Your boss cracks obscene jokes, constantly interrupts your work and still boasts of his great team leadership skills. He's cocky, ineffective, a foul-mouthed pseudo-philosopher devoid of any real qualities. Nevertheless, he inspires pity. Sound familiar? Well, then imagine him on TV. David Brent (Ricky Gervais) is the boss in the multi- award-winning TV-series The Office. Filmed in faux-BBC documentary-style using hand-held cameras, this series has a disturbing sense of realism which may explain its widespread popularity. Some scenes documenting the boss' boorish behavior will feel so familiar that the hair on the back of your neck will stand up. Add office flirtations and what you have here is a sense of déjà-vu all over again. But for one thing: the colorful British dialogue and Cockney slang might not be instantly recognizable, but somehow it translates well. You may be disgusted by the humor, but you'll laugh your arse off anyway. In any case, Gervais, a former radio DJ turned comedian/actor/writer/director has inspired an imitator: in the US, NBC produced an adequate (and successful) version of the series all on their own, without any bossing around from the man himself.
BBC

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue