The Office UK is hailed as one of the best British sitcoms ever made.
And to an extent, they aren’t wrong. The show cleaned up a whole host of awards after it first aired on BBC2 back in 2001.
But after I watched the comedy show for the first time, I honestly couldn’t disagree more. The mockumentary, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, immediately received rave reviews from fans and critics alike.
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Even now, I remember my parents raving about it to all their friends. But being only five years old at the time, I missed out on the must-see show of the year.
So as the UK sitcom celebrates its 21st anniversary, I thought it was only right to indulge my journalistic curiosity and watch the award-winning show – and let’s just say I wish I never had.
Armed with a cup of tea and some Hobnobs, I finally sat down and watched the first episode. And it doesn’t take long before I’m cringing behind a pillow as we’re introduced to Ricky Gervais’ main character David Brent.
David immediately asserts himself as the people-pleasing boss of the small paper company Wenham Hogg. But despite his desperate need to be loved by everyone, he can’t help but make every social interaction uncomfortable for those around him.
As he attempts to win over his colleagues, we’re introduced to a fresh-faced Martin Freeman. I will admit he played the role of the office clown Tim Canterbury perfectly, who we quickly learn is pining over engaged receptionist Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis).
Sitting alongside him is the Assistant to the Regional Manager, Gareth Keenan (Mackenzie Crook) who is constantly the victim to Tim and Dawn’s cheeky antics. We soon get an insight into Tim’s light-hearted pranks when we see the infamous stapler in jelly joke.
At this point I breathed a sigh of relief. I was hoping that there would be some silliness to break up the harsh reality of some of the borderline racist and blatantly sexist jokes littered throughout the show.
Boy was I wrong. If anything, the show was too painful to watch in parts.
Gervais and Merchant certainly didn’t try shy away from the ugly truth of what office culture was like in the nineties. So much so that as a modern viewer, it’s not easy to watch.
David constantly says the wrong things at the worst time, which I understand is the point of the show. But I think my main issue with the character is that it lacks a lot of heart.
As a long-time fan of the US version, it’s like night and day comparing Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais’ version of the office boss. Steve Carell’s character is portrayed as the bumbling buffoon who is completely ignorant to a lot of the social cues and standards we hold ourselves to.
So, when his character does make a tasteless joke, I can forgive him because he often doesn’t understand the implication of his words. However, Ricky Gervais’ vision of the character skirts too close to the line between rude jokes and hurtful comments disguised as ‘banter’.
Therefore, when I watch David make discriminatory jokes, I don’t feel sorry for him - I loathe him. When David conducts and interview for a personal assistant, I can’t help but scream at Karen Roper (Nicola Cotter) to run for the hills.
In the uncomfortable scene, David asks what it was like going travelling during her gap year and “exploring herself”. He then asks her if she was travelling with a boyfriend and he practically lights up with glee when she reveals that she was travelling alone.
It’s extremely creepy and has all the makings of a horror film where the inappropriate boss takes advantage of his employee. But it only gets worse from there.
In another episode, David tells a horrific joke about the royal family playing 20 questions which pokes fun at a black man’s gentiles. Now I do understand that this was a different time when things like that would be said without a care in the world – but that doesn’t make it easier to watch.
It’s fair to say that time hasn’t been kind to the show, and these downright tasteless jokes have only aged it further. Moreover, a lot of his employees often don’t pull him up for his mistakes.
I only saw one instance when David was called out for blaming Tim for a cruel image circulating around the office. In the end it was ultimately his so called ‘friend’ Chris Finch (Ralph Ineson) who was behind the prank.
And his boss Jennifer (Stirling Gallacher) had to force an apology out of him through gritted teeth. He didn’t even get a laugh for it!
I appreciate that Ricky is shedding light on a lot of issues that were plaguing the workplace at the time, but I had to take a break from it at that point. After making another cup of tea and enjoying a light-hearted episode of Friends, I begrudgingly strapped myself in for the second series.
And as expected, more of the terrible jokes kept rolling in, but that isn’t to say that the show doesn’t have some funny moments. By the third episode, the show had pulled a giggle or two out of me.
Particularly when Gareth debuted his new phone holster or when David takes part in office role play. And I can totally see why this show loved by fans for its nostalgic qualities.
Seeing people use faxes and computers heavy enough to injure a small child does transport you back to another time. And some of the regionally specific jokes never fail to get a rise from the audience.
But some of the more bizarre references were the ones that got me in the end, especially when you hear the mention of Fray’s Bentos pies. Who even ate those?
They were even doing post-credit scenes decades before Marvel thought of it. It was definitely a groundbreaking show at the time, for many reasons.
But I fear fans may look back on The Office with rose-tinted glasses rather than accepting that a lot of the jokes are simply cruel 90 per cent of the time. We’ve come a long way since 2001 and unfortunately this show is only a poor reminder of that.
I would also argue that because the show is so concise, you don’t have time to fall in love with the characters despite their flaws. I know one of the things British sitcoms pride themselves on is not running for any longer than it needs to, but I think there was definitely room for growth with this show.
One continuous storyline which runs throughout the program is Tim and Dawn’s unspoken love for each other. But the pace the show moves at makes it hard to root for them to get together.
Maybe if I was watching the show at the time it aired, I would feel more passionately about their relationship. Back when fans would have to wait a week for each episode to drop and a further year for the second series to air.
By the time I got to the end of the second series, we finally get to see David stand up to Chris Finch and Dawn and Tim getting together. While many people walk away with a smile on their faces after binge-watching the popular show, for me it was the opposite.
Although you’re supposed to feel happy that all the loose ends are tied up, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Thank God that’s over’. I felt almost as emotionally drained as I would have had I actually worked in that office for two years.
Let’s just hope there are no plans for a reboot, eh? Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
