Gervais’ The Office goes down under with all-female cast

Ricky Gervais’ breakthrough hit series The Office is set for its third incarnation. This time it will be set in Australia with a female David Brent. 

When The Office first hit our screens in 2001 it was very very British. From the slow awkward humour to the drab office culture to the drizzly Slough setting it was smart but seemingly non-translateable.

But it was the beginning of the rise of the seemingly indomitable Gervais. When it was remade and recast in the US it proved the same down-to0-earth humour was indeed universal and was another runaway hit for the British comedian.

Now it is set for its third incarnation and in dual twists it will be set in Sydney, Australia and fronted by female Australian comedian Felicity Ward.  She is perhaps best known to UK audiences for her role in the Inbetweeners 2 movie.

Felicity Ward will play Hannah Howard, branch manager at Flinley Craddick a packaging company.  When her branch is shut down and the staff forced to work from home, Howard comes up with ludicrous schemes to keep up team morale.

It sounds like another perfect Gervais-style premise for hi-jinx and groan-aloud humour and no doubt will garner the rarely-humble Gervais more plaudits and money.

Ricky Gervais, who is known for his brash humour, as demonstrated in his stand-up and his infamous presenting of the Golden Globe Awards where he took the opportunity to ridicule Hollywood’s elite, seems always busy and never far from the limelight.

With the new remake of his classic hit show The Office, we hope for the same awkward laughs with an Aussie twist.