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Movies & TV

31st May 2023

One of the best sitcoms of all time is getting yet another remake

Stephen Porzio

The Office Australia

The remake has received the blessing of the original’s co-creator and star.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s classic UK mockumentary sitcom The Office is getting yet another remake, this time in Australia.

Titled The Office Australia and set to premiere in Ireland on Prime Video, the series will see comedian and actress Felicity Ward (The Inbetweeners 2) play Hannah Howard, a gender-swapped version of Gervais’ iconic character from the original David Brent.

The plot synopsis for the remake reads:

“In The Office Australia, Hannah Howard is the managing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick. When she gets news from Head Office that they will be shutting down her branch and making everyone work from home, she goes into survival mode, making promises she can’t keep in order to keep her ‘work family’ together.

“The staff of Flinley Craddick indulge her and must endure Hannah’s outlandish plots as they work toward the impossible targets that have been set for them.”

The Office Australia will be the 14th adaptation of the UK comedy series, which first premiered in 2001 and has already been remade for numerous different countries. The most notable example is the US version of the show which starred Steve Carrell and ran for nine seasons, also inspiring a devoted cult following.

That said, the Australian version will be unique as it marks the first time any of the iterations of The Office has had a female lead.

The project has received the blessing of the original’s co-creator and star Gervais, who said of the remake:

“I’m very excited about Australia remaking my little show from the turn of the century. Office politics have changed a bit in 20 years, so can’t wait to see how they navigate a modern-day David Brent.”

The Office Australia will premiere on Prime Video sometime in 2024.

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