There used to be a theory that one didn't make sitcoms about telly because it was too inward looking and the viewers wouldn't be interested. That all seems to have changed these days, with even ITV getting in on the act with sunny soap Echo Beach and the behind-the-scenes comedy Moving Wallpaper. Viewing figures aren't great and reviews haven't been great either, but ITV has at least been applauded for trying something different.

Except that how different is it? Apart from an obvious debt to Extras (and, of course, America's Larry Sanders Show), ITV has actually been here before, except that no-one but me seems to remember watching it. In 2000 Michael Barrymore played troubled game show host Bob Martin. Each week, aided and abetted by Keith Allen and Denis Lawson, this neurotic prima donna – BM, not MB – had different problems on his fictional show-within-a-show. One week, for instance, he had a huge tantrum when he thought a contestant had been cheating to win a car. Looking back on it now, Barrymore's Martin, forever on the brink of meltdown, and Gervais's Andy Millman in the Extras Xmas Special had more in common than initially met the eye. For both of them fame was not everything it was cracked up to be.

What was also notable about Bob Martin was the inclusion of celebrities such as Jamie Theakston playing versions of themselves. In one episode, a young unknown Rob Brydon played a scary contestant with stalkerish tendencies who would not leave Dani Behr alone.

Bob Martin seems to have been weirdly written out of telly history. Partly because of the Barrymore fall-out, but also because it was overshadowed by the rise of Ricky Gervais, which suddenly made it look very old-fashioned. The last episode went out in June 2001, less than a month before the first episode of The Office. And as far as I know it has never been available on DVD.

I interviewed Stephen Merchant before Christmas and asked him if Bob Martin was an influence on Extras. He said he was aware of it, but was not that familiar with it. Not that I'm saying for a moment that he and Gervais copied it, in fact I'm sure they didn't. But as an ardent comedy fan I was surprised Merchant didn't remember more about it.

As for the creators of Bob Martin, they didn't do so badly anyway. Jeff Pope is a successful producer, while Bob Mills – who had already had a couple of decent bashes at subverting the telly formula with the much-missed In Bed With Medinner and the very Larry Sanders-ish The Show – went on to co-write Tim Spall's award-winning movie Pierrepoint. As for that Michael Barrymore though, whatever did ever happen to him?