Stars set to shine in new Gervais series

Screen stars Samuel L Jackson, Ben Stiller and Kate Winslet have been recruited by British comic Ricky Gervais to feature in his eagerly-awaited new series Extras.

The Office creator and star approached the celebrities last year with his co-writer Stephen Merchant before they started work on the scripts because they didn't want to risk writing parts for stars who hadn't committed to the project.