The Office Australia: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
The Aussie version of the comedy is the first to have a female lead
Year: 2024
Certificate: 15
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's comedy arrived on the BBC way back in 2001 and, many international versions later (including the hugely successful US version with Steve Carell), the Australians deliver their take on the material.
The Aussie David Brent is Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward), and her Gareth is boot-faced productivity manager Lizzie (Edith Poor). Steen Raskopoulos plays the Tim of the piece, while Shari Sebbens is his Dawn - assuming, that is, that this series follows the same trajectory from that point of view.
Ward and Raskopoulos are probably the most recognisable cast members from a British point of view, but The Office tends to be a show that makes stars rather than casts them, so such things aren't terribly important. Ward has a long stand-up career behind her and the kind of bullish comic presence and command you'd expect as a result, delivering such lines as 'It's a wake but I want people to feel a-wake' with aplomb.
In terms of tone the wider show feels closer to the US version than the UK but it'll be in how it finds its own identity that the joy of it all will be found - and, in being the first international variant to shake things up by casting a woman as the lead, they've made a strong start. (Eight episodes)
