The Office Series Story: Cast, Episodes, UK Original and US Remake

Twenty-five years after David Brent first welcomed the cameras into Wernham Hogg, The Office is still the gold standard of cringe comedy. The anniversary was marked in July 2026 with a BBC Two special, Mackenzie Crook and Martin Freeman Remember... The Office, while Ricky Gervais released his own YouTube look back at his favourite Brent moments.

Meanwhile the American branch lives on through The Paper, the Peacock spin-off whose second season arrived in September 2026. Here is the story of a two-series sitcom from Slough that conquered the world. Find more favourites in our TV series collection.

The Office Fact File

Original run	9 July 2001-26 December 2003 (UK)
Created by	Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
Written and directed by	Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
Network	BBC Two; Christmas specials on BBC One
Main cast	Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis
Episodes	14 (two series of six plus a two-part Christmas special)
Setting	Wernham Hogg paper company, Slough Trading Estate
Filming location	Teddington Studios, south-west London
Adaptations	US version on NBC (2005-2013) plus versions in France, Germany, India, Australia and more
Status	Complete; US spin-off The Paper streaming on Peacock

Series Guide

Series/Season	Years	Episodes	Key note
UK Series 1	2001	6	BBC Two debut with low early ratings
UK Series 2	2002	6	Swindon merger and Brent's downfall
UK Christmas Specials	2003	2	Two-part finale on BBC One
US The Office	2005-2013	201	Nine seasons on NBC
The Paper	2025-2026	2 seasons	Peacock spin-off set at a Toledo newspaper

Episode counts are per original broadcast. The UK show ran for just 14 episodes, while the US remake ran for nine seasons.

Origins in Slough

Gervais and Merchant met at London radio station XFM, and the Brent character grew out of a short film Merchant made while on a BBC training course. The BBC commissioned a series, and in July 2001 viewers met the self-styled entertainer and his long-suffering staff: Tim, Gareth and receptionist Dawn. Shot single-camera with no laugh track, it played like a real fly-on-the-wall documentary, which is exactly why it hurt so much to watch.

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Behind the Scenes

The office set was built at Teddington Studios rather than in Slough itself. The first series drew low ratings and a famously poor BBC focus group score, but repeats doubled the audience and word of mouth did the rest. The theme tune was a version of Handbags and Gladrags. By the time the 2003 Christmas specials gave Tim and Dawn their long-awaited moment, the show had become a national treasure.

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The US Adaptation

Greg Daniels developed the American version for NBC, swapping Slough for the Dunder Mifflin branch in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Steve Carell led a cast including Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and B. J. Novak. It debuted in March 2005, ran for 201 episodes until May 2013, and was mostly filmed at a studio in Van Nuys, California. Gervais even made a cameo as Brent.

Spin-Offs and Latest News

Back home, Gervais revived Brent for the 2016 film David Brent: Life on the Road. In the US, Greg Daniels and Michael Koman created The Paper, which premiered on Peacock in September 2025 with Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, plus Oscar Nunez reprising Oscar Martinez. Season 2 arrived on 9 September 2026.

Awards

The Office (UK)

BAFTA TV Awards for Best Situation Comedy
Two Golden Globes in 2004: Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy), a first for a British show, and Best Actor for Gervais

The Office (US)

Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series (2006)
Four Primetime Emmys in total

Legacy and Influence

The format has been sold to broadcasters in more than 80 countries and remade from France's Le Bureau to Germany's Stromberg and a 2024 Australian version. Its awkward pauses and glances to camera shaped a generation of mockumentary comedy.

FAQs

Where was The Office UK filmed?

The office scenes were filmed at Teddington Studios in south-west London, although the story is set on the Slough Trading Estate.

How many episodes of The Office UK are there?

There are 14: two series of six episodes plus a two-part Christmas special.

Who stars in The Office?

The UK original stars Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook and Lucy Davis. The US version stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.