The Office goes down under! New series to feature Hannah Howard in the lead, co-stars Pallavi Sharda

First, there was the UK’s David Brent, then came the US’ Michael Scott. Now, middle management has a new archetype in Aussie Hannah Howard. On Wednesday, Prime Video, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand, and Bunya Entertainment announced The Office Australia, a new Australian comedy series from the global hit juggernaut franchise The Office. This time the franchise will have its first-ever female lead in the iconic role. Comedian Felicity Ward (Wakefield, The Inbetweeners 2) will play Hannah Howard in the new series. The Office Australia will exclusively launch in 2024 on Prime Video globally (excluding the US) in more than 240 countries and territories.

In The Office Australia, Hannah Howard is the managing director of the 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.

It's been 20 years since 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, and Poland, where a third series has just been announced. This Australian version will be its 13th adaptation.

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Ricky Gervais, co-creator, co-writer, and star of The Office, said, "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.”

Production on the eight-part Australian Amazon Original series will commence in Sydney, Australia in June, with filming to take place over eight weeks. In addition to Felicity Ward’s Hannah Howard, The Office Australia stars Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Pallavi Sharda, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmit, and Firass Dirani.

The Office Australia is co-produced by BBC Studios ANZ, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon Studios, and is based on a BBC Studios format.

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