Nearly two years after the demise of the office it remains a relevant and still much talked about televisual phenomenon. Nothing about this DVD collection is spectacular, from the mundane packaging to the fairly standard extras. But these are minor qualms and quibbles, the genius of this collection does not lie in mere aesthetics like so many others out there (naming no names, I don't know any), the joy is in the 7 ½ of epic comedy hours contained on the 4 DVD's. The multi-award winning internationally acclaimed series about a paper merchants in Slough, herein lies the genius of The Office.

The story meanders through general 'every day' events in the office, as an unseen BBC crew attempts to capture the essence of working life. Through the unusual trials and tribulations, mostly precipitated through the over eager boss David Brent, the attention seeking 'entertainer'. From the dejection of unrequited love to the depression of unfulfilled career paths, the office consumes all and blends it into a hilarious satire on the mundane lives that many people lead.

Jokes without punch lines, characters with no redeemable features and a dour backdrop barely constitute your everyday comedy. But in the case of The Office somehow the concoction of comedy faux pas somehow works. Writer/Directors Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais created a show that initially appeared to be a non-starter but by it's conclusion left critics and fans baying for more. This box set encapsulates every moment, every joke and every catastrophe in this shows short history, and for this reason alone it is worth every penny.

Despite the eternal optimist in David Brent, we see his world crumble as set back after set back looks to destroy his ambitions as a boss but more importantly a television celebrity. Always acting first and thinking later never quite works out for the unfortunate Brent. A disastrous quiz night punctuated by his confusion between Fidel Castro and Fray Bentos as well as a head butting incident with his newly appointed secretary are just two of the disasters that the wretched Brent wanders into.

With Gervais and Merchant rightly exploring pastures new The office is now a distant memory, never to be re explored on these shores at least. As the only collection to encompass every stomach wrenching side splitting moment of this series it is an ideal and in my opinion essential addition to any worthwhile DVD collection. Price should be no object but you should be looking at around the £30 mark if you are asking. I know this sounds like a thousand word homage and I guess that in many ways it is, but some things in this world were created to absolute perfection, and I have to say that The Office is one of those rare examples. An unrepeatable monolith on the British comedy landscape and in this irrepressible collection we find the most fitting epitaph to it's acheivments and endeavours, truly unmissable.