BB FANS

LONDON (Reuters) - The BBC has bought the rights to the U.S. remake of one of the few British sitcoms to have made it big across the pond -- The Office.

"The Office - An American Workplace" kicks off on NBC on March 4. Digital channel BBC Three will screen the series in Britain later this year.

The painfully irritating lead character, actor Ricky Gervais' David Brent, is replaced in the U.S. show by the character of Michael Scott, regional manager of a Pennsylvanian paper company. Comedy actor Steve Carrell plays the part.

While Gervais and his co-writer Stephen Merchant are executive producers, the scripts and characters depart from the British original, sharing only its documentary style and central theme of an unlikeable office manager.

NBC bought the rights to remake the sitcom shortly after it won two Golden Globes in 2004, the first British sitcom to have made an impression at the U.S. awards.

George McGee, BBC controller of acquisitions, said: "There will be a huge curiosity around the U.S. version of The Office, and we are delighted that the BBC is bringing this series to UK audiences."



© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

i hate it when we buy back american remakes,
1. its an insult to us that the americans need to remake our shows, and
2. they're invariably shite

hey Hippo, how you doing? honestly, what do Americans know about humour..?

Seriously though, the US should avoid remakes - it's a totally different type of humour.

Watch "Curb your enthusiasm" shows that Americans are BETTER at humour then us at the moment

Friday, 1 April, 2005 :BBC

The US remake of British sitcom The Office has seen its ratings slide after being moved to a new timeslot.
The second episode of the show, broadcast on NBC, attracted 5.9 million viewers on Tuesday. Its debut was seen by 11.2 million on Thursday 24 March.

The sitcom was always due to have a regular slot on Tuesdays after its first episode went out on a Thursday.

Before the debut, executive producer Greg Daniels said he did not expect it to start with a big ratings "bang".

The second episode came fourth in its 2130 slot, beaten by Fox medical drama House attracting 18 million viewers in first place. Starring British actor Hugh Laurie, House follows American Idol in the schedules.

American Idol was seen by 26 million people - but comedy Scrubs, which was on NBC directly before The Office, was watched by fewer than 6.5 million viewers.

Mr Daniels has said: "We're kind of hoping it's going to have more of a Seinfeld-like story in the ratings - people who really love comedy are going to find it and they're going to tell their friends."

The show, which also has Gervais and writing partner Stephen Merchant as executive producers, received mixed reviews from US critics.

"Compared to the BBC version, NBC's version is so diluted there's little left than muddy water," the New York daily News said.
Time magazine called the show, which has transferred from Slough to Scranton, Pennsylvania, "a daring, unflinching take on very American workplace tensions".

The Washington Post said the star of the US version, Steve Carell, "overdoes it at times" and is no match for Gervais' David Brent.

The US version of The Office is to be shown on BBC Three later this year.

So. lets get this clear....

The BBC is funded - in part by the UK tax payer (via direct subsidy), it make an 'entertainment' show.
This show is copied by the Americans, and now the BBC are buying the show...
Sigh..

Now the UK taxpayer is funding American tv too.
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Calrissian: All ICBM's targetted at Ms. Jowell.