David Farnor | On 18, Sep 2024

The Office is heading Down Under this October, and a new trailer gives us a first look at Amazon’s Australian take on the comedy series.

In the first female-led spin on the franchise, Felicity Ward (Wakefield, The Inbetweeners 2) will play Hannah Howard, the managing director of 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 was over 20 years ago that the world was introduced to the wonderfully bleak mockumentary world of The Office, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. This 13th incarnation of the franchise is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon MGM Studios. It was developed writers Julie De Fina (Aftertaste) and Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers, Nude Tuesday) with the pair also serving as executive producers.

“I’ve never been so excited to play an optimist incompetent trapped in her own delulu,” said Felicity Ward. “Hannah Howard is every bit the disappointment of a boss we’d all hope she’d be.”

Joining Ward will be: Edith Poor as Lizze Moyle, receptionist, front desk executive and productivity manager; Steen Raskopoulos as Nick Fletcher, sales representative; Shari Sebbens as Greta King, sales representative; Josh Thomson as Martin Katavake, head of human resources; Jonny Brugh as Lloyd Kneath, head of IT; Susan Ling Young as Tina Kwong, sales representative; Raj Labade as Sebastian Roy, intern; Lucy Schmidt as Deborah Leonard, head of finance; Zoe Terakes as Stevie Jones, head of the warehouse; Pallavi Sharda as Alisha Khanna, regional director, Flinley Craddick Australia; Claude Jabbour as Mason, Greta’s boyfriend and Jason Perini as Johnny, warehouse staff. Guest stars will include Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie, Rick Donald, and Chris Bunton.

You can see them in action on 18th October, when all eight episodes premiere on Prime Video.

Here’s the trailer:

 

Felicity Ward to star in Amazon’s The Office Australia

4th June 2023

First there was the UK’s David Brent, then came the USA’s Michael Scott. Now, middle-management has a new archetype in Aussie Hannah Howard, as Amazon takes The Office Down Under for a remake of the hit comedy.

Prime Video, BBC Studios Australia and New Zealand and Bunya Entertainment today are teaming up for The Office Australia, a new Australian comedy series with the franchise’s first female lead.

Comedian and actor Felicity Ward (Wakefield, The Inbetweeners 2) will play Hannah Howard, the managing director of 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 was over 20 years ago that the world was introduced to the 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, Amazon still sees the physical office as a timeless precinct for comedy – indeed, this will be the 13th iteration of the format, with remakes in other countries including France, Canada, Chile, Israel, India, the Middle East and Poland, where a third season has just been announced.

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 in June, with filming to take place over eight weeks. In addition to Felicity Ward’s Hannah Howard, The Office Australia stars Edith Poor (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Power of the Dog), Steen Raskopoulos (The Duchess, Feel Good), Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires, Thor: Love and Thunder), Josh Thomson (How to Please a Woman, Young Rock), Jonny Brugh (Thor: Love and Thunder, What We Do in the Shadows), Pallavi Sharda (The Twelve), Susan Ling Young (Reckoning, Hungry Ghosts), Raj Labade, Lucy Schmit, and  Firass Dirani (Underbelly, House Husbands).
 
“We are thrilled to be bringing one of the biggest comedy franchises ever made to Prime Video customers in Australia and around the world,” said Sarah Christie, senior development executive Prime Video Australia. “It is an honour to continue the international comedy legacy of The Office locally while introducing new, quintessentially Australian characters. We can’t wait for audiences to meet Hannah Howard, the first female boss The Office format has explored.”

The Office Australia is executive produced by Julie De Fina (Aftertaste), Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal), and Kylie Washington, with lead producers Sophia Zachariou (The Moth Effect, The Chaser’s War on Everything, Gruen, The Checkout), Linda Micsko (The Letdown, Laid), and Greer Simpkin (Mystery Road, In Limbo). Van Beek serves as lead set-up director with De Fina as head writer. Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters, A Sunburnt Christmas, Dom and Adrian) and Jesse Griffin (Educators) will also direct on the series.

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