Uploaded February 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I'm not thrilled with the title for this video, but the only alternative I could think of was "The British Version of The Office", and that's too obvious a troll.
I first saw The Office way back around the time it premiered. It certainly had this real air of prestige around it, and seemed to be the show everyone was talking about. Over time, the British version has faded from people's minds in a way the American one hasn't. Maybe darker, more cynical shows are more easily forgotten when there's a happier alternative. Or maybe it just didn't have enough episodes to persist in syndication. Whatever the reason, this video looks back at how this show holds up today, and what it still has to say.
Secondary sources should appear on screen as they're cited. In addition to the interviews I cited in the video, background information on the status of British television was informed by the Walters book as well.
0:00 - intro
13:46 - the camera
20:11 - early start
21:58 - showbiz baby
29:46 - are we having a laugh?
41:56 - office romance
1:00:48 - corporate expansion
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/JoseNotAJay
Follow me on BluSky: https://bsky.app/profile/josebird.bsky.social
Contribute to my Patreon: patreon.com/JoseOnYoutube
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCeDKIj0G5XbultKOQnacu_w/join
Thumbnail concept by fluttr.me
I'm not thrilled with the title for this video, but the only alternative I could think of was "The British Version of The Office", and that's too obvious a troll.
I first saw The Office way back around the time it premiered. It certainly had this real air of prestige around it, and seemed to be the show everyone was talking about. Over time, the British version has faded from people's minds in a way the American one hasn't. Maybe darker, more cynical shows are more easily forgotten when there's a happier alternative. Or maybe it just didn't have enough episodes to persist in syndication. Whatever the reason, this video looks back at how this show holds up today, and what it still has to say.
Secondary sources should appear on screen as they're cited. In addition to the interviews I cited in the video, background information on the status of British television was informed by the Walters book as well.
0:00 - intro
13:46 - the camera
20:11 - early start
21:58 - showbiz baby
29:46 - are we having a laugh?
41:56 - office romance
1:00:48 - corporate expansion
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/JoseNotAJay
Follow me on BluSky: https://bsky.app/profile/josebird.bsky.social
Contribute to my Patreon: patreon.com/JoseOnYoutube
Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCeDKIj0G5XbultKOQnacu_w/join
Thumbnail concept by fluttr.me
