Which office came first

Two decades since that first episode, the show is still finding new fans — even though its premise of a life lived day in, day out in the same office block now feels like it's describing a slightly bygone era. When Merchant later started a trainee producer course at the BBC, the pair collaborated on a short comedy film, Seedy Boss , for part of his coursework — which later became the basis for The Office. Workplace comedies were nothing new, but Merchant and Gervais were trying something different, a sitcom that was filmed like a documentary.

No laughter track, shaky handheld cameras — and a cast that looked like people you might actually sit next to at work. The mockumentary format was common in film — Spinal Tap was an influence when creating The Office — but it was yet to take off in TV comedy, and the pair specifically wanted to spoof the real-life docusoaps that were popular at the time, shows like Driving School and Airport, that were giving "normal" people their 15 minutes of fame. Both writers had experienced working in offices — but especially Gervais, who was in his late 30s when The Office was made and whose previous jobs included entertainment manager for the University of London Union.

He had years of observational material to draw on — especially for regional manager David Brent — famously a friend first, boss second, entertainer third. The series celebrated the monotony and drudgery of the 9 to 5 Credit: BBC.

Expectations were low — especially as, according to Merchant, test audiences had given it the second lowest score ever "second only to women's lawn bowls", he says — and ratings were too at first, but the show became a word-of-mouth sensation and by the time the second series aired in , they had a hit on their hands. The show broke records when it was released on DVD. So why did a sitcom intent on capturing the bleak, relentless monotony of everyday life elicit such affection?

Aside from the obvious — it's painfully funny and eminently quotable — it also has a heart, specifically Tim and Dawn's will-they, won't-they romance, which rom-com king Richard Curtis called "one of the greatest romantic stories of all time".

The documentary style allowed the audience an intimate connection, too. With characters moderating their behaviour or in Brent's case, amplifying it for the cameras, actions often spoke louder than words. There were long, painfully awkward silences, furtive glances and stifled smiles. The Office honed in on the things that get you through the day — winding up a colleague or the brush of a shoulder from your office crush.

In any other show, these would be minor incidents — here, they felt monumental. The show premiered in It became a pop culture phenomenon and won many awards, such as one Golden Globe and four Primetime Emmys.

The series also ran for nine seasons long before going off the air in First seen: Season one, episode one as Dunder Mifflin's receptionist who's always dealing with Michael's antics and flirting with Jim — even though she's engaged to her high-school sweetheart, Roy Anderson. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a wife and mother bittersweetly leaving Scranton to move to Austin, Texas, with the love of her life, Jim, and their two young children.

First seen: Season one, episode one as a straight-laced accountant with rigorous religious beliefs. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as Dwight's wife and the mother to their child — who she revealed was actually Dwight's and not Robert Lipton's on the penultimate episode.

First seen: Season one, episode one as a sluggish salesman growing increasingly annoyed with Michael Scott and counting down the days to retirement. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a blissful retiree in Florida who reunites with his coworkers for the documentary events and Dwight and Angela's wedding.

First seen: Season one, episode one as a saleswoman working alongside Stanley. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 still as a Dunder Mifflin employee. She attended all the documentary press events with her coworkers and even carried Angela down the aisle at her wedding after she was injured at her bachelorette party. First seen: Season one, episode one as an accountant working alongside Angela and Kevin.

Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 still working as an accountant, but he also announced in the finale that he was running for state senate in Pennsylvania. First seen: Season one, episode one as a big-hearted employee faking his way through the accounting department. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a bar owner, which he bought after Dwight fired him from Dunder Mifflin. He also celebrated the documentary with his coworkers. First seen: Season one, episode one as a temp for Dunder Mifflin.

He soon began a toxic, on-again, off-again relationship with his coworker, Kelly Kapoor. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a washed-up Dunder Mifflin employee running away from his responsibilities with Kelly. But he reappeared for Dwight and Angela's wedding on the series finale with a baby he was raising on his own — which he abandoned to run away with Kelly. First seen: Season one, episode two as an employee who slaps Michael Scott after he makes a racist joke at her expense.

She returned on the series finale for the wedding and rekindled her long-time attraction to Ryan. First seen: Season one, episode two as a background character with very few lines.

She later became a series regular who constantly stole the spotlight with her wild antics. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a healthier, friendlier employee who had evidently been working on her PhD in psychology this whole time. First seen: Season one, episode one as an uncredited Dunder Mifflin employee who appeared in the background of scenes.

Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a fugitive being escorted away by police for a list of decade-spanning crimes after spending a nice evening celebrating the documentary with his former Dunder Mifflin employees. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a lost soul attending the documentary festivities and the wedding after being fired from his job at the company.

Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a former Dunder Mifflin employee who finally learned how to be comfortable in his own skin after suffering a series of personal and professional failures. Attending the wedding and documentary events made him look back fondly at his time with the company. First seen: Season one, episode four as a warehouse worker who silently witnesses one of Jim's pranks on Dwight. He went on to become a series regular. Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a sports marketer heading back to Austin, Texas, after the wedding to continue his burgeoning career with Jim's company.

Last seen: Season nine, episode 23 as a panelist at the documentary press event who reunites with her biological parents after a lifelong search. She then attends Dwight and Angela's wedding and is seen dancing with Pete, who she is seemingly still dating.

First seen: Season six, episode 15 as the coordinating director for Sabre, a company that bought out Dunder Mifflin. Paul Lieberstein also double as chief writers for the show. When your supporting characters are writing countless episodes for the series, it's inevitable that they're going to expand the depth of supporting cast members. Both Pam and Dawn are slightly downtrodden, girl-next-door types who are both stuck in dead-end receptionist positions and allowing their dreams to fall by the wayside, but how are they different?

Unlike Americans, who crave change, the Brits don't care for it and enjoy making fun of the status quo.

As a result, Dawn's character is much less assertive and remains bound to her life as a receptionist throughout the entire length of the show. Pam, however, has an almost butterfly-like transition from an under-appreciated, insecure office worker to a self-confident, successful woman.

In the UK version, Tim is a true underdog who lives with his parents and has a fair amount of good looks but not too much. He performs well at work, but his dreams remain lackluster and isn't particularly motivated. America, on the other hand, couldn't have Pam's main love interest still living with his parents! That would make him a loser, and we can't have that.

As a result, Jim Halpert was made into a "better catch" for American audiences and for Pam. Dwight Schrute is a perfect example of an American supporting character taking on a life of his own.

Dwight's character is annoying, for sure, but he's also one of the stand-out members of the show because of his hilarious antics, strange Amish-like background, and amusing one-liners. Gareth, on the other hand, is more realistic and therefore less exciting. Unlike Dwight, Gareth is that annoying, glorified errand boy who actually does work in your office. He's a calculated and clueless military brat who believes everything in the office should be run according to his specifications. He's always right and you're always wrong.

Yep, you've met someone like him before There's another big reason why the side characters are better developed in the American version of The Office : the sheer length of the show. A total of episodes of The Office were aired over nine seasons in the United States.

Crazy, right? In comparison, there were only 12 episodes of the British version and two specials. Unlike the American version, there were no satisfying or happy endings to be had when it was over. Yep, things continued to go on in the office just like they always had, but that's life, isn't it? It probably won't surprise you to find out that the American version of The Office had a much bigger budget than the UK version, which led to a bunch of guest appearances from some big-name stars, including Idris Elba, Will Ferrell, Amy Ryan, Kathy Bates, and Rashida Jones.

Ricky Gervais even appeared and played his own character, David Brent, where he once befriended Michael Scott outside of an elevator and then applied for a job to Dunder Mifflin.