WITH the American version of the hit comedy series The Office coming to an end (the final season begins in the US in two weeks), the show's creator, Ricky Gervais, has been moved to ponder just why it has struck a chord with so many people.
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In a long blog for the Wall Street Journal, Gervais, who also starred in the original British series, said he thought it was because, as horrible as David Brent was, he was not unique.
"I created Brent in the early 90s and he was based on people I'd met throughout my adult life," Gervais wrote.
"The very first scene of the series, where he is talking to the forklift truck driver, is based on an interview I had at a temp agency when I was 17 in the school holidays."
And as annoying as these incompetent and deluded bosses are, they're fun to watch.
"Who needs winners? They're not in the slightest bit funny or interesting. Give me a loser any day," he wrote.
"Brent was a loser. But in a good way. He wasn't a horrible man. His biggest fault was confusing popularity with respect."
In news that immediately made fans sit up a little straighter, Gervais hinted that viewers might get to see Brent one more time.
"Maybe I'll do an Extras remake next," he concluded. "(And) as for Brent coming back? Who knows? Haha. How annoying is that?"
