#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “THE OFFICE” (AUSTRALIA)

Incompetency has a brand-new name and it’s Hannah Howard. Meet the charming, yet pretty inept, and definitely not self-aware new female boss in the official trailer for The Office, which Prime Video released today. Comedian and actor Felicity Ward is the first woman to play the iconic lead role, 23 years after The Office first debuted. All eight episodes of The Office premiere October 18, 2024 on Prime Video so block out your calendar or, even better, chuck a sickie and binge the series. The Australian Amazon Original comedy series will be available on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide (excluding the U.S.) as part of the Prime membership. Prime members across the globe enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in a single membership.

The highly-anticipated Australian version of The Office is the thirteenth adaptation of the global hit franchise and follows the employees at a packaging company, Flinley Craddick in Sydney. The series stars Felicity Ward as Hannah Howard, managing director, Flinley Craddick, Sydney; Edith Poor as Lizze Moyle, receptionist, front desk executive and productivity manager; Steen Raskopoulos as Nick Fletcher, sales representative; Shari Sebbens as Greta King, sales representative; Josh Thomson as Martin Katavake, head of human resources; Jonny Brugh as Lloyd Kneath, head of IT; Susan Ling Young as Tina Kwong, sales representative; Raj Labade as Sebastian Roy, intern; Lucy Schmidt as Deborah Leonard, head of finance; Zoe Terakes as Stevie Jones, head of the warehouse; Pallavi Sharda as Alisha Khanna, regional director, Flinley Craddick Australia; Claude Jabbour as Mason, Greta’s boyfriend and Jason Perini as Johnny, warehouse staff. Guest stars include Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie, Rick Donald, and Chris Bunton.

When Hannah gets news from the 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.

“We are so excited for you to meet Hannah Howard, brought to life by the exceptionally talented Felicity Ward,” said Sarah Christie, head of Australian Originals, Amazon MGM Studios. “Office life has changed a lot in the last few years, and we can’t wait to share our very own Aussie spin on a beloved franchise with Prime Video customers around the world. We’re so proud of the series, the phenomenal cast and creative collaborators Julie De Fina, Jackie van Beek, Kylie Washington, Sophia Zachariou, BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand and Bunya Entertainment.”

“I’ve never been so excited to play an optimist incompetent trapped in her own delulu,” said Felicity Ward. “Hannah Howard is every bit the disappointment of a boss we’d all hope she’d be.”

Executive producers and writers, Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek said: “We hope that audiences love watching the thirteenth version of The Office as much as we loved making the thirteenth version of The Office. Great cast, superb crew, excellent catering.”

“The Office is one of the most iconic formats in the world and one of the crown jewels in the BBC format safe,” said Kylie Washington, general manager and creative director, production, BBC Studios ANZ. “Office environments have changed so much, so we felt like it was perfect timing to investigate what the office means to us and how our work families – good or bad – affect our lives. Having our first female boss wasn’t just about a gender flip, it’s about looking at the whole workplace through the lens of a female boss. It’s certainly time!”

Sophia Zachariou, producer and former co-managing director, Bunya Entertainment, said “The mockumentary format is such a brilliant genre to investigate the human psyche, and the original UK version of The Office with Ricky Gervais blew my mind when I first watched it over 20 years ago. When Kylie and I started talking about doing an Australian version of The Office but with a (world first) female in the lead and with such a pure comedic premise, we thought what could possibly go wrong!?”

It was over 20 years ago that the world was introduced to the wonderfully bleak mockumentary world of The Office, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. While many aspects of the workplace have changed since then, especially post 2020, the physical office is a timeless precinct for comedy, and one that will never tire an audience as long as the characters are authentic, familiar, faced with relatable dilemmas, and, most importantly, entertaining and hilarious. This universal appeal has seen the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning cult comedy remade for audiences around the world, including France, Canada, Chile, Israel, India, the Middle East, Poland, and South Africa, which was recently announced.

The eight-part Australian Amazon Original series The Office is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon MGM Studios, and is based on a BBC Studios format. The Office was developed for Australia by writers Julie De Fina (Aftertaste) and Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers, Nude Tuesday) with the pair also serving as executive producers. Kylie Washington (Return to Paradise) is executive producer with lead producer Sophia Zachariou (Ladies in Black, The Moth Effect) and producer Linda Micsko (The Letdown, Laid). Van Beek also serves as set-up director (Time Bandits, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal) alongside directors Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters, A Sunburnt Christmas) and Jesse Griffin (Educators) who is also a writer on the series.

Since 2019, Prime Video has commissioned 30 Australian Original series and features in Australia—The Test Season One-Three, Making Their Mark, LOL: Last One Laughing Australia with Rebel Wilson, Back to the Rafters, Luxe Listings Sydney Season One-Three, award-winning feature-length documentary Burning, The Moth Effect, Head Above Water, Kick Like Tayla, Warriors On The Field, Class of ’07, Deadloch Season One & Two, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Dance Life, the lifestyle special Hugh van Cuylenburg: G.E.M, a series of ten stand-up comedy specials, Neighbours, Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles, Five Blind Dates, The Office and the upcoming The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Top End Bub.

#FIRSTLOOK: THE OFFICE EXPERIENCE TORONTO AT YORKDALE

Such a blast checking-out Fever‘s The Office Experience Toronto earlier this week! This immersive pop-up pays tribute to the legacy of acclaimed and adored Mockumentary Sitcom THE OFFICE. It takes place at Yorkdale Shopping Centre now through June 4, 2023. Fans of the show cannot miss this as the space is filled with throwbacks, photo ops, actual props and costumes and fun facts. The level of attention to detail is astounding. Even if you know the show only casually, the experience is incredibly fun and sure to brighten your spirits!

Did we mention the incredible merch in their Gift Shop?

Details:

Dates: March 3rd – June 4th, 2023
Location: Yorkdale Shopping Centre (across from the Lego Store); 3401 Dufferin St Toronto, ON M6A 2T9 Canada
Age requirement: All ages are welcome. Guests 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult who is at least 18 years old. Children 3 and younger don’t need a ticket when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Operating hours (time slots available every 30 minutes):
Thursdays & Fridays: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. (last entry)
Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. – 8 p.m. (last entry)
Sundays: 11:00 a.m. – 6 p.m. (last entry)

Schedule subject to change during specific periods.

See a reel of highlights from The Office Experience Toronto:

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Click here for tickets.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

#FIRSTLOOK: “THE OFFICE EXPERIENCE” COMING TO YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTER IN TORONTO

After successful runs in Chicago and Washington, The Office Experience will make its international debut Friday, March 3, 2023 in Toronto. Located inside Yorkdale Shopping Center at 3401 Dufferin St, guests will have the chance to sit at Michael’s desk, relive Jim and Pam’s romance, have their own conference room meeting and recreate other favourite show moments and as they journey through the show’s largest-ever official interactive fan experience.  

Created by Original X Productions (OGX) and Universal Live Entertainment in consultation with The Office’s U.S. creator Greg Daniels, The Office Experience features numerous areas filled with original props and costumes, set re-creations and more, allowing fans to visit Scranton Business Park and other sites associated with the beloved series. Relive iconic scenes such as Kevin’s Chili Spill and don’t forget to film your own testimonial in front of the iconic blinds.  

The Office Experience will celebrate all the series’ major characters and will also commemorate, among many other things, the Dundie Awards, the Michael Scott Paper Company and Jim and Pam’s love story. Timed tickets for the experience start at $37 CAD + taxes and fees and are now available for purchase.  

Tickets here.

#FIRSTLOOK: RICKY GERVAIS TO RELEASE NEW SERIES “DEREK” ON NETFLIX

He’s been laying low since last year’s Golden Globes Kerfuffle, but we now have word that he’s back and badder than ever.  Funnyman Ricky Gervais, Creator of The Office, has partnered with Netflix to release his brand new Series DEREK this Fall!

The official Synopsis is below:

A bittersweet Comedy-Drama about a group of outsiders living on society’s margins, DEREK centers around Derek Noakes (Gervais), a tender, innocent Man whose love for his job at a retirement home shines through.  Derek cares deeply for the Home’s Residents, because they are kind and funny and tell him stories of what life used to be like.  Working alongside Derek is Dougie (Karl Pilkington), his Landlord who is one of life’s unlucky individuals; Kev (Earl), a loveable train wreck; and Hannah (Kerry Godliman), a Care Worker in the Home and Derek’s Best Friend. She is smart, witty and hard-working, but unlucky in love, and, like Derek, always puts other people first.

Gervais not only stars in the Series, but also produces, directs and writes.

Netflix releases all seven episodes of DEREK on Thursday, September 12, 2013, just as we’ll be recovering from TIFF 2013 on our couches!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)