Just a quick question: How old is the intern living with David during the first season (I'll be damned if I can remeber the name) supposed to be? Gareth's nasty little couplet implies that she's 16, but she looked and acted much older than that.

I just finished watching the finale and I just have to echo everyone else's sentiments - what an amazing finish!

I was so bugged by Neil's stupid comments about David bringing a date to the party. Don't you wish David told Neil to fuck off instead of Finchy?

I wish we saw more Gareth too! Though I was cringing through the whole "For those of you who remember her...or liked her...Dawn Tinsley will be back" speech. I find it a bit weird how he went from being David's biggest fan to making fun of him and his single, and it was a bit heartbreaking when he said "I found out that nobody respected David." Awww...

And though I read spoilers beforehand, I still ended up bawling like a baby at the whole Dawn/Tim/cab/paints part of the show! I can't wait to watch this part over and over again! You gotta wonder - how the hell did she tell off Lee? Thank God they didn't show us that part, though!

Other good Tim/Dawn moments were:
- Every time Tim was embarrassed to reflect on asking Dawn out
- Tim calling Dawn his "ray of sunshine"
- All the times Dawn and Tim shared an awkward, but meaningful "friendly" hug (I counted at least 3 times)
- When Tim was saying goodbye and he said "Well, uh, have a nice life." and Dawn said "Nice life? Keep in touch!" Awww...that was sad :(
- And if you watch the ending numerous times, you can get extra happy at how happy they were that they finally got together - like, when Tim sort of kisses Dawn on the forehead when they're getting together for the group pic


And finally, I just can't believe The Office is no more :(

Okay, I'm a little late to the party here but did they air the specials yet? And it looks like BBCA isn't showing Series 2 anymore? I missed the first few!

I can't bring myself to read any of the spoilers...I won't be seeing it until BBCA shows it...

The last two pages have been nothing but black bars. Is there any reason to come back here...

I just want 3 things in life.

Series Two on DVD.
Christmas Specials on BBCA.
And the Christmas Specials on DVD.

Okay, okay just two things...If you give me the Christmas Specials on DVD now I don't need it on BBCA too.

Not yet on BBCA, and I'm not sure when they'll be bringing it here. Some people mentioned January, but it looks doubtful. I hope they don't keep everyone waiting until Christmas NEXT year!


I checked the schedule for an aunt of mine that doesn't have BBCA - it seems that it will begin airing again on Jan 16th, and it will stick with Fridays at 9:20pm for the time slot, rather than Sundays.

A friend that has cable taped the final two episodes for me. Wheeee!

I have both dvds and I love this show. I wish it wasn't over.

I didn't find these two episodes nearly as funny as the others. I think the main squirmishness of the show (which made it funny) was Brent being in a position of power. Take that away from him and it just isn't as funny, it's pathetic rather than cringeworthy in a funny way.

There was not nearly enough Gareth as discussed upthread. The whole Tim/Gareth relationship wasn't nearly as funny when they weren't sitting oposite eachother anymore. And Gareth losing respect for David was realistic but not funny.

But I still loved it and lapped every precious Office minute up. There were lots of things to love, like David's single and the internet dating. The pregnant lady was very funny too, but it grated on me that those minutes could have been between Gareth and Tim.

My favourite Tim moments were all those little half smiles when he is discussing Dawn. He just couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought of her. I absolutley adored that Tim and Dawn were right back into taking the piss out of Gareth, and the fact that Lee wrecked it was the moment I really really prayed that Dawn would end up with Tim.

I was in the same boat with the ending, I thought, well that's it then. Bloody typical a realistic ending...then I was all awwwww when she walked back in!

They're coming out over here in the UK at Easter. I read an interview with Ricky Gervais somewhere or other where he was asked what he was currently working on, and he said that one of the things was the DVD for the Christmas specials , trying to get it ready for an Easter release. He said a load of stuff about how he and Stephen Merchant literally do everything for the DVDs (the extra features, the graphics etc) pretty much by themselves with the help of a technical guy, so it takes a while. Also, he said some stuff about why he thinks its important to include extra features when you're selling a DVD of a low-budget television show so as to provide value for money. So we'll definitely have some more deleted scenes or outtakes or documentary-type things or maybe even all three to look forward to. Yay.

Thank you for the info...good to here that the Christmas Specials won't be a long wait for you guys which hopefully means there will be quick releases in the US.

Something else that I thought was a nice touch was just how nice David's Christmas Party date went. I prayed that it would go well, and she really seemed to like him, probably b/c he was being himself for once. Also, when he was shown dancing with her, it wasn't so bad! (not as bad as Red Nose Day dance, that is, lol). And, since Neil was spending so much time teasing David about bringing a date, where was his? Neil's fiance couldn't make it?

When exactly did you guys get the 2nd season DVD's in the UK? I haven't heard a thing about it here yet!

Also, what do you guys think about Stephen Root as a potential David Brent for the US version (pure speculation, of course)? I was just thinking about it - he certainly fits in with the "jobber" actor that Gervais mentioned and he has been involved with office comedies like "Newsradio" and "Office Space".

I got the impression from Gervais' comments that it was someone less well known than Root. A real "jobber," i.e. hadn't had any sort of series gig yet. I also think they'd probably want to avoid any leads from prior office comedies (film or TV), just for the sake of comparisons.

I just finished watching the Xmas special and I have a dumb question for those of you who have seen it. What is the name of the song (and if you know the artist) that is playing when Lee tells Dawn that they are leaving the party and then Dawn and Tim are standing there awkwardly with one another, not sure what to say or do?

Its "Only You" by Yazoo. Its quite a well-known "cheesy" song. I love how its so representative of the kind of songs that are played at office Christmas parties, but also how the lyrics are perfect for Tim and Dawn:

Looking from a window above
It's like a story of love
Can you hear me
Came back only yesterday
I'm moving further away
Want you near me

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

Sometimes when I think of her name
When it's only a game
And I need you
Listen to the words that you say
It's getting harder to stay
When I see you

This is going to take a long time
And I wonder what's mine
Can't take no more
Wonder if you'll understand
It's just the touch of your hand
Behind a closed door

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

I also love that "Want You Back For Good" by Take That was the song playing through the bit where Tim and Dawn were awkwardly saying goodbye to each other just before Dawn left seemingly for good. Perfect song choices, both, IMO.

seeI just saw the Christmas specials on the BBC3 repeat (I tried to tape them before, but got back to find that FReeview digital ain't all its cracked up to be)

I haven't read any comments yet, but I started sniffling when I saw Dawn with a baby (she'd be really tied then) and cried on and off until they played 'Back for Good' when I started horking tears like my dog had just died. As for the paint kit in the taxi... has anything more romantic ever happened?.
I should care that it's too happy and sentimental, but when Dawn came back to the party I couldn't even see.
Glad the Neil was revealed for the smug sod I always thought he was, but rather shocked by Keith. There also wasn't enough for Gareth to do. But I will watch it again, just so I can actually get to see some of it without that embarrassing howling noise in the background...

Damn, did I miss the repeat? I haven't taped it. Still, DVDs for Easter - that's great news! Because I really need to see it again, not just run it over in my head.

About the Ricky Gervais Room 101 appearance, I think that was first shown in April 2002. The Red Nose Day episode was shown in November that year.

I always hated Neil. Yes, he seems utterly perfect, with his cakes and Travolta routine and his oh-so-reasonable management style and firm-but-fairness. But nonetheless, I always thought he was a slimy bastard, so I was unsurprised at his nastiness. He's so focused on being a 'winner' that you could imagine he'd like to kick a 'loser' when he's down.

I thought that Gareth might in some way turn into the new David Brent. But instead he was just boring - Brent's prediction that "you'll never have another boss like me" was in fact right.

I think 'Never give up' is my new motto. I like that it goes two ways - not just about Dawn's dreams but Tim's. He may have seemed to have given up on going back to university but he never gave up on Dawn. I like to think that together they will push themselves to change their lives.

You know, even if they did stay at WH for another few years it might not be so bad because they would be happy! They'd have each other all day (most of us don't have that with our S.O.s) and hopefully they would find another way to torment Gareth for their own amusement--if they have each other it doesn't seem so pathetic a life. And David wouldn't be getting up their nose all day. But I like to think that they would both pursue their dreams as well.

Ro? Was "Only You" released in the 80s? I have a bad teenage memory of that song somewhere in the far recesses of my mind.

Was it Yaz or Yazoo that sang "Only You" or are they the same band? I ask because of the thing in the quiz night episode between David and Ricky and because the iTunes music store lists it as Yaz. So if it was Yaz, you would've gotten it wrong in Blockbusters!

BBC3 is showing part one MOnday 5th at 11pm and part two on Tuesday 6th at 11pm, halfway trhough the BBC4 "Curb Your Enthusiasm" marathon.

There IS a goddess! I completely forgot to watch the Christmas special when it was on Foxtel (in Australia) the other night, then found a friend had taped it. I've told that friend that she has made my year even though 2004 is only a few days old. I am the hugest fan of The Office I know, and in fact introduced stacks of friends to it, so I was ready to kill myself when I realised I'd missed it. If there are any Aussie TWoPpers reading this, you will be pleased to learn that UKTV is showing it again tonight at nine o'clock.

Just, wow. The finale was everything I hoped for, and more. I didn't even dare to believe that Tim and Dawn could have a happy ending, and then they did, and it was wonderful. And David came good. Even in the bits where I just hated him (like in that awful 'blind date' pub show) I felt so bad for him, because despite all his faults he always tried to remain positive - a quality I heartily applaud in people. When he told Finchy to fuck off I was out of my seat punching the air! That and The Kiss were my two best moments.

Other favourite bits:
* when Dawn and Lee were at the shopping centre and she was saying how much she loved buying birthday and Christmas presents, and Lee was all, 'You might as well just take the money from my wallet' and Dawn looked so downcast.
* the post-Anne-storming-out conversation between Tim and Dawn: 'Did he really say BEANS?' 'Blowing them up her MUFF?' [dissolving into giggles]. What a beautiful shared moment.
* I loved, loved, loved Keith as the DJ at the Christmas party. In his big white T-shirt it was almost like he was the angelic facilitator of Tim and Dawn's and David's redemptions. Pardon me for being fanciful, but really, it was just so romantic amidst the sad grey decor of the office.

gyc, it was Yazoo. The Flying Pickets did an a cappella cover version that was also a hit in some parts of the world.

[quote]the post-Anne-storming-out conversation between Tim and Dawn: 'Did he really say BEANS?' 'Blowing them up her MUFF?' [dissolving into giggles]. What a beautiful shared moment[/quote]

I had forgotten how much I laughed at that! Pricless moment for those two characters and another demonstration of why they were meant to be. It's so realistic no wonder we all got so caught up in it!

Re: Neil....I was a bit upset that he was shown to be a bit of a gobshite underneath, laughing at all of Finchy's appalling jokes. Thats cos I looooooved him, and thought he was swooney. No More! I've realised that he's more like Brent than he wants to think, and preens himself on his firm-but-fair demeanour just as much as David preened himself as "the boss/comedian". I bet Neil is a real lick-arse.

Thanks, da mihi virgum!

What's the betting that Gareth is currently trying to be Neil's 'Mini-Me'?

I'd bet quite high on that!

I watched Part Two Last Night. Among my other favourite moments is in the office, I think Tim is talking to camera, and in preparation for the party a disco ball just flies infront of him. I couldn't believe they were actually having the party in that damn office! And to see Keith (I'm suffering from amnesia so I may have got his name wrong... shoot me!) as the DJ was also quite funny as you could always see him doing his dj thing in the background.
Not forgetting Tim and Dawn. Yes, you could see it coming from a mile away as it was highly predictable, but it was amazing. Soooooooo sweet, and long overdue. Then again the fact that we had been waiting for it to happen for so long maybe made it better.

I like to think that this is from Dawn and Tim's house next Christmas.

That link is so cute!

I thought that Keith in the background was readying himself for a one-man wet t-shirt contest, which explains what he was wearing.

Why does Australia get The Office right away and the US has to wait? It doesn't seem fair. Australia gets US shows quickly as well. They have the best of both worlds, and their wacky crocodile hunters dangle their infants near man-eating beasts.

Check it out, folks. An actual posting in this thread without a spoiler.

The crocodile hunter's done WHAT?!?

Thanks for ruining that me. ;)

It's rather lovely that Martin Freeman's brother runs his website. And his Lego pictures - are they a subtle reference to the Fisher Price man comment?

Too... many... black... bars...

Unfortunately, I don't get the BBC, so all I've seen is S1. Damn, it's funny though.

Free love on the free love freeway,
The love is free and the freeway’s long
I got some hot love on the hot-love freeway
I ain’t going home cos’ my baby’s gone

(she's dead)
(she ain't dead)

iMissEthan We only occasionally get shows at the same time as the UK or the States, we had to wait nearly a year for Buffy, for example. And The Office was shown on cable which most people don't have. [/bitter]I was lucky enough to get hold of tape.

I rewatched it last night before we had to give the tape back. That piece in which Keith says "--I very tenderly explain to her that I guarentee her at least. one. orgasm." And then eats the scotch egg had mr raen laughing so hard that he was just silently shaking with tears trickling down his face.

mr raen is sure that "Handbags and Gladbags" was recorded by Simply Red, but I can only find reference to Rod Stewart and Stereophonics. Do any one have any information on Simply Red doing it?

Here's the complete list of people who have recordedHandbags & Gladrags. Though the version recorded for "The Office" is hands down my favorite - the extended studio version is perfect!

Tim and Dawn! Wah! I've watched and rewatched, but the happiness never ceases. I cannot wait wait until these episodes hit BBCAmerica

Best Brent line of all time (IMO, together with pitch perfect delivery) [quote]Chris, why don't you f*ck off?[/quote]

samsnee, I've got that song as a .wav file and it my default 'windows shut down' music. Always cracks my boss up.

Ah, caught and taped the repeat!
Stuff I have now noticed: I like how that guy swaps the Secret Santa name with Tim, obviously realising how much he would like an excuse to give Dawn a present. And in return for that deed which saved the day, I think he deserved the reward of getting off with the new receptionist.

Love all the stuff with ... what is "Black guy in the office"'s name? and the sobbing woman. There's always someone sobbing randomly in the corner of parties, being comforted by someone telling them "he's not worth it love!", isn't there?

Love Dawn relaxing when Lee (god, how horrible and vile is Lee?) leaves the room and lying back, taking her shoes off. She and Tim just can't seem to stop almost touching each other ... she's wiggling her foot at him, then at the desk he's sort of uncomfortably moving his hand around near her. The final kiss is so lovely and he even does the 'caress face with hand' thing. I adore how stunned he looks as she, embarrassed but determined, takes him out of the room. He just can't believe it finally happened! I also think it's a nice choice that we don't see the conversation they have in which presumably feelings are confessed, just as we didn't hear his first (or second, I suppose) attempt to tell her. Erm, could I be more soppy about this storyline?

Massive kudos to Gervais' acting. He plays this crumbling man losing the ability to fool himself to perfection. And then his look of sheer unbridled happiness as nice Carol leaves! He just can't stop grinning! For trying to bring him down, if he'd done nothing else hateful in previous series, Finch deserves a good fucking off. And it's crap anyway, because when Carol arrives, you can see Neil and Finch think she's quite tasty - Finch follows her behind with his eyes ... Carol is sweet (and obviously easily amused - and tolerant, because Brent is still being an arse, really). I like her crap joke about the pint of vodka. Like, she might be more willing to accept his nonsense because she'd just find it funny. And if someone was genuinely laughing at him, for the right reasons, Brent would calm down a lot more. I like that in the last shot, when he comes out with the Frank Spencer impersonation, everyone does actually find it funny. They're all having such a good time, they're willing to laugh along.

I was wondering why the dog was brought into it. It's a lovely dog, mind, but why did he suddenly get one? Wonder if it was to promote Gervais' "Animals" stand-up show? Incidentally, has anyone seen that DVD? I was wondering whether to get it; it's a bit pricey. It also has a commentary, which is weird for a filmed stand-up show.

Another thing I noticed, which made me realise why, much as I fear an American remake, it might be necessary for the humour to fully translate there, was the reference by Brent's agent to Bruno Brookes. Now, I guess an overseas viewer thinks "Well, obviously some washed-up minor celebrity, either real or invented". But the British viewer gets the full impact of just how useless this agent is and how desperate Brent's "fame" actually is, by knowing that Brookes is a sad, sad Eighties reject who used to be a smarmy DJ, went bankrupt, was dumped by (and later abused in press by) craptastic minor celeb Anthea Turner, who in, er, turn later became a national joke after Celebrity Big Brother. It's not just a funny line, it's the perfect example of a rubbish supposed celebrity trying to cling to some tatters of fame.

[QUOTE]Another thing I noticed, which made me realise why, much as I fear an American remake, it might be necessary for the humour to fully translate there, was the reference by Brent's agent to Bruno Brookes. Now, I guess an overseas viewer thinks "Well, obviously some washed-up minor celebrity, either real or invented". But the British viewer gets the full impact of just how useless this agent is and how desperate Brent's "fame" actually is...[/QUOTE]

)Oh indeed, and I liked the perfect choice of other Blind-Date candidates - the near-forgotten but still-liked Bubble and that bloke off that advert. And it was presented by Outside Manc Bloke from the Big Breakfast! I didn't realise until I saw this that if it had been a real docusoap, then Brent really would be that famous. He is pefectly pitched as "not quite as memorable as the camp traffic warden but still recogniseable".

And, for the non-bar folk, does anyone have any casting wishes for the US version?

I was wondering who Bruno was.

Back to Neil. If I had have been in his position I think I would have been driven to being much more of an arse then he even was. I think his behaviour was somewhat justified if you look at all the times David was so frustratingly irritatingly smug and full of shit. Had he been a real person in my life I think I would have had to diss him. I kind of see it as Neil being just so over David's bull shit that he lost any respect for him at all and the arsyness just spilled out. Take for example the many moments that David dissed Neil, like with the [snort] "A year? I'll be married by then" etc. It felt to me like each time Neil may have been willing to pull back David was so snitty and full of shit that he drove Neil further on into nastiness.

"the perfect choice of other Blind-Date candidates "
Yes - and did you notice that Hayley from Pop Idol (she came 6th? or something) was also due to appear at the club ...

I see the point about Neil, but it's not a rational thing: I just find him obnoxiously smarmy. I think the actor did a good job of being believably sickening but not (until the end) outright nasty. Everything Neil said may have been right - after all, in real life an ex-employee (or boss) constantly coming into work would indeed be a nuisance - but it's the way he said it. And after he didn't need to keep the peace at work anymore, he became much nastier than before.

I got an answer from BBCAmerica about when they are showing the Specials. Get your calendars out:

Sorry for sounding dense, but did they mean 2004, or 2005?

Heh, good point. Knowing BBC America, who the hell knows.

I'm guessing December 2004? They would probably think it's weird for us to see a Christmas show when it's not even close to the season, and would just delay it until then. :(

That's a shame. There's nothing particular Christmassy about the episode (sudden horrid thought: imagine if they'd done a Christmas Carol take-off with Brent being visited by ghosts ...)

If they hadn't used Handbags And Gladrags, I think the perfect theme song for the show would be Happy Hour by The Housemartins.

The BBC has a new, very spoilericious wallpaper up. The smallest version of it is here... The higher resolutions are very grainy, far from "gorgeous," but very nice nonetheless. And now that I look at it, it doesn't look like much of a kiss. It was still a great moment, though...

This may or may not be spoilery, but just in case...Why are Finchy and Neil such good friends? Finchy just comes off as very lewd and dirty, while Neil seems like such a yuppie corporate scumbag. What, if anything, do they have in common?

Love this show. I have a Brit friend at work who also loves the show and is getting a care package of the Christmas eps soon. He promised me as soon as they come in, we're having a viewing party. Yay!

I believe it's revealed early in the second season that Neil and Finch are old friends... David seemed quite bummed when he found out about this at Trudy's birthday party.

Someone linked to a Guardian story a few pages back about how Gervais and Merchant met with producers of Seinfeld, Simpsons, and King of the Hill because they felt those programs were the American comedies that most closely matched the tone of The Office. Coincidentally, I was just thinking this morning about how The Office is so much like Scrubs (American sitcom about doctors at a hospital). Though the themes are similar (almost always see characters in the hospital/office, stories are ususally focused on doctors/paper merchants and you hardly hear about patients/customers, etc.), what really struck me as similar is that there are no punch lines and no laugh track on Scrubs. Until I saw The Office, Scrubs was the strangest comedy I'd ever seen on TV that also happened to be hilarious. I mean, Seinfeld's great, The Office is great, but I would not describe those two programs as "similar" in the least. Same for Simpsons and KOTH.

The Christmas specials episode descriptions are up at the BBC Website. The Office P.S. I like the ones you gave us better. But the second part description has a picture of Dawn and Tim kissing

Martin Freeman is to play Arthur Dent in the film version of Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy. Perfect casting IMHO.
See THIS for more details.

Also HERE'S a picture of Tim. Don't you just want to hug him and tell him it'll all be alright?

oh, poor baby Wow. He'd be great as Arthur Dent (though of course, Simon Jones was also awesome in the part).

Oh cor! That's great casting. I always thought Hugh Laurie would be good, but then it's taken so long to make this film that perhaps he's a little too old now.
(I can't really imagine Nighy as Slartibartfast, but he's excellent as well so cool)

Freeman as Arthur Dent? Utterly perfect. Genius casting.

Anyone else see the story I caught today while surfing (I can't remember where) that David Brent will be brought back for a Microsoft training video, not to be released to the public? Interesting.

And since I'm posting, I just thought I'd add my frustration with all those black bars of late... let's go, BBC America!