Prime Video has released the trailer for new Australian series The Office, based on the hit UK and US shows of the same name.
In The Office (2024), Felicity Ward plays Hannah Howard, the charming and inept boss of Sydney-based packaging company Flinley Craddick. Hannah is the first-ever female iteration of The Office boss character.
Starring alongside Ward is 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.
When Hannah gets news from Flinley Craddick’s Head Office that they will be shutting down her branch and making everyone work from home, she goes into ‘survival mode’. That means 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.
Guest stars include Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie, Rick Donald, and Chris Bunton.
All eight episodes of The Office premiere 18 October on Prime Video. You can watch the trailer below:
The original series, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, premiered in the UK over 20 years ago.
‘We are so excited for you to meet Hannah Howard, brought to life by the exceptionally talented Felicity Ward,’ said Sarah Christie, head of Australian Originals, Amazon MGM Studios. ‘Office life has changed a lot in the last few years, and we can’t wait to share our very own Aussie spin on a beloved franchise with Prime Video customers around the world. We’re so proud of the series, the phenomenal cast and creative collaborators Julie De Fina, Jackie van Beek, Kylie Washington, Sophia Zachariou, BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand and Bunya Entertainment.’
ScreenHub: The Office Australia could be great – if it gets our humour right
‘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.’
Executive producers and writers, Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek said: ‘We hope that audiences love watching the thirteenth version of The Office as much as we loved making the thirteenth version of The Office. Great cast, superb crew, excellent catering.’
‘The Office is one of the most iconic formats in the world and one of the crown jewels in the BBC format safe,’ said Kylie Washington, general manager and creative director, production, BBC Studios ANZ. ‘Office environments have changed so much, so we felt like it was perfect timing to investigate what the office means to us and how our work families – good or bad – affect our lives. Having our first female boss wasn’t just about a gender flip, it’s about looking at the whole workplace through the lens of a female boss. It’s certainly time!’
Sophia Zachariou, producer and former co-managing director, Bunya Entertainment, said ‘The mockumentary format is such a brilliant genre to investigate the human psyche, and the original UK version of The Office with Ricky Gervais blew my mind when I first watched it over 20 years ago. When Kylie and I started talking about doing an Australian version of The Office but with a (world first) female in the lead and with such a pure comedic premise, we thought what could possibly go wrong!?’
The eight-part Australian Amazon Original series The Office is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon MGM Studios, and is based on a BBC Studios format.
The Office was developed for Australia by writers Julie De Fina (Aftertaste) and Jackie van Beek (The Breaker Upperers, Nude Tuesday) with the pair also serving as executive producers. Kylie Washington (Return to Paradise) is executive producer with lead producer Sophia Zachariou (Ladies in Black, The Moth Effect) and producer Linda Micsko (The Letdown, Laid). Van Beek also serves as set-up director (Time Bandits, What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal) alongside directors Christiaan Van Vuuren (Bondi Hipsters, A Sunburnt Christmas) and Jesse Griffin (Educators) who is also a writer on the series.
The Office premieres worldwide (except the US) 18 October on Prime Video
