a medical issue [indicating a form of diabetes to paramedics, maybe?], or perhaps marking the sad loss of a loved one - I apologise for being ignorant/insensitive enough to mention it. But it does look strange.🤔

[@jeffparker1617]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/on6yeZyHqdqGq9E Whenever I think about cameras in Parliament I think of this old Wayne & Shuster bit

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

Ignatz is the best cartoon mouse by several million miles *KrazyKat

[@Toms3110]

"Mickey Mouse......... shit mouse"....... proper laugh out loud moment

[@werbly]

Personally not a fan of the new question screen, I think its a bit more difficult to read than the old format

[@LiveDonkeyDeadLion]

I was an extra in quite a big film, and the extra I was paired with (an experienced one who wanted to be an actor), was desperate to get on film and ignored the AD which of course meant for continuity we had to do it every time. When they realised they weren’t going to get on camera, plus it was obviously going to a deleted scene lost interest and put themselves somewhere else to get a better chance. There’s a nice shot of me in the deleted scenes on a very well known international streaming service, but my NDA stops me from telling you which one. I suppose you could call them dirty rats for that, but it was nice to be part of a very long running cinematic universe set a long time ago, but quite far away Edit: it’s the only time I have ever been an extra

[@daviebananas1735]

I feel like you’re hinting that’s it’s Taxi! With James Cagney but I assume you’re not over 100. Only full with a famous rat scene (which ruins the film) I can think of is The Departed. Can you refuse to deny this?

[@LiveDonkeyDeadLion]

@@daviebananas1735 no, the rat is a reference to the company mascot

[@shanemurphy8682]

What defines an extra and/or their pay? Do ya have to have a line....watched shaun of the dead yesterday and the entire opening scene is ppl doing choreographed moves but no lines. Are you still an extra or something else?

[@DSQueenie]

Their contract defines if they are an extra. So long as they don’t speak they are usually still an extra but if you see them more than once (like in that Shaun of the dead scene where you see them as humans and then later zombies) they will be a normal actor.

[@KristineMaitland]

Depends. I was an extra once many moons ago in Toronto in a TV show called Doc starring Billy Rae Cyrus (I know, right?) Anyway, I was designated a special actor because I had a special skill (I'm a swing dancer). They paid me $350 for 6 hours of work (dancing on concrete is hell). Recommendations: 1) take several changes of clothes with you as these will not be supplied, especially if you are a large woman. 2) Take your own makeup with you. Go bare faced, but if you are of colour, you want to be prepared. 3) Keep your hair simple. It should match your headshot. Take, ties, Bobby pins, etc 4) Finally, if you are on the dole (employment insurance in Canada 🇨🇦 ) report your earnings immediately even if you don't get them until weeks later

[@MrFuzzyGreen]

You're an SA and largely remain silent for the purposes of preserving the clean dialogue of the main cast. If you are chosen to say a quick line then you become a Featured SA and get to claim more money for the day. You are however then scuppered for use in the rest of the show as now you've been seen interacting with main cast in a way that draws the eye and thus you're no longer pragmatically invisible. The only time that isn't the case is if you're wearing a mask in Scifi or something and can be recycled.

[@nagrom1720]

Hi you two. Love the show but please never throw an SA under the bus again. The lady SA on Doctor Strange messed up for sure. However you both know lots of other more professional and much higher paid people messed up to get that to the Final Cut. Lots of love.

[@dancrooksycamore]

That SA is Benedict Cumberbatch's mother, so I think she'll be OK...

[@Bananahammock681]

It's not hard, Strange is a good character but a poor LEAD character. My favourite moment in any Strange comic is something that made me think of Spider-man. There's a sweet elderly lady who gets a bus home every night, and once a week Strange goes to meet her at the stop just to have a chat with her while she waits. No mystic mumbo jumbo, no ulterior motive. Just basic human kindness.

[@phil1506]

Tut tut 12:09 lol

[@ashleyphotog]

HOW!, HOW can you miss out Pinky and the Brain in top 3 mice?

[@Elwaves2925]

Top Three Mice: Danger Mouse, Mighty Mouse, Jerry. That may change as I could easily swap Mighty Mouse for Speedy Gonzalez.

[@felinetherapy4782]

Danger Mouse! Thank you.

[@phillippowell7905]

Danger Mouse, Mighty Mouse & Speedy Gonzales in that order

[@CamMcGinn1981]

Richard is showing his age if he didn't mention The Brain. LOL

[@nbell63]

"Nostro- -"? Ohhh, *Richard* 😧 (🤭)

[@vvmmuu]

Noticing an extra behind Dr Strange?? It took me 13 mins to notice you had one fingernail not painted!! Is 9 your lucky number? 😀

[@danielleoliver1734]

Sorry, the best cartoon mice are without a doubt Bernard and Bianca from the Rescuers

[@davewilliams5357]

the biggest extra ever the guy who clucked his head on a door in star wars they now even have a noise to celebrate it lol

[@geezertechhead]

Cartoon mice and no mention of Pinky and the Brain 😕

[@CynicalRhys]

If Dangermouse hadn't been number one on that list you would have lost both a viewer/listener and a reader

[@andrewdimon2788]

Pinky and the Brain have to be in top 3 mice

[@firewoman2863]

Mighty Mouse!

[@RubbishGimpy]

That was a quick 30 min.

[@richardseedhouse4514]

What??? No room for Pinky or the Brain?

[@markpratten7295]

Jerry is such a better mouse 🐁 than ichy

[@jimrandall1739]

✌❤👍

[@gilessmith-x1y]

"background artist" is up there with the subway sandwich artist - no offence

[@andrewstedman6900]

Marina’s lost a nail 😮

[@kristagoalby7966]

Pigwigs!

[@mikal0461]

Absolute travesty Topo gigio 🐭

[@Fludded]

23:30 She completely misrepresents why it would not be reasonable to keep filming unflattering shots. This could prejudice the publics view of MPs (on both left and right) and would distract from the points being made. She has the gutter press attitude to it all. We know if they had a free hand at reaction shots it could misrepresent whats happening and he just bumbles a way in the background agreeing with everything. These entitled execs are the reason TV has become so shallow, dull and middle class.

[@daviebananas1735]

This is one if the most unhinged comments I’ve ever seen. The chat is about how LIMITED the shots are that are allowed to be shown is absurd in the modern era. It’s not about getting double chins. It’s about it not being so robotic and false compared to the reality of what is happening.