Not since Monty Python's Flying Circus has a British comedy series had such an impact on popular culture, not least the fact that it survived the inevitable American re-imagining (a rare case of a remake that is as good as the original). It's forever part of English society - not bad for a low-key project that debuted on BBC 2 with not-so-spectacular ratings, not to mention starring a group of unknown people. Chief amongst them is Ricky Gervais, now one of the hottest names in contemporary comedy.
As established from the opening shot of the first episode, the show is a mockumentary, whose premise has a BBC camera crew filming the everyday lives of people working in an office. The building they have chosen is the Slough branch of paper company Wernham Hogg. Events are followed with great precision, and occasionally accompanied by "talking heads" comments on behalf of the staff. The majority of the remarks come from David Brent (Gervais), the regional manager, who sees himself as a great boss and entertainer, whereas everyone else, minus his assistant Gareth Keenan (MacKenzie Crook), sees him as a rude, sexist idiot (which he is).
This character trait is clearly defined from the get-go, as the series begins with David learning from his boss, Jennifer Taylor-Clark (Stirling Gallacher), whom he "lovingly" refers to as Camilla Parker Bowles, tells him his branch might incorporate its Swindon counterpart, or vice versa, depending on various factors. David refuses to accept the possibility that he and his colleagues could lose their jobs and therefore carelessly promises everyone nothing will happen. Not that some people are that concerned: salesman Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman) and his best friend, receptionist Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis), are too busy pulling pranks on Gareth.
The defining characteristic of The Office is the fact that it doesn't play out like a normal sitcom: there's no laugh track (unheard of at the time for British audiences, while Americans were already partially used to it thanks to M*A*S*H and Sports Night) and no broad humor at all. All jokes present are as dry and cynical as possible, save for a few "mainstream" spats between Tim and Gareth. The cruel "practical joke" David makes at Dawn's expense is the perfect embodiment of the show's philosophy: it wants to depict the harsh reality of life in an office, whether what it has to offer is pleasant or not. In a way, we laugh because we don't want to cry. Then again, with Gervais around, what other choice is there? His characterization of Brent is real and shocking, but also consistently amusing - a TV legend from the first moment he opened his mouth.
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