Twenty-five years after the premiere of The Office, Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook shared behind-the-scenes stories from the British series that became a landmark in comedy.
The revelations are part of a BBC special celebrating the anniversary of the production created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.
One of the curiosities is that Martin Freeman almost played Gareth Keenan, the character who eventually went to Mackenzie Crook. According to the actor, it was only as he was leaving the audition that Ricky Gervais asked him to also read the lines for Tim Canterbury, the role that would turn him into one of the series’ main characters.
Crook also revealed that he had to radically change his look to play Gareth. After being told that the character needed an even worse haircut, he went into a barbershop and asked for “the worst haircut they could do”.
Another revelation involves David Brent’s famous dance. Although most of the series followed the script faithfully, Ricky Gervais improvised the iconic scene, creating the choreography during filming. Freeman recalled that no one in the cast knew what to expect and that watching the performance was as awkward as it was funny.
+ Click here to watch the video of Brent’s dance
The actors also pointed out that, despite its reputation for seeming improvised, The Office was carefully scripted. Even so, small contributions from the cast during filming helped make the dialogue even more natural, reinforcing the “mockumentary” style that turned the production into a worldwide phenomenon.
Originally aired in 2001, the British version of The Office had only two seasons and two Christmas specials, but it influenced generations of comedies and led to the famous American adaptation starring Steve Carell. Twenty-five years later, the series continues to be considered one of the most important productions in British television.
Photo and video: Reproduction / BBC / YouTube @BBCStudios. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
