‘The Office’ co-creator Stephen Merchant reflects on the UK and U.S. versions of the show

For more than 15 years fans of The Office have debated which version of the workplace comedy is superior. Is it the original UK version or the U.S. adaptation?

You likely have a strong opinion, but on the latest episode of the Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey (two stars of the American version) teamed up with Stephen Merchant (the genius who co-created the original British version of The Office with Ricky Gervais) to remind us all that both versions of the show are fantastic.

In this enlightening episode, Merchant compared and reflected on the two versions, shared how he first met Gervais, talked about filming and editing tricks, and explained how he ended up directing the Season 5 episode, “Customer Survey.”

It’s a must-listen episode for any fan of either version of The Office, but we’ll give you a taste of what’s in store here.

A vision for the office

For those who need a refresher, the original British version of The Office started in 2001 and ran for two short seasons. Each season had six episodes, and there was a two-part Christmas special to finish things off. Much to the concern of UK Office fans, the series was later adapted into an American version by Greg Daniels. The U.S. version premiered in 2005, ran nine seasons, and gave viewers an impressive 201 episodes.

While Merchant obviously has a special place in his heart for the original, he genuinely adores the American version as well, and he was proud to see it become such a phenomenon. In fact, he called into the podcast repping both versions of the show.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed in honor of both the British and the U.S. versions of The Office, I am wearing my my Wernham Hogg baseball cap, which is the Dunder Mifflin of the UK. And I have my Dunder Mifflin mug, which I believe was a gift for my cup of tea,” he told Fischer and Kinsey. “So, you know, I’m just trying to pay homage to both both sides of the Atlantic and both shows.”

After talking about meeting the second half of his dynamic duo, Ricky Gervais, Merchant reminisced on the early days of creating the British version of the workplace comedy.

“…We always wanted our version of The Office to feel like a documentary that had sort of been made and then everyone forgot about it, and it was just on a shelf somewhere at the BBC for like ten years and someone dusted off and was like, ‘Put this on TV,'” he explained. “So we wanted the whole thing to feel tired. The office should feel tired — the people, the clothes. We always were very excited when the plants that we had on the set were slightly dying. We liked that idea. It’s that British approach. You know, you reflect the weather by just making shows that are depressing.”

PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 14: Executive producers Ricky Gervais (L) and Stephen Merchant of “The Ricky Gervais Show” speak during the HBO portion of the 2010 Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Langham Hotel on January 14, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Credit: Getty Images

From Wernham Hogg to Dunder Mifflin

Like many, Merchant remembers the intense scrutiny surrounding a potential American adaptation of The Office.

“…I remember that when that when it was first being discussed, as you say, there were a lot of things about ‘Oh, America going to ruin the show.’ And then when your show started airing in the UK, it was kind of, ‘Oh, it’s not as good as the British version,'” he said. But over the years that sentiment changed.

“And then over time, it’s become ‘The American version is far superior to the British version,'” he explained. “This is the British. This is the way we do things here, you know, I mean, we like we kind of build you up and then we knock you down. So, yeah. Now we’re very much — the American version is kind of the much-loved version, even by the British press. And Ricky and I are seen as kind of, ‘Oh, those guys, we’re tired of those guys.'” 

“Now… the American version is kind of the much-loved version, even by the British press.”

Merchant went on to explain that he and Gervais always tried to be supportive of the American version, and Kinsey and Fischer shared that the U.S. cast and crew loved their involvement and visits to set.

“We were we were just abuzz about having you guys on the set,” Kinsey said. “…I just want to say thank you. I mean, I feel like everyone in our cast was just humbled that we got this job. We all felt like we won the lottery and you gave us that lottery ticket, you know? You and Ricky. And you forever changed our lives.”

“I will never be able to say thank you enough. So thank you,” Kinsey continued.

Merchant, who was touched by Kinsey’s words, once again reflected on the different, yet inextricably linked success of the two versions. But he did admit that the American version of the show was truly something special.

“…I think we can all feel very proud of our version, but also of the American version. I think for me, I grew up watching and loving American shows and I was hooked on, you know, M*A*S*H and then Cheers and then Roseanne. And then the idea of having my fingerprints on a show like yours, which stands in the lineage of those shows and is now as beloved by audiences as that as those shows, it’s just incredible,” he said. “And that’s a testament to you guys and all the cast and all the crew and all the writers. It’s far it’s gone way beyond what Ricky and I did.”

He went on to compare The Office to Frankenstein’s monster, saying, “We kind of created this thing in the lab and it went off and rampaged around the world on its own without us. And and the idea that this show is having this sort of whole second life and, you know, audiences [are] finding it again, I just think it’s it’s such a thrill and an honor to be to be associated with it. So thank you.”

Boy do we stan the UK and U.S. Office creators and cast members stanning each other. All is right in The Office universe today.

Be sure to listen to the full podcast episode for more from Stephen Merchant and additional behind-the-scenes stories from “Customer Survey.”

You can stream episodes of The Office on Peacock and follow along with the podcast every week on Earwolf, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher.