'' The Office'' is a British sitcom that was originally broadcast by the BBC in the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2003 as the original series of '' The Office''. The television programme was created and written by

Ricky Gervais Ricky Dene Gervais ( ; born 25 June 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and director. He co-created, co-wrote, and acted in the British television sitcoms ''The Office'' (2001–2003), '' Extras'' (2005–2007), and '' An Idiot Abroad' ...

and Stephen Merchant; the former also played the main character, manager David Brent. The series is set in the

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

office of a fictional paper merchant, Wernham Hogg, and is presented in a mockumentary format depicting the everyday lives of its employees. Brent tries to be a friend and an entertainer as well as a boss, and is often annoying as a result. His sycophantic assistant Gareth Keenan ( Mackenzie Crook) annoys and is often pranked by sales representative Tim Canterbury ( Martin Freeman), whose relationship with receptionist

Dawn Tinsley ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

( Lucy Davis) is a major story arc, despite her engagement to warehouse worker Lee ( Joel Beckett). Minor characters include droning and crass office worker Keith Bishop ( Ewen MacIntosh), Brent's brash and sexist friend

Chris Finch Chris Finch may refer to: * Chris Finch (basketball) Chris Finch (born November 6, 1969) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the current head coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Assoc ...

( Ralph Ineson) and Brent's bosses Jennifer Taylor-Clarke (

Stirling Gallacher Deborah Ann Stirling Gallacher (born 30 November 1970) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as George Woodson in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'' and Paula Martin in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Career Gallacher played ...

) and later Neil Godwin ( Patrick Baladi). The programme ran for two series of six half-hour episodes each: the first aired from July to August 2001, and the second from September to November 2002. A two-part Christmas special aired on 26 and 27 December 2003. There are 14 episodes in total. Series 1 and 2 were originally broadcast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

, but the Christmas episodes were moved to BBC One to increase viewership following the previous series' popularity. Both series, as well as the Christmas specials, have been released on DVD in Regions 1, 2 and 4. The programme has won numerous awards, including two British Comedy Awards and two

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

. ''The Office'' has also been remade in several countries, of which the American adaptation has been the most popular and longest-running. Episodes were shot on tape, then filmized in post-production to achieve the documentary-type atmosphere. The deleted scenes on the DVDs are presented raw, pre-filmization.

Series overview

Episodes

Series 1 (2001)

Series 2 (2002)

Christmas specials (2003)

After the conclusion of the second series, creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant stated that no more series would be filmed. However, they did write and film two additional episodes, 45 and 50 minutes in duration, which first aired in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 26 December (

Boxing Day Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Though it originated as a holiday to give gifts to the poor, today Boxing Day is primarily known as a shopping holiday. It ...

) and 27 December 2003.

''The Return of Brent'' (2013)

As part of Red Nose Day 2013 and to celebrate ten years since the end of ''The Office'', a one-off special

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

episode catches up with David, the former manager of the Slough branch of Wernham Hogg Paper Merchants.

References

External links

* List of * List of * * {{The Office UK Office, The (British TV series) Office, The