The Office is a British television mockumentary sitcom first broadcast in the UK on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme follows the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. Gervais also stars in the series, playing the central character David Brent.
Two six-episode series were made, along with a two-part Christmas special. When it was first shown on BBC Two, ratings were relatively low, but it has since become one of the most successful of all British comedy exports. As well as being shown internationally on BBC Worldwide, channels such as BBC Prime, BBC America, and BBC Canada, the series has been sold to broadcasters in over 80 countries, including ABC1 in Australia, The Comedy Network in Canada, TVNZ in New Zealand, and the pan-Asian satellite channel Star World, based in Hong Kong. The show was first shown in the United States on BBC America in 2003, and later on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim from 2009 to 2012.
The show centres on themes of social clumsiness, the trivialities of human behaviour, self-importance and conceit, frustration, desperation and fame. The success of The Office led to a number of localised adaptations (based upon its basic story and themes) being produced for the television markets of other nations, resulting in an international Office franchise, including the successful and Emmy-winning American remake on NBC starring Steve Carell as David Brent's counterpart, Michael Scott.
Cast and characters[]
- Ricky Gervais - David Brent
- Martin Freeman - Tim Canterbury
- Mackenzie Crook - Gareth Keenan
- Lucy Davis - Dawn Tinsley
- Stirling Gallagher - Jennifer Taylor-Clarke
- Oliver Chris - Ricky Howard
- Ralph Ineson - Chris Finch
- Patrick Baladi - Neil Godwin
- Stacey Roca - Rachel
- Elizabeth Berrington - Anne
International versions[]
| Country | Name | Network(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | La Job | Bell Satellite TV, Ici Radio-Canada Télé, Ici ARTV |
| Chile | La ofis | Canal 13 |
| Czech Republic | Kancl | ČT1 |
| Finland | Konttori | Nelonen |
| France | Le Bureau | Canal+ |
| Germany | Stromberg | ProSieben |
| Greece | TBA | ANT1 |
| India | The Office | Hotstar |
| Israel | המשרד HaMisrad |
yes Comedy |
| Poland | The Office PL | Canal+ Premium |
| Saudi Arabia | Al Maktab | MBC |
| Sweden | Kontoret | TV4 |
| United States | The Office | NBC |
International broadcast[]
| Country | Network(s) | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BBC Two, BBC One | The Office |
| International | BBC Prime | |
| Asia | Star World | |
| Australia | ABC1 | |
| Canada | BBC Canada, The Comedy Network | |
| France | Cinéfaz, Canal+ | |
| Germany | Sat.1 Comedy, MagentaTV | |
| Italy | Jimmy | |
| New Zealand | TVNZ | |
| United States | BBC America, Adult Swim | |
| Croatia | HRT | U uredu |
| Finland | YLE | Konttori |
| Israel | BBC Entertainment, Star World | המשרד |
| Japan | WOWOW | ジ・オフィス |
| Poland | BBC Entertainment | Biuro |