Keywords:
	British eccentricity Comedy of mannerisms Realism

STARRING:
Ricky Gervais -	David Brent
Martin Freeman -	Tim
Lucy Davis -	Dawn
Mackenzie Crook -	Gareth Keenan

Season

1 2 Christmas Special

Transmitted:	July 2001 - December 2003	Seasons:	2
Overall Rating:		Last Updated:	20th December 2009

I've got a confession to make. When this show first aired I absolutely refused to watch it. So many people were telling me I had to, I dug my heels in, got stubborn, and told them they were blinkered sheep following the mass media's brainwashing techniques, and they deserved to be starved of oxygen until it really, really hurt. And it pains me to concede, several years later, that I was entirely wrong. You all know the setup to this one: Ricky Gervais plays the worlds most irritating boss, self-deludedly believing that each of his employees is his best friend, and that he is witty, charismatic, and the life and soul of the workplace. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the earliest examples of arse clenching comedy - you know, the kind of comedy that makes you squirm with embarrassment as much as laugh out loud - this really took the premise of Chris Langham's excellent 'People Like Us' and expanded it to its logical conclusion. Some great characterisation, some geniune moments of comedic inspiration, this may now appear dated or generic, but it is only because so much TV is now influenced by it. Pioneers always seem jaded upon revisiting because the impersonators saturate the genre. A must watch.

Season 1	Season Rating:
Downsize	Brent's boss tells him that his store and another must merge. All he has to do is convince her he is the man for the job. A new temp arrives, and Brent wastes no time before behaving like an utter teat. A practical joke on Dawn backfires badly.
Work Experience	An email with a pornographic image of Brent is sent around the office. Gareth searches for the culprit. Brent's boss, Jennifer, demands to know what changes have been implemented to help her decide if the Slough office should stay open or be shut down. Inevitably, Brent has done nothing....except try to do The Moonwalk.
The Quiz	Brent becomes threatened when he discovers an employee may be more suited to pub quizzes than he. Chris Finch finally shows up, and turns out to be an utter wanker. The pub quiz night goes as well as expected, descending into a mindless,
Training	It's corporate training day, and Brent can't resist the urge to boast, totally overshadowing the trainer. Brent serenades the staff with self-penned acoustic guitar tracks. Dawn and Lee split up.
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New Girl	Brent and Co. head to Chasers, a stylish nightclub in Slough. Don't worry though, Chris Finch is around so things may well end in blows.
Judgement	Reluctantly, Brent has to start firing people. Jennifer arrives with news that some of the staff will have to be made redundant. Brent chooses to focus instead on the fact that he himself got promoted.
Season 2	Season Rating:
Episode 1	Jennifer's replacement, Neil Godwin arrives on the scene, a real threat to Brent who, inevitably, responds with an almighty bout of childishness. Several new ex-Swindon employees complain when Brent tells a racist joke.
Episode 2	Dawn starts to get jealous when Tim starts paying attention to a new girl from Swindon. When the Swindon lot tell Brent they prefer Neil as a boss, he insists on taking everyone for a lunch time drink to prove his entertainment value.
Episode 3	Brent is approached to deliver Corporate Training lectures. Dawn's jealousy develops into an obsession.
Episode 4	Brent finds out the staff have an offensive nickname for him. Godwin loses patience with Brent's sloppy approach to management. Brent delivers his Corporate Training lecture. Prepare to cringe.
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Episode 5	It's Comic Relief day in The Office. Christ help us all. Brent is excited when the local paper offer him a photo opportunity. Godwin informs Brent he must take redundancy.
Episode 6	Brent is interveiwed by a trade newspaper, and insists on speaking in the third person. Brent tries to convince the staff that they will miss him when he's gone. Tim ditches his girlfriend and turns down a promotion.
Christmas Special
Christmas Special Part 1 & 2	It's 3 years after the series was shot, and Gareth is now the boss, whilst David Brent is a travelling salesman. Brent decides to compose a personal ad to get a date for the Christmas party. Obviously, his own self image is pretty far removed from reality. Dawn's life in America is not all she dreamed of. Tim tries to play it cool when Dawn pays a surprise visit.