The Office UK, DVD TV O3261
I’d argue that most people here in Canada or in the United States are most familiar with the American version of The Office, but before that there was this series, from the UK, which ran from 2001-2003 (in typical English style, the show consisted of two seasons of only six episodes each, plus a Christmas special).
Ricky Gervais plays David Brent, the awkward, inappropriate, desperate-to-be-funny manager of theSloughbranch of the Wernham Hogg paper company (“Life is stationery”). Gareth is his lanky, self-important, overly serious assistant manager who is constantly bringing up his training with the Territorial Army. He’s the frequent victim of pranks by his deskmate Tim (American counterpart: Jim), a sales rep who struggles to keep his sense of humour in an office environment he sees as totally pointless and soul-sucking.
Most of the series focuses on David’s utterly cringe-worthy attempts to ingratiate himself to his staff: he makes jokes that aren’t funny, backpedals when he’s called out on his gaffes, makes constant unconscious sexist and racist remarks, and generally makes people uncomfortable. It’s filmed in a mock-documentary style, so often a lot of the humour comes from the contrast between what people say about themselves in their individual interviews and how they actually act out in the office.
This series is much less zany or goofy than its American version. The awkwardness gets laughs, but a lot of the time the social exchanges highlight embarrassingly outdated attitudes or unintended rudeness that can be just as infuriating as it is comedic. Most of the time, as I was watching, I both felt irritated by David’s mortifying gaffes and pitied his pathetic inability to form friendships or romantic attachments. It was a curious blend. The series has a sort of poignancy to it, not only in David’s failures, but in the portrayal of office life as a dead end where several of the characters’ aspirations died. There is also a very sweet storyline that runs through both seasons having to do with the relationship between Tim and Dawn, the receptionist.
Both versions of The Office are great TV, but they are very different, and I’m most drawn to the mix of pity and outrage that this one stirs up.
Posted by Kayleigh, Desk Staff
