Following hot on the heels of the repeat series on BBC2 comes this fantastic 2 DVD set. If you have not sampled the genius that is David Brent, or are part of the ever dwindling group of people who have only seen one episode, where have you been?
David Brent is the utterly hapless branch manager of a paper merchants in Slough. He attempts to laugh his way through the day, but his humour invariably falls upon deaf ears - watching him try to be 'one of the lads' is cringeworthy in the extreme.
The first DVD takes us through the first series, as the title suggests, with only a couple of add ons, which I'll come back to later.
Episode 1 introduces us all to the unhappy paper workers, most notably David Brent, his assistant Gareth - who is obsessed with his territorial army training, and a couple of other characters who, at this stage, appear to be only 'bit parts'. It quickly becomes apparent that all is not well at The Office and David is fighting an uphill battle to keep his staff happy, indeed in work. As you watch the rest of the series, some classic encounters avail. Anybody who has ever been on a staff training day will love Episode 4. Add to this David's desperate hunt for the person who has put his head on an 'amusing' e-mail and the testosterone charged quiz night and you have a DVD packed with the most embarrassing and painful comedy show ever made. Brent makes Basil Fawlty look competent.
DVD 2 has a most revealing and funny documentary about the making of the series, some out-takes and some excellent deleted scenes. In terms of easter eggs, we can find the full version of the training video presented by Kick Start legend Peter Purves. So how do we find the easter eggs?
DVD 1 - Main menu... listen for a loud phone ring. It takes a while. Press enter immediately, and...'Freelove Highway' the other version appears. This is unmissable, watch Tim's reaction to David !
DVD 2 - Go to 'deleted scenes'. Select 'Slough' and wait for the light to go off. At this point, press 'enter' and the training video miraculously appears.
Overall, I would recommend that everybody everywhere buys this DVD. I have watched many scenes and episodes over and over again, and they get funnier each time. Buy it now, and look forward to Series 2 being released.
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this is a great TV show, its the only DVD i watch over and ever again, David Brents Expessions crack me up, great review aswell
Proffles 28.05.2003 16:16
An apology...I missed two episodes of the first series. So I have ordered this through CD WOW. Thanks for the eggs! Proffles.
Coxecal 26.03.2003 17:56
i only saw three or four episodes of this... and i was laughing my bum off... it was hilarious... and i really liked the fact that they didn't use canned laughter in order for people to know when they were supposed to laugh... it was a free for all laugh show... loved it... great op... welcome to ciao and take care... 'peaches n beans'
It feels both inaccurate and inadequate to describeThe Officeas a comedy. On a superficial ... more
level, it disdains all the conventions of television sitcoms: there are no punch lines, no jokes, no laugh tracks and no cute happy endings. More profoundly, it'...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It feels both inaccurate and inadequate to describeThe Officeas a comedy. On a superficial ... more
level, it disdains all the conventions of television sitcoms: there are no punch lines, no jokes, no laugh tracks and no cute happy endings. More profoundly, it'...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
BAFTA winning comedy about the Slough paper-merchant where life is stationary...David ... more
Brent (Ricky Gervais) is a petty, pompous boss who thinks he's the funniest, most popular man in the world. Pedantic jobs worth Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) agrees with h...
Winner of Best Sit-com & Best Comedy drama at the 2002 Royal TV Society this six-part ... more
comedy series is set in a Slough paper merchants. Episode 1: David Brent learns that his branch of the paper merchants might be closed down. But he promises his...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: extra footage, deleted scenes, interviews, seeing the man who wrote most of The Office in the flesh, and having all six episodes of the first series within easy reach! Disadvantages: You might spasm too much with laughing
![The Office - The Complete First Series [2001] [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78542312.jpg "The Office - The Complete First Series [2001] [DVD]")
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