Life after Slough

As Gold marks the 20th anniversary of comedy classic The Office, we catch up with the former Wernham Hogg workmates…

- HANNAH DAVIES, RICHARD MCCLURE, ALISON SLADE

COMEDY

The Office

Friday, Gold HD, 10pm, 10.40pm & 11.20pm

On 9 July 2001, Ricky Gervais’ groundbreaking comedy The Office first hit our screens, spawning the TV legend that is David Brent.

The original workplace mockumentary, set in the Slough office of paper merchant Wernham Hogg, followed the antics of obnoxious boss David Brent (Gervais) and his beleaguered staff and colleagues, played by the likes of Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman, Lucy Davis and Ralph Ineson.

It only ran for two series and a two-part special, coming to an end in 2003, but The Office won a host of awards and set the tone for all mockumentaries to come, even generating an American version, starring Steve Carell.

Now, to mark the award-winning show’s 20th anniversary, there’s a chance to re-watch the entire hit series on Gold, starting this week with a triple bill of the first three episodes.

Here, we look at where the stars of The Office are now…

1. Ricky Gervais (David Brent)

After creating the cringe-worthy but vulnerable middle manager, Gervais brought us TV series Derek and Extras and has appeared in movies Night at the Museum, The Invention of Lying and Muppets Most Wanted. In 2016, he reprised his most famous character in the movie David Brent: Life on the Road. He is currently filming a third series of his Netflix hit comedy After Life.