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The Office is the original British mockumentary television sitcom first broadcast in the UK on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it follows the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. Gervais also starred in the series as central character David Brent. Two six-episode series were made, followed by 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 and channels such as BBC Prime, BBC America, and BBC Canada, it 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. It was shown in the United States on BBC America from 2001 to 2016, and later on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim from 2009 to 2011. The show centres on themes of social clumsiness, the trivialities of human behaviour, self-importance and conceit, frustration, desperation and fame. Its success led to a number of localised adaptations (based on its basic story and themes) produced for the television markets of other nations, creating an international Office franchise, including the successful and Emmy-winning American remake on NBC starring Steve Carell as David Brent's counterpart, Michael Scott. Premise The show is a mockumentary based in a branch of a large paper company called Wernham Hogg (where "life is stationery"), in the Slough Trading Estate in Berkshire. Slough is a large town immortalised for its lack of appeal by John Betjeman in his poem "Slough" ("Come, friendly bombs and fall on Slough/It isn't fit for humans now..."). The office is headed by general manager David Brent (Gervais), aided by his team leader and Assistant to the Regional Manager Gareth Keenan, played by Mackenzie Crook. Much of the series's comedic success stems from Brent, who frequently makes attempts to win favour with his employees and peers with embarrassing or disastrous results. Brent's character flaws are used to comic effect, including numerous verbal gaffes, inadvertent racism and sexism, and other social faux pas. The other main plot line of the series concerns the unassuming Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman) and his relationship with bored receptionist Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis). Their flirtation soon builds to a mutual romantic attraction, despite her engagement to dour and controlling warehouse worker Lee (Joel Beckett). Cast and characters Main Ricky Gervais as David Brent:The general manager of the Slough branch of Wernham Hogg paper merchants. Immature and arrogant, he believes he is a lovable rogue in the business world and a Renaissance man, talented in philosophy, music and comedy. Although he thinks he is funny, caring and respected, others perceive him as annoying, insensitive and embarassing. His lack of awareness regarding his ineptitude, lack of trust from colleagues, constant need of approval, and his constant shenanigans that land him in trouble are the driving plot points of the series. Martin Freeman as Tim Canterbury:A sales representative at Wernham Hogg. Unlike David, Tim is friendly and has a good sense of humour. His antics and charm make him one of the most likeable employees in the office, but at 30 he still lives with his parents and is unhappy with his life. During Series One and Two, he also fails to further pursue a relationship with Dawn. Chosen as David's successor at the end of Series Two, he declines and lets Gareth take the position. Mackenzie Crook as Gareth Keenan:Tim's vindictive deskmate and enemy. Gareth is a cold-hearted jobsworth. He takes pride in being "Team Leader", not realising his title is meaningless, and he imposes the little authority he has on his co-workers. Lucy Davis as Dawn Tinsley:The company receptionist and Brent's dogsbody. She frequently has to put up with his attempts at humour and social interaction. Like her friend and co-worker Tim, she is aware of the miserable state of her life – she has been in an unhappy engagement with her fiancé Lee, a boorish warehouse worker, and gave up illustrating children's books to pursue her current career. During the Christmas special, Dawn and Lee return from their illegally prolonged US vacation. She finally leaves Lee for Tim, after he encourages her to hold on to her dream of being a children's book illustrator, an ambition which Lee sought to put down at every opportunity. Recurring Introduced in Series 1 Stirling Gallacher as Jennifer Taylor-Clarke:Previously Brent's immediate superior in Series one. At the end of series one, she is made a partner in the firm, with Neil Godwin becoming David's immediate superior in series two. Oliver Chris as Ricky Howard:Introduced as Brent's new temp in the pilot, and a recent graduate. He was prominently featured in episode three, where he and Tim form a team for trivia night. The two end up winning, successfully answering a tie-breaker question on Shakespeare against Finch. Ralph Ineson as Chris "Finchy" Finch:A boorish and bullying sales representative. David describes him as his "best friend" but his attempts to impress Finch are invariably repaid with mockery and insults. In the Christmas Special, David finally stands up to Chris. Patrick Baladi as Neil Godwin:Brent's counterpart at the Swindon branch and eventually his immediate superior. He is young, suave, handsome and hard-working, a more successful manager than Brent, and respected by his staff. Ewen MacIntosh as Keith Bishop: Keith works in the accounts department. Joel Beckett as Lee: Dawn's fiancé who works in the company's warehouse. She met him in school and they have been together ever since. Lee is humourless, dull, and controlling. He often undermines and embarrasses Dawn, and is dismissive of her ideas of being an illustrator. His idea of a romantic proposal was a four-word notice in the newspaper — "Lee love Dawn. Marriage?" It is clear from an early stage that she stays with him out of a fear of loneliness rather than real love. David Schaal as Glynn, also known as Taffy: The misogynistic, sexist warehouse manager at the company and Lee's supervisor. Robin Hooper as Malcolm: An older staff member, he is worried about the prospect of redundancies and often challenges Brent's handling of the situation. David alternates between bothering him with heavy-handed attempts at "humour" and coldly dismissing him. In a Series 1 scene, David assures two workers who are standing near Malcolm that their jobs are safe and deliberately says nothing to Malcolm. Sally Bretton as Donna: Introduced in Series 1, episode 2 as the daughter of Brent's friends Ron and Elaine, who has come to work at the office. She soon starts a relationship with Ricky. Nicola Cotter .... Discover the Rod Gervais popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Rod Gervais books.