The Office UK

David Brent wants the documentary crew to discover an entertainer trapped inside a Slough paper company. His staff mostly want to get through the working day. That mismatch gives The Office UK its remarkable supply of discomfort.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant keep the setting small enough for an ill-judged joke to hang in the room. Martin Freeman's Tim and Mackenzie Crook's Gareth provide another kind of friction, while Lucy Davis gives Dawn a presence that makes the quieter exchanges matter. Ralph Ineson's Chris Finch is especially good at making a supposedly sociable visit feel unpleasant.

The comedy depends on recognition: the performance of being a good manager, the forced laugh, the colleague who cannot leave a point alone. Its short run suits that precision. The Office takes the premise in a broader, more expansive direction; this version keeps the embarrassment close.