Have you ever worked for a boss who thought he was the funniest man alive? Have you ever been stuck next to some jobworth who sucks the life out of you? Have you ever been secretly in love with someone? Did you tell them how you felt? Well the cast of Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant's fantastically embarrassing mockumentary The Office have.

In just twelve episodes (two series) and two Christmas specials Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant have crafted a brilliantly funny but embarrassing comedy that charters several days in the lives of the workers at a paper company. From the outset it is clear that The Office is like no comedy series that has gone before (especially as there was a gap in the market for decent comedy when this was released) and although very different and very funny indeed it is not a classic like the likes of Only Fools and Horses, or Porridge. It is however; very unique and quite memorable for how different it is. While not solely relying on in your face… more »

Have you ever worked for a boss who thought he was the funniest man alive? Have you ever been stuck next to some jobworth who sucks the life out of you? Have you ever been secretly in love with someone? Did you tell them how you felt? Well the cast of Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant's fantastically embarrassing mockumentary The Office have.

In just twelve episodes (two series) and two Christmas specials Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant have crafted a brilliantly funny but embarrassing comedy that charters several days in the lives of the workers at a paper company. From the outset it is clear that The Office is like no comedy series that has gone before (especially as there was a gap in the market for decent comedy when this was released) and although very different and very funny indeed it is not a classic like the likes of Only Fools and Horses, or Porridge. It is however; very unique and quite memorable for how different it is. While not solely relying on in your face humour, The Office can be very subtle at times and at others the comedy drains from the atmosphere and the story actually becomes quite serious, yet it is so well written and acted that this seriousness of the story can be very engaging or moving, especially for fans of the Tim and Dawn reunion.

The show also boasts a great cast too, with Ricky Gervais heading up the show as the embarrassingly funny company boss David Brent who tries to be that kid in the classroom that the other members feel they have been lumbered with, the same goes for Mackenzie Crook's obsessed Gareth Keenan. Lucy Davis and Martin Freeman play the office's golden couple while there are some great guest appearances by Ralph Ineson (as; Chris Finch), Stirling Gallacher (as; Jennifer Taylor-Clarke), Patrick Baladi (as Brent's rival Neil Godwin) and Steven Merchant - Gervais' co-writer - as a man called "The Oggmonster". Highlights include; the training day, Brent "faking high blood pressure as a way of not getting promoted, the quiz, Keith's appraisal and of course that brilliant ending in the Christmas specials, although there are loads more. A brilliant comedy series from the turn of the millennium that certainly got the credit it deserves, even if it is not to some people's liking, that is well worth a look at and is much better than Extras (Gervais and Merchant's succeeding project) and it is certainly Ricky at his best.