Darren Lamb is a fictional theatrical agent portrayed by Stephen Merchant on the BBC Two television sitcom Extras, written and directed by both Merchant and his frequent collaborator Ricky Gervais. He is a frequent object of ridicule on the show, largely due to his hideous incompetence at his job.
He is utterly incapable of breaking an act, and his usual negotiating tactic is to simply agree with whatever anyone else says, or suggest someone other than his client for the part. He's very good at deducting his 12.5% commission despite frequently having done nothing to contribute to his act's success. For example, in series two episode two, whilst in the pub, he asks for £27.50 from Barry for the £220 he was paid for fixing someone's gutter, despite having no involvement in getting him the job. He can often be seen begging for this type of payment. His lack of professional skills is typified by the occasion he inadvertently left his office phone unplugged for two days without noticing. He is also known to make inappropriate remarks at the least helpful of times. Lamb works part-time at the Carphone Warehouse, but in Episode 4 of Series 2, he mentions he only works on Saturdays while "Narinda" is pregnant.
Despite these (and more) overwhelming examples of incompetence, Lamb is nevertheless the agent of the series' protagonist, the long-suffering Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais), who is more than aware of his agent's utter uselessness but nevertheless feels compelled to retain him out of a slightly perverse mixture of loyalty and pity. Lamb is also the agent of Shaun Williamson, formerly "Barry Evans" from the popular British soap opera EastEnders, who left the show in order to seek wealthier pastures. As Lamb is his agent, Williamson's efforts were spectacularly unsuccessful, and it is perhaps indicative of Williamson's chances of future success that even Lamb doesn't seem to know his name, referring to him merely as "Barry off EastEnders" or simply "Barry" in reference to his character and sometimes deviations of this, such as "Barr", "B" or even "Barbie". By series two, Barry has effectively become Lamb's personal assistant.
In episode six of the second series, an increasingly frustrated Millman threatens to sack Lamb after he is caught masturbating in his office. However, Lamb manages to arrange a meeting between Millman and his hero Robert De Niro, with the indication given that he managed to keep his job as a result.
Lamb does not have a regular girlfriend and his rather crude way of chatting up women (as seen in episode two of series two) means few have any wish to fulfil his sexual desires.
