The Office is a fictional documentary by the BBC channel that follows the steps of the employees of a paper supply company office. This show was created by Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais, who incidentally also plays the main role. It premiered on BBC Two, on 9 July 2001, and ran for two seasons and two Christmas specials that wrapped the story up.

The Office won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy", making it the only British comedy to be nominated for a Golden Globe in 25 years (and consequently the first to win it). Ricky Gervais also won the Golden Globe for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy". Due to its critical success, Gervais and Merchant were commissioned by NBC to create an American version, which premiered on 24 March 2005.