The Office (UK) - S1 E1 - Downsize

He definitely says "nearly done".

JokerDanny

I'm sure the guy who was walking around with David was the guy who went on a date with Jen in the IT crowd

Josh sloan

I wasn't expecting it to have the same script. Some scenes felt weird 🤭

Mandy Cane Lane

𝙶𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗

also, its a big-box Store, not a supermarket. 😄

Industrialist2015ofUk

I understand what you mean, but i don't have that problem. i think Superstore is in a lane of its own, and the office-type characters are too far removed for me to notice that.

Industrialist2015ofUk

I was up until 3am, the Taskmaster reactions are so moreish ^^ The 'Squash/Racketball' points game is one of my fave, I wish they did more mystery tasks like that. I was gonna count how many 'points' you scored watching it but it's so difficult to count face-touching! I think our brains just filter it out as an invisible behaviour

Mattoid

*sqkweeees back* Haha! Thank you so much for joining Matthew! Hope you enjoy your stay here! 🙌🏻🤗🌈🌻

Mandy Cane Lane

Interesting! Shame he isn't a proper character

Mandy Cane Lane

Yeah comparing a Merchant vehicle like "The Outlaws" to Afterlife and the division of skill is quite apparent. Not that Ricky didn't bring other things to the table, but his writing and characterwork are nowhere near the level of Steve's. Steve needed Ricky's confidence, arrogance and energy in those early years though or the BBC would have teared The Office apart as happened to "When the Whistle Blows" in Extras.

Mattoid

Ok kinder maybe...I mean if David Brent had 150 episodes what do you think he would do?

Lee Dellbridge

Nicer? Michael hit an employee with his car, lost his girlfriend a multi million $ court case, lied to a bunch of third graders for 15 years, physically forced a staff member to kiss him in full view of his colleagues, stole company clients, spoiled improv class constantly, interrupted Phyllis' wedding vows, photographed topless employees in the office, deliberately drove a company car into a lake, routinely fat shamed employees, destroyed the Prince family, did an inappropriate penis impression to a staff member who had been sexually harrassed in the car park, repeatedly used the N word during a race awareness training course. Oh and he stamped a koi carp to death. By any metric, Michael is far worse than poor David who deliberately faked high blood pressure to save his own staff!

Mattoid

It's part of Brent's personality that he is always looking to see if he is being noticed and appreciated. He'll always make eye contact with people around him if he thinks he's said something funny. Attention and validation seeking. "There's people starving in the world, which I hate" *looks at camera to make sure they got that*

Mattoid

Yeah it does. After the quiz episode there was always contention at my work whether Finchy said "Nearly done" or "No they don't" in response to "my knees hurt"

Mattoid

Superstore is pretty good, I couldn't help but feel it was The Office set in a supermarket though. There's a Dwight, a Pam, a Jim, an Erin. Very safe and similar formula. It didn't stop me from enjoying it, but it was a constant distraction.

Mattoid

Chuck Lorre who did Big Bang Theory nearly always used live audiences I believe (Roseanne, Two and a half Men, Cybill), but somehow always managed to make them sound like canned laugh tracks. You can tell a good laugh track when you struggle to remember if a show has one at all - Red Dwarf, Father Ted, IT Crowd

Mattoid

"Cancer of them ol' testicles... What's that you're eating?" --- "Just a bit of brie" Can't recall if you've come across the comedian Jasper Carrott yet, he was massive here in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The actress who plays Dawn (Lucy Davis) is his daughter. She was also in 'Shaun of the Dead'

Mattoid

Had to make a Patreon account finally. Been through all the Youtube stuff and need more. Very very happy to see you're doing The Office, going to save this one until I've prepared a meal and make it a proper treat. Looking forward to watching all the backlog of WILTYs, Peep Shows, Taskmasters and all the rest. *Sqkweee of excitement*

Mattoid

Steven Merchant does appear at some point as the'og monster' if I remember rightly.

Simon Cross

Stephen Merchant was also in an episode of 24.

Rusty Dog

I ditched the popcorn. The bits kept sticking in my throat :) No you're right, he was looking a bit far off. Sorry, didn't mean to imply you weren't aware what was going on :) After this series is over, it will be interesting to see how you compare it to the Office US which obviously did run on for longer (maybe too long, but it did have James Spader in some episodes!). The humour is very different I think. But I did like the US version too. The spat between Jim and Dwight was epic.

Rusty Dog

I know you work so hard. Xx

Charlie Costa

Hahaha! I didn't mean it like that! To me 'helped write' is the same as co-wrote. They both did it together and 'helped' eachother out. I know Stephen is brilliant, no need to convince me! 😅🤣

Mandy Cane Lane

I am excited to see what happens! I know nothing of it! 🤗

Mandy Cane Lane

Thank goodness! They can get so annoying sometimes! 🤪

Mandy Cane Lane

The US Office has a lot of "filler" episodes though. Especially after Michael left. 😅

Mandy Cane Lane

Haha, biscuits and chocolate are better than popcorn imo! And I know it is a mockumentary silly, but to me he was looking a little too far off to the side. More so then the others. More like when they are talking to another character. Maybe I am just trippin' though 🤭🤪

Mandy Cane Lane

Let's hope! I honestly know nothing about this show, so I am excited!

Mandy Cane Lane

It does! Oops. Will watch them from now on!

Mandy Cane Lane

Never heard of that show, and I am simply watching the show that o won the poll! I like to let you guys decide, because I will probably pick wrong and you guys are the audience 😅

Mandy Cane Lane

I am prepared! 🫡

Mandy Cane Lane

Yeah, very unnatural the way the dialogue is done. 😅

Mandy Cane Lane

Yes, but I find them difficult. I have done 2 already. Perhaps I should approach them in parts which I hope isn't annoying because all in one sitting takes a toll on me.

Mandy Cane Lane

I watch plenty of other shows 🤪

Mandy Cane Lane

The US definitely over use it and fake the laughter. It is too much!

Mandy Cane Lane

Hahah! They do look a bit similiar! 🤭

Mandy Cane Lane

Noted MH, thank you! I don't really plan on comparing but just watching it as any other new show! 🤗

Mandy Cane Lane

I imagined the Tim/Dawn thing. But I am not interested in comparing, only interested in enjoying! 🤗

Mandy Cane Lane

It never bothered me in what I have seen of Mr Bean. I guess they are just better placed and more subtle 🤗

Mandy Cane Lane

Maybe I just hadn't noticed them because they are more subtle when added. 🤭 Live audiences at least laugh when things are actually funny 😅

Mandy Cane Lane

Lmao. I just assume the show is over when the credits appear 🤣

Mandy Cane Lane

My bad! Will from now on. Saw what it was. Another office supply in more jello 🤣

Mandy Cane Lane

I realised that while filming this 🤣

Mandy Cane Lane

Hahaha! Ricky does cringe well 😅

Mandy Cane Lane

I understand. I don't feel the need to compare. Just going to watch it as any other new show! The first episode was just kind of a copy/paste, but everything else from what I understand is quite different.

Mandy Cane Lane

Ok... read through all that. I personally plan on watching them as two seperate shows and don't really want to compare. I am sure each will have their own charms, and I understand everyone will have a difference of opinion on either or. I just want to laugh.. 🤪

Mandy Cane Lane

Umm... I feel like this comment is missing a few words. 😅

Mandy Cane Lane

I was in the highest tier since day only last couple of months I haven't. I know sh has done monty python but I'm referring to something she said when she started out in pateron that she was going to do movie nights.... so I was wondering if she ever gave it any more thought.

Charlie Costa

Theres also clips of Big Bang and Friends, with Ricky laughing over the track!

Industrialist2015ofUk

I'm still laughing but it's not getting to the root of the problem 😔

Dextrous (Lewis)

Agreed! Derek is OK, has its moments, but not a patch on The Office or Extras. After Life is terrible IMHO, but mind-bogglingly popular. Ricky and Steve's work together is so much stronger - Steve's influence makes all the difference as far as I can see. And yes, absolutely - Fighting With My Family is excellent! Written solely by Stephen Merchant and a cracking film! 🙏

Ash Jeffries

It's layered it was made that way - Ben Stiller

Danny

But are you on the higher tiers? You don't see them otherwise. She has atleast done 2 Monty Python movies, not sure for other things

Danny

You throw some respect on Steve’s name! 😂 ‘helped write!’ He Co wrote and Co directed this with Ricky. And you’ll see how big of an impact he had if you ever watch the stuff Ricky did by himself, like derek and afterlife. And you should totally watch Steve’s film ‘fighting with my family.’ It’s all about Paige from WWE and it’s just a great film. Florence Pugh plays Paige and she’s amazing In everything she’s in.

Sara-Jayne

Yay! I've lost count of how many times I've seen this, but it never gets old. And there's always little subtleties and nuances I never noticed before. 😆 Peak Gervais/Merchant writing imo!

Dextrous (Lewis)

US Office doesn't have a laughter track either...very few sitcoms do these days.

Lee Dellbridge

Personally I think The Office US is better but only because it has far more episodes. And I think Michael is nicer than David.

Lee Dellbridge

Stephen is in it at least once.

Lee Dellbridge

The Office was always ahead for me.

Lee Dellbridge

It's great that you're watching the UK Office now. This is all about the nuances and subtleties. The facial expressions, body language, the awkwardness... everything. When you said "who is he talking to?", I'd say the guy who is filming in the office to make the documentary. You have to remember this is filmed as if there's a camera crew watching them all the time and sometimes, especially David Brent, plays to the camera. I believe they labelled it a Mockumentary. No Mr Merchant in this. He just co-wrote it with Ricky. This is the show they presented to the BBC and wanted nothing changed. Their way or they walk away. And here it is. You really made me laugh out loud when you paused to recall Karl saying "Where's your brother?.... He died" LOL. You are so on frequency with all this now, it's brilliant. I waited all day to watch this when I was tucked up in bed. Half a packet of biscuits and 1 chocolate bar later..... :)

Rusty Dog

OMG, Mandy reacting to The Royle Family would be something else !! Fingers crossed that happens one day !

Rusty Dog

There are also a number of videos on Youtube of Ross Geller without a laugh track. The silence that follows is quite eerie.

swamp blues

Yes, she made a comment about that at the end of the video (38:32)

swamp blues

I've never watched the UK office before so I'm looking forward to this. I just hope they sidestepped the clichéd 'will they, won't they' trope and the soap opera tone seen in the later seasons of the US version.

swamp blues

I wouldn’t call studio audience laughter “laugh tracks” personally. Laugh tracks implies they’re artificially added to boost the viewers reaction to a joke. While audience laughter are genuine reactions to the story being performed.

Conor Murphy

That’s because there are pauses written in for laughs, of course it would be unsettling if characters just stop talking for 5 seconds after every joke.

Conor Murphy

If I remember correctly this show has after credit scenes but I could be wrong.

JokerDanny

Yes internal shots were recorded in front of a studio audience, but any scenes set outside had laugh tracks added recorded from studio audiences.

Captain Howdy

I forget about the others but I know that Only fools and horses was filmed largely in front of a live studio. So it doesn’t technically have I laugh track apart from a couple of episodes that I believe were shot on location.

Conor Murphy

I wonder if she realises that she has now become the laugh track

Conor Murphy

The UK one is unarguably better

Conor Murphy

Thanks for choosing this one over inbetweeners🤣 but yes, US Office is more superior and funny! after watching american office for like the 10th time recently, i realised how much Michael is very child-like and kinda a bad person, and i sorta disliked him this time round lol. I highly recommend Superstore!!!! its similar to US The Office, Silicon valley etc. and is my fav comedy now ever. doesn't have laughter track, and is intelligent and v. funny. you might recognise some of the actors. i promise it won't let you down, and you can thank me later 😀

Industrialist2015ofUk

Yes!!!!! You're in. Prepare to be blown away.

Louis Hessey-Antell

I've been here since day 1

Charlie Costa

She has done a couple like Monty Python but they are on the higher tier

Danny

There are clips of Big Bang with the laugh track cut out on YouTube and it's genuinely creepy.

Mike Miner

Because its all about you...

NareikAC

Mandy, are you gonna do any movie reactions?

Charlie Costa

The Royle Family got in there first, three years earlier, but yes, laughter tracks were used almost always for television scripted comedy before that. I always found the live studio audiences we hear on UK sitcoms quieter and less invasive than US. As Mandy points out, there's laughter after every line in some US comedy, but British comedy tended to be recorded in front of a live studio audience - the laughter was natural, and the serious bits or feed lines had chance to breathe, the punch line getting the laugh. Not sure if Americans just laugh at everything or whether they used canned laughter more brutally! 😛

Ash Jeffries

I thought he was OK in gavin and stacey but since going to America he's become a stuck up pr!ck

Josh Read

American version is more accessible, an easier watch, possibly better on a purely comic level. The UK version is the far better show altogether. Subtler, more realistic, superbly acted. And of course, the original. There would be no US version without the UK version and hats off - they made it their own but had to change it dramatically to cater for US and international audiences who needed something simpler and less melancholy.

Ash Jeffries

I've worked it out, she doesn't watch the credits because she can't read and she is too embarrassed to admit it.

Jeffrey44

What are your views on James Corden?

Jeffrey44

Wait nooo! Last time I saw the poll The Inbetweeners was winning! Darn. I'm not a fan of The Office at all 😅

Ryan W.

Strongly disagree. The UK Office has a more unique tonal sensibility, the writing is of a higher standard, the characters have more depth, and unlike the US Office it has zero filler episodes. I also find the UK Office funnier overall, although both shows are funny in their own ways. I will say the US Office is the more "easy" to consume of the two shows though, as once it eventually developed its own distinctive vibe, it became a much more feel-good and "zany" show in the vein of a more traditional sitcom, and thus highly bingeable TV - the sort of show you can have on in the background while you're pairing your socks and still enjoy it. The UK Office is more subtle and observational, deriving most of its humour the cringeworthiness of reality.

hasty rewrite

If I'm remembering right The Office was at (or near) the start of the trend of UK comedies not using laugh tracks. Older ones used to have live studio audiences. I kind of see a lot of the cringer parts of Steve Merchant in Gareth, they've even got the same accent and kind of gangly look.

Kirk Deighton

The difference from the UK Office to the USA is that the UK version could easily be mistaken for a real documentary about office life. All the characters are believable and behave "logically" based on their personalities. The camera work is wobbly and sometimes out of focus. The USA Office very quickly moves from believability into just another SitCom. The viewer loses the illusion. The proof of the brilliance of the UK Office is how it was received when it first premiered in the UK. People didn't necessarily know it wasn't real. Stephen Merchant talked about this a while back on Conan O'Briens podcast. He told that the day after the first episode aired, he was taking a train and overheard two ladies having a conversation "did you see that documenatry on BBC last night about an office? That boss of the firm was absolutely hysterical" and the other girl said that she thought it was a sitcom. So i think to enjoy this show the best, you should look at it from the angle that it was made to be realistic. It won't be as goofy as the USA version, but i believe the authenticity and heart of the UK version is why it's great.

MH

After the first episode then both shows go their own separate ways. There are some parallels between the Tim/Dawn Jim/Pam story, but that's about it. Comparing both shows is a lesson in how British comedy is written differently to American comedy due to our different cultures

James Aston

A bunch of UK shows still have a laughter track. Fawlty Towers (HIGHLY recommend), Mr Bean and Blackadder to name a few

Danny

A lot of UK comedies have or had laugh tracks, but certain ones don't. The thing with the Office is it is supposed to be a fly on the wall documentary, so the laugh track really would be out of place. You only have to look at classic UK comedies like Only fools and horses to see laugh tracks were a thing. Cant really say how common it is these days as I really do not watch that much TV anymore, but I know some of the greatest shows had laugh tracks (even Fawlty towers, Red Dwarf, Blackadder & Mr Bean had them). I dont think Inbetweeners had one though.

Captain Howdy

I did message you to say, If I recall, every episode has a post credit scene. Nothing major , but just a lil bit. If you just hung on with credits a few seconds more it was about to pop up

Danny

I like watching these shows BECAUSE they have a laughter track. (That's YOU laughing BTW 😂)

Matthew Beckford

I do like the American version but nobody does cringe better than us Brits. Some scenes in this version actually make me recoil and squint 😅Great reaction Mandy 😁

𝑭𝒆𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒚 𝑺𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆

With The Office Ricky and Steve wanted it to feel as real as possible. They wanted people to think it was an actual documentary which thousands did, it never gets as wacky as the US. You won't have anyone swimming around in a vat of chili they spilled, just good character work and a beautiful story. Love both shows for different reasons, they're both amazing in their own ways.

Michael Harrop

Yeah that is true. I would also say the bristish one is better acted. I just really enjoyed the American much more though both are good and a credit to ricky and Steve.

Josh Read

I always put it like this, the US Office is the better sitcom. The UK Office is the better show. US is funnier but the UK one is so rooted in reality and perfectly written. Never misses a beat and doesn't drag on, it's a complete story with no filler.

Michael Harrop

I don't think my fellow brits will agree but I would say the American version is far better.

Josh Read