After two series of The Office, at which point the series was quickly pressed in the “12ew” mould – 12 episode wonders for the uninitiated (cf. Fawlty Towers) - a two part Christmas special was filmed in Summer 2003 – and was broadcast as two episodes over Christmas 2003. Whilst Series 2 had ... Read review
The two-part conclusion toThe Officebids farewell to David Brent and his long-suffering ... more
co-workers in a surprisingly poignant not to say dignified manner. Supposedly accompanied by the fly-on-the-wall documentary crew three years after his highly undig...
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The only British sitcom ever to win a Golden Globe returns for two final extended ... more
episodes.Much has happened since our last visit to Wernham Hogg. David Brent released a pop single, Gareth was promoted and Tim said goodbye to Dawn.Now we follow chilled...
The two-part conclusion toThe Officebids farewell to David Brent and his long-suffering ... more
co-workers in a surprisingly poignant not to say dignified manner. Supposedly accompanied by the fly-on-the-wall documentary crew three years after his highly undig...
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The fantastically funny Christmas special episodes from the BAFTA award winning comedy. ... more
These specials deliver a fitting send-off to one of the best comedy series in recent times. Three years after the camera stopped rolling the BBC returns to Wernha...
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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's not what we're used to thinking of as funny. Most of the fervently devoted fan base watched with a discomfortingly thrilling combination of identification and mortification. The paradox is that its best moments are almost physically unwatchable. Set in the offices of a fictional British paper merchant,The Officeis filmed in the style of a reality television show. The writing is subtle and deft, the acting wonderful, and the characters beautifully drawn: the cadaverous team leader Gareth (Mackenzie Crook); the monstrous sales rep, Chris Finch (Ralph Ineson); and the decent but long-suffering everyman Tim (Martin Freeman), whose ambition and imagination have been crushed out of him by the banality of ! the life he dreams uselessly of escaping. The show is stolen, as it was intended to be, by insufferable office manager David Brent, played by codirector-cowriter Ricky Gervais. Brent will become a name as emblematic for a particular kind of British grotesque as Basil Fawlty, but he is a deeper character. Fawlty is an exaggeration of reality, and therefore a safely comic figure. Brent is as appalling as only reality can be.--Andrew MuellerThe second series exceeded even the sky-high standards of the first. Indeed, it ventured beyond caricature and satire, touching on the very edge of darkness. Ricky Gervais is once again excruciatingly superb as David Brent, but in this series, Brent's to-the-camera assertions concerning his management qualities and executive capabilities are seriously challenged when the Slough and Swindon branches are merged and his former Swindon equivalent Neil (Patrick Baladi) takes over as area manager. To compensate, Brent cultivates his pathologically mistaken image of himself as an entertainer-motivator-comedian whose stage happens to be the workplace. Meanwhile, Tim, who can only maintain his sanity by teasing the priggish Gareth, continues to wrestle with his yearning for receptionist Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis), a sympathetic character persisting in a relationship with a man about whom she still maintains unspoken reservations. As ever, it's the awkward, reality TV-style pauses and silences, the furtive, meaningful and unmet glances across the emotional gulf of the open-plan office, that say it all here. As for Brent, hisown breakdown is prefaced by a moment of hideous hilarity--an impromptu office dance, a mixture of "Flashdanceand MC Hammer" as Brent describes it, but in reality bad beyond description. Then, when his fate is sealed, he at last reveals himself in a memorable finale to perhaps the greatest British sitcom, besidesFawlty Towers, ever made.--David StubbsThe brilliant and devastating comedy ofThe Officeis brought to a satisfying conclusion inThe Office Special, originally a two-part Christmas special on the BBC, set three years after the end of the faux-documentary's second season. The former office manager David (Ricky Gervais) now ekes out a desperate existence as an oblivious quasi-celebrity, making awkward, humiliating visits back to the office staff he still believes loves him. Gawky Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) has risen to manager and become a petty tyrant, while the sweet but snide Tim (Martin Freeman) continues to pine for former receptionist Dawn (Lucy Davis), who fled to Florida with her fiance. When the documentary crew pays for Dawn to return for the holiday party, an unpredictable reunion looms ahead.The Officefuses scathing humor and genuine empathy, turning excruciating social discomfort into inspired satire. Fans will find this special rewarding in all respects.--Bret Fetzer
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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's not what we're used to thinking of as funny. Most of the fervently devoted fan base watched with a discomfortingly thrilling combination of identification and mortification. The paradox is that its best moments are almost physically unwatchable. Set in the offices of a fictional British paper merchant,The Officeis filmed in the style of a reality television show. The writing is subtle and deft, the acting wonderful, and the characters beautifully drawn: the cadaverous team leader Gareth (Mackenzie Crook); the monstrous sales rep, Chris Finch (Ralph Ineson); and the decent but long-suffering everyman Tim (Martin Freeman), whose ambition and imagination have been crushed out of him by the banality of ! the life he dreams uselessly of escaping. The show is stolen, as it was intended to be, by insufferable office manager David Brent, played by codirector-cowriter Ricky Gervais. Brent will become a name as emblematic for a particular kind of British grotesque as Basil Fawlty, but he is a deeper character. Fawlty is an exaggeration of reality, and therefore a safely comic figure. Brent is as appalling as only reality can be.--Andrew MuellerThe second series exceeded even the sky-high standards of the first. Indeed, it ventured beyond caricature and satire, touching on the very edge of darkness. Ricky Gervais is once again excruciatingly superb as David Brent, but in this series, Brent's to-the-camera assertions concerning his management qualities and executive capabilities are seriously challenged when the Slough and Swindon branches are merged and his former Swindon equivalent Neil (Patrick Baladi) takes over as area manager. To compensate, Brent cultivates his pathologically mistaken image of himself as an entertainer-motivator-comedian whose stage happens to be the workplace. Meanwhile, Tim, who can only maintain his sanity by teasing the priggish Gareth, continues to wrestle with his yearning for receptionist Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davis), a sympathetic character persisting in a relationship with a man about whom she still maintains unspoken reservations. As ever, it's the awkward, reality TV-style pauses and silences, the furtive, meaningful and unmet glances across the emotional gulf of the open-plan office, that say it all here. As for Brent, his own breakdown is prefaced by a moment of hideous hilarity--an impromptu office dance, a mixture of "Flashdanceand MC Hammer" as Brent describes it, but in reality bad beyond description. Then, when his fate is sealed, he at last reveals himself in a memorable finale to perhaps the greatest British sitcom, besidesFawlty Towers, ever made.--David StubbsThe brilliant and devastating comedy ofThe Officeis brought to a satisfying conclusion inThe Office Special, originally a two-part Christmas special on the BBC, set three years after the end of the faux-documentary's second season. The former office manager David (Ricky Gervais) now ekes out a desperate existence as an oblivious quasi-celebrity, making awkward, humiliating visits back to the office staff he still believes loves him. Gawky Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) has risen to manager and become a petty tyrant, while the sweet but snide Tim (Martin Freeman) continues to pine for former receptionist Dawn (Lucy Davis), who fled to Florida with her fiance. When the documentary crew pays for Dawn to return for the holiday party, an unpredictable reunion looms ahead.The Officefuses scathing humor and genuine empathy, turning excruciating social discomfort into inspired satire. Fans will find this special rewarding in all respects.--Bret Fetzer
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Production Year: 2004 - Comedy - Director: John Hay - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jimi Mistry, Kate Miles, Dougray Scott
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Advantages: Wide range of features, same brand of humour as the two series Disadvantages: that's all folks
After two series of The Office, at which point the series was quickly pressed in the “12ew” mould – 12 episode wonders for the uninitiated (cf. Fawlty Towers) - a two part Christmas special was filmed in Summer 2003 – and was broadcast as two episodes over Christmas 2003. Whilst Series 2 had been seen as the end of the series, with David Brent being made redundant from Wernham Hogg and the series' romance - between Tim Canterbury and Dawn Tinsley ... ...episode third series, which as the actors and directors (Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant) themselves conceded wouldn’t have been a good idea. Part of the problem had been of course that from relatively unknown status, the actors had been catapulted to being household names, thus making it impossible to maintain the documentary feel.
The Christmas specials return to Wernham Hogg in the post-Brent era. However, Brent is still very ... more
After two series of The Office, at which point the series was quickly pressed in the “12ew” mould – 12 episode wonders for the uninitiated (cf. Fawlty Towers) - a two part Christmas special was filmed in Summer 2003 – and was broadcast as two episodes over Christmas 2003. Whilst Series 2 had been seen as the end of the series, with David Brent being made redundant from Wernham Hogg and the series' romance - between Tim Canterbury and Dawn Tinsley (played by Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis), the special was used to tie up a few loose ends, rather than prolonging it across another 6 episode third series, which as the actors and directors (Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant) themselves conceded wouldn’t have been a good idea. Part of the problem had been of course that from relatively unknown status, the actors had been catapulted to being household names, thus making it impossible to maintain the documentary feel.
The Christmas specials return to Wernham Hogg in the post-Brent era. However, Brent is still very much the focal point of the episodes, as although Neil Godwin and Gareth Keenan are now steering the ship, David returns so frequently that one wonders whether he has actually left, and so frequently that ultimately he has to be banned from turning up whenever he wishes. Brent is now a sales reps, seeing cleaning products, as well as doing “celebrity” appearances – after his white elephant single release – outlay ca. GBP 42000, sales ca. 150. His nightclub appearances which his minor league agent sorts him out with verge on the pathetic – put on the big stage, Brent is a weak individual, whereas his stage, that of The Office, see him as the star. To rekindle the Canterbury/Tinsley romance, the documentary style is used, with the team doing the documentary offering Dawn a chance to return to Slough. Knowing that there are two 45 minute episodes, there is of course only so much that can happen, and also only a short period of time in which all loose ends can be tied up.
Whilst the whole cast is still on-board, some do not play such a prominent part - for example Chris Finch, whilst always slightly peripheral due to not being office-based, only has a few very brief appearances - and his smutty sense of humour is somewhat muted - perhaps because of the fact that his comic foil – Brent – is no longer in the same role. Gareth is still the anal-retentive practical joke victim, but does not fill the screen (or shoes) of Brent, who still hogs the footage.
As well as finding out whether Tim and Dawn do or don’t get together, and whether David actually brings a partner to the Christmas party – something which Neil takes particular delight in trying to find out – the DVD contains a selection of extras - which are of course for the nerds out there - as Gervais and Merchant comment during the director's commentary of the final episode. As well as the two episodes, with scene selection, the extra features are as follows:
Featurette: The Office – Closed for Business
Closed for business covers essentially the effect that The Office has had on its characters acting careers – some have landed film roles, others other parts in television. The central thread is effectively a justification for why there will be no reprise for the characters after the Christmas Specials – not just because of the “closure” of a lot of the loose ends, but also based on the fact that the familiarity that the cast has gained would make the fly-on-the-wall style adopted less possible to keep up, without the documentary side falling by the wayside. The characters discuss particular favourite scenes and there are more out-takes (although the out-takes on the series 1&2 box set are better in terms of comedy and quantity) - although they do serve to show that Ricky Gervais is very much the centrepiece in the show, around whom everything revolves.
Golden Globe Featurette:
In light of The Office’s success in America, for which it won a Golden Globe, the first one by a British Sitcom, there is a featurette of the awards ceremony.
“If you don’t know me by now” – full song with video
David Brent spent approximately GBP 42000 on his one single “If you don’t know me by now” which is built into the first episode of the Christmas Specials and the extras include a full rendition including the video – Brent makes it cringeworthy, although musically and in terms of the video the song is not actually that bad.
Full band version of “Freelove Freeway”:
In Series 1, Episode 4, where the episode revolves around David’s monopolisation of an in-house training course, he starts strumming his guitar, which leads to the emergence of him as a wannabe popstar. His big “hit” song is called “Freelove Freeway” and in this version he is accompanied by a full band, made famous not least by the presence of Noel Gallagher on backing vocals – a sign that the mighty can fall – seven years ago his ego would have vetoed the chance to perform.
Directors' Commentary: Gervais and Merchant give us the fly's view of the fly-on-the-wall technique - what they were trying to achieve, pointing out the various points of interest for the entire second episode of the Christmas Specials. Admittedly they can lapse into banter – they mention about five minutes in that they could just sit back and watch the episode with the viewer, and whilst it doesn't rank as highly as Sam Mendes' director's commentary in American Beauty, it is certainly well worth watching.
The Christmas Specials are rated 15 as they contain strong language (e.g. Brent telling Finch where to go - something which I cheered at - Finch is a nasty piece of work!) and moderate sexual references. The two episodes weigh in at 94 minutes in total, and there is over an hour’s extras on the DVD, making the GBP 11.99 price tag not out of the way.
Advantages: Grest conclusion to fantastic series, good extras Disadvantages: only two episodes, the end of an era :-(
...make a third series of The Office, arguably the best British comedy ever written, would undoubtedly have been a mistake, and the writers Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant instead chose to end this fantastic comedy with a two-part Christmas special. I worried at the idea of a Christmas special but as it turned out, needlessly so. They, along with the actors, no doubt felt they would have struggled to make a third series as fresh and funny as the previous ... ...Brent after his departure from the Office? Did Dawn and Tim finally get together?), and so this two-part special was actually the perfect way to bring the story to a satisfactory end. Set three years after David Brent leaves Slough paper merchants Wernham Hogg, the documentary crew return to the Office to see how things have changed. Gareth is now the manager of the office, and Tim not only has to endure him as his superior, but also the absence ...
molelover 25.11.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Office - The Christmas Specials (DVD)
Advantages: Brilliant comedy Disadvantages: The end of it.
...critically acclaimed wherever they went. The only British sitcom to win a Golden Globe, even outdoing the likes of Only Fools and Horses or Faulty Towers. This is The Office…Christmas Specials
At the end of series two, the boss everyone loved to hate, David Brent, had been made redundant by the powers that be at Wernham Hogg. But two years on, the 'documentary' makers have returned to see what life is like for the people that worked at the office.
... ...They managed to get all the old cast back - Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis, and did they disappoint?? Of course not. These two episodes aired during Xmas 2003 (yes, that long ago!) are brilliant, so let me explain a little bit about them…
Episode one reacquaints ourselves with everyone - David is now, basically, a door-to-door salesman having lost his job, Gareth has taken up David's position behind the desk in his office, Tim is still ...
carl.mcqueen 23.03.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Office - The Christmas Specials (DVD)
This review is on the Christmas specials of The Office, and in the three years that they spaced out between the end of the second series and this one several changes have occured. Having been sacked at the end of the last series, David Brent (Ricky Gervais) now works as a traveling sales rep within Slough and its surrounding towns or thereabouts. He is banned from coming in to the office environment to see his 'friends' by UK manager Neil Godwin ... ...Keenan (Mackenzie Crooke) is now the manager in Brent's place, and it would appear that he now runs a much more tighter ship than his predessecor. Tim Canterbury (Martin Freeman) resents this, not only because Keenan is now his superior but also because his old flame Dawn Tinsley (Lucy Davies) who used to play the receptionist is now illegally living in the States with her fiance Lee (Joel Beckett) as we are lead to believe by a number of their comments. ...
dynamicnurse 28.03.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Office - The Christmas Specials (DVD)
Advantages: More of the same side-splitting Gervais brilliance. Disadvantages: It's the last one ever. :(
The Office has been a critical success all over the world. It has won a Golden Globe, and has been remade (read: butchered) for American audiences. And this Christmas special is your last chance to see David Brent, the boss everyone loves to hate, Gareth, Tim, and Dawn. Not to mention Finchy (Chriis Finch), who is still as vulgar as ever and hasn't shaved yet, and Neil, who is still the popular, funny boss that Brent would love to be.
So, since ... ...is now in charge of the Slough branch at Wernham Hogg. Shame no-one takes any notice of him. Tim Canterbury, the office nice guy is still slaving away trying to sell paper, and Dawn, the old receptionist from series 1 & 2 now lives in America with her fiancé, Lee.
Brent, meanwhile, has got himself an agent, released a single, and found a new job. By night he also makes 'celebrity appearances' in various clubs and bars around the area, using his ...
lyncho99 12.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Office - The Christmas Specials (DVD)
I didn't like The Office. I could see the same type of people in my workplace. I feel very uncomfortable watching people making fun of the weak. My husband loved The Office, in fact he would watch The Office over and over again and still find it funny. He says I don't understand British humour and I should step away and not get emotional about the comedy. Perhaps he is right. However, that is properly why Ricky Gervais, one of the creator and main ... ...sit through many episode of The Office, trying to get used to the humour, I finally cracked it. I was actually enjoying The Office. I was actually disappointed that there would not be anymore British made -The Office. Out of all The Office episode, I like The Office- Christmas Specials but sadly, that was the last in the series. The Office Christmas special is a two 45 minutes episode.In this series, we saw David Brent ( played y Ricky Gervais ) ...
jenmil 14.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Office - The Christmas Specials (DVD)
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Advantages: Brilliantly funny, marvellous actors Disadvantages: A lack of extras, some dated concepts
of the comedy depends upon being vaguely aware of British politics and the way we see the government, and even the stereotypes we apply, hopefully in jest, though sometimes earnestly, to our European neighbours. Of course, the truly disturbing aspect of the show is that it is quite believable that this is precisely how our country is run.
Yes Minister ran for three series?, totalling twenty-two episodes, including the 1984 ChristmasSpecial Party Games, where Hacker finally makes it to the illustrious office of Prime Minister. Each series has a single DVD, with the ChristmasSpecial thrown in with series 3. The DVDs were released as a part of the BBC Classic Comedy series, and so the fact that they have nothing in the way of extras can perhaps be compensated for by the price. Each DVD generally costs around the ten pound mark, and for over three ...
Advantages: More classic Allo Allo, laugh out load comedy, great acting Disadvantages: Could be accused of being a bit samey, lack of extras
samey. The comedy of the show shines through with a unique comedic blend and innocence that makes the show fun for all the family.
The continuous element of Allo Allo's plot lines means that it is favourable to have watched the earlier series of the show however with the slate wiped clean you could watch series 8 and 9 as stand alone series. Occasionally reference to earlier series is made and as the Fallen Madonna thread returns at the beginning of series 8, it is helpful, shall we say, to have watched some, if not all of series 1-7.
My favourite line from this DVD comes from the first episode (which is the ChristmasSpecial on Disk 3) and also my favourite character, Officer Crabtree ('the British spy who thinks he can speak French'). Upon discovering Yvette is pregnant Crabtree comes into the café and announces that one of the waitresses ...
The two Christmas Specials from 2003. David is now working as a sales rep for a cleaning company while making personal appearances at nightclubs in the evening. But he continues to visit Wernham Hogg, where Gareth is now the manager. With the Christmas party approaching and Lee and Dawn returning from America, everyone is drawn back together again.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO; SONY DADC
Release date
25/10/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
BBCDVD 1374
Barcode
5014503137427
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
The Office Closed For Business Documentary, Golden Globe Featurette, If You Dont Know Me By Now Full Song And Video, Full Band Version Of Freelove Freeway, Directors Commentary On Episode 2
Professional reviews
Review
"...Has any well-loved comedy ever taken its departure with such grace and finesse?" (The Independent, )
"...wincemakingly hilarious, delicously touching and perfectly emotionally pitched..." (The Observer, )
"...A show of near perfection..." (The Sun, )
"...The glorious final episode of The Office rivalled anything from the golden age of television..." (The Times, )
DVD Description
The final episodes of the only British sitcom to win a Golden Globe. Since we last left THE OFFICE, David Brent has released a single, Dawn has gone to America, and Gareth has been promoted. We now follow David on the road in his quest for fame, Gareth in his new role, and Dawn in America. Meanwhile Tim is still suffering in the office, still battling with his feelings for Dawn. It is announced that she is coming back for the christmas party, will old flames still be burning
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