The Office Complete Box Set
The Office Complete Box Set is the only collection to feature the first two seasons in their entirety, including both Christmas specials. The Office is one of the most sharply-observed social comedies to emerge in recent years.
Shot in mockumentary style and starring Ricky Gervais as the like-ably unlike-able David Brent, it put the fishbelly-grey drabness and tedium of office culture under the microscope and made the whole nation cringe and belly-laugh in horror and recognition. I mean, who hasn’t worked in an office at some point in their lives? Who hasn’t worked for David Brent? The entire cast of characters are so well-written, in some way they are all caricatures who have been fleshed out to three dimensions with painful clarity.
What is so compelling about The Office is the way in which the character of David Brent oscillates between being a completely despicable, hypocritical, egotistical, selfish bigot and a sympathetic tragic figure. This combines with the faux realism of the style in which it is shot to make the whole thing seem sort of pornographic. Watching it feels hideously voyeuristic, you almost cannot watch it but at the same time you cannot look away.
The whole thing was incredibly post-modern: the entire nation watched it, chuckling and squirming in discomfort, then we would all discuss it and reference our favourite David Brent quotes the following day - where else? - at the office.
| Merchant | Title | Price |
 | The Office - Complete Box Set | £32.99 |
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