Current Events > Tried watching British The Office, on the first episode.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Or as it's known in the UK, simply just The Office (UK version)

Wow. American The Office's first episode really was nearly a 1:1 recreation of this episode wasn't it.

How do Brits even know wazzap? Wasn't it an American ad and American spoof movie? I would have bet money that was exclusive to the American Office yet here it is in British The Office. weird.

I can't unsee the guy from the pirates of the caribbean with the 1 eye, he is literally British the Dwight? He looks so unsettling when not dressed as a scruffy pirate.

I enjoy Martin Freeman in other stuff but wow, British The Jim is so much less suave than American The Jim... I definitely can't see any social media dating profiles saying "looking for the Tim to my Pam" no sirree...

Overall it definitely felt like watching a twilight zone the office.

Saying British people are homely/bad teeth is a tired joke so I will just say that British The Jan is surprisingly attractive compared to what I was expecting. More attractive than British The Pam surprisingly enough...

She also smiles at David's jokes a lot more than Jan does at Michael's, how is the British version of "cold boss" warmer than the American version? Does not compute.

Also a short where are they now with ricky gervais

It was contractually obligated to have the same first episode. Every version of The Office has the same first episode.

saspa posted...

How do Brits even know wazzap? Wasn't it an American ad and American spoof movie?

Do you think Scary Movie wasn't released outside the US or something? I don't even live in an English speaking country and everybody and their grandmothers knew wazzaaaap in the early 2000s.

TheSavageDragon posted...

Do you think Scary Movie wasn't released outside the US or something? I don't even live in an English speaking country and everybody and their grandmothers knew wazzaaaap in the early 2000s.

Next you'll tell me we Brits like The Killers!

What a lark.

Holy crap. I was joking before but Tim really is more of a loser than Jim isn't he? In The Quiz episode, Tim is bullied by the other office workers and they throw his shoe over the roof of a building, and also about to throw one of his hats up there too.

This would have been done to maybe Andy or Dwight or even Ryan and Michael himself, but not Jim. That is a completely different approach to the character.

saspa posted...

How do Brits even know wazzap? Wasn't it an American ad and American spoof movie? I would have bet money that was exclusive to the American Office yet here it is in British The Office. weird.

I'm pretty sure I remember that ad being run on British television and it becoming almost as much a phenomenon here as it was in the States.

I guess they're going for a different approach altogether with the office romance, it's not "tall, effortlessly charming guy gets the girl" like in American The Office, it's "awkward, stammering nervous loser gets the girl"

Assuming he does get the girl, I know british humor is less happily-ever-after than hollywood

saspa posted...

Holy crap. I was joking before but Tim really is more of a loser than Jim isn't he? In The Quiz episode, Tim is bullied by the other office workers and they throw his shoe over the roof of a building, and also about to throw one of his hats up there too.

This would have been done to maybe Andy or Dwight or even Ryan and Michael himself, but not Jim. That is a completely different approach to the character.

The best British situation comedy tends to be about losers going nowhere fast, sometimes with the occasional moment of guarded optimism.

See also: Alan Partridge, Fawlty Towers, Father Ted, Dad's Army, Peep Show, most of Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder, Citizen Smith, The IT Crowd . . .

It's interesting noticing just how many plotlines they borrow from UK Office, not just the pilot but the office merger too.

ai123 posted...

The best British situation comedy tends to be about losers going nowhere fast, sometimes with the occasional moment of guarded optimism.

See also: Alan Partridge, Fawlty Towers, Father Ted, Dad's Army, Peep Show, most of Only Fools and Horses, Blackadder, Citizen Smith, The IT Crowd . . .

What's the difference between peep show and the mitchell and webb show?

saspa posted...

What's the difference between peep show and the mitchell and webb show?

Mitchell and Webb Look is a sketch comedy show.

Stephen Fry has a good bit about how Americans like their sitcom stars to be wise cracking and cool where British ones tend to be bumbling losers.

Having said that, I don't think Martin Freeman's character is an awkward loser or anything. He just seemed pretty realistic and normal to me.

Ok season 2 is... better. It's better.

But surprisingly raunchy for an office show on network tv. They had Chris Finch doing one of the office girls in the parking lot as an end credits gag.

They merged the 2 branches and the new characters are very comfortable being cheeky with each other.

What's weird is that the British version of Todd Packer is not really the image of "gross" that the US version went for, in the British version he's extremely tall, thin, fit and not balding. Even with the porn-stache he's pretty goodlooking. And women actually like him. Still pretty rude at times yeah, but also weirdly educated and self-aware.

I've noticed in the UK Office the characters are a lot more self-aware than their US counterparts, both "the dwight" and the "todd packer" being self-aware instead of oblivious provides a different kind of tone.

It's more real than US office if that makes sense, which 80% of the time is a bad thing since that means it's boring, but for that 20% it's golden. Like Brent actually getting chewed out by his boss for his idiocy. In the US office Jan would just sigh at Michael and he'd do the equivalent of Urkel's "did I do thaaat" and keep failing upwards. Or sleeping with her somehow.

Meanwhile it's extremely cathartic to see the new branch manager Neil put Brent in his place. I bet that's what would have happened in US office with Josh and Michael if he'd stayed.

Two seasons of The Office (Hindi) are on Hulu if you want to keep the journey going.

Ok so yeah Tim is really more Andy than Jim.

He doesn't get to pull mean spirited pranks on gareth and get mad at him, either one or the other not both

We get a good few US ads over here.

I'm really surprised how much more they are with each other than expected. Sorry if stereotype but I thought of Brits as the more repressed "stiff upper lip" sort. And yet seeing a whole lotta European cheek kissing and closeness for what is essentially just your coworker and colleagues. US office is no where near that touchy-feely

I know TV and movie writers have never had anything even resembling a regular 9 to 5 type job but do they really think after 10 hours we want to spend even more time at the office for after work drinks or whatever?

saspa posted...

I'm really surprised how much more they are with each other than expected. Sorry if stereotype but I thought of Brits as the more repressed "stiff upper lip" sort. And yet seeing a whole lotta European cheek kissing and closeness for what is essentially just your coworker and colleagues. US office is no where near that touchy-feely

I know TV and movie writers have never had anything even resembling a regular 9 to 5 type job but do they really think after 10 hours we want to spend even more time at the office for after work drinks or whatever?

Drinking with work colleagues is part of British culture. Probably a bit less so these days.

Used to be a lunchtime thing to go for a couple of pints.

Just realized instead of that catherine tate blokette in season 8 of the office they missed a chance to use someone from this the office to use as a character.

saspa posted...

Chris Finch

Bloody good rep.

Finished the show. It was okay.

Oh wow he actually does get fired.

Huh they were initially not even gonna have tim and dawn get together at the end, they had them get together in the office Christmas special. Even though they have like no chemistry compared to Jim and Pam.

I liked Rachel a lot more although she had more chemistry with the boss Neil in that dance sequence. Which again is weirdly intimate and just weird to do a dance in front of the whole office while they're clapping and cheering. I take back the realism part

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/0/3/7/AAJHVqAAEuAt.jpg

saspa posted...

Just realized instead of that catherine tate blokette in season 8 of the office they missed a chance to use someone from this the office to use as a character.

They did have David Brent show up in an episode or two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMNyDtib6Y4