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I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Brilliant, had me in stitches of laughter. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Ricky Gervais is a genius. What a laugh, and then something more by the end of the second special. It made me laugh and made me cry. One of the best comedy series I have ever seen. For those who don't know, The Office is a comedy about the mundane life in an office environment filmed in the style of a documentary. The line of business is also rather insignificant: a paper merchants. The main character is office manager David Brent (Ricky Gervais) who is an over the top boss who thinks he is the funny when he actually embarrassing himself. He also thinks he is everyone's friend and would rather be popular than an authoritave boss. I am a Brit living in the US and have been devoid of British comedy for the last couple of years - unfortunately our cable does not carry BBC America. I asked for this for Christmas after hearing Ricky Gervais give an interview on NPR radio and have already finished watching it. I find American comedy only gives me sniggers and not the absolute tears of laugher that I get from British comedy. That is not to say American comedy is bad, just different. British comedy series are also a lot shorter in terms of episodes compared to American series, so they are much tighter and don't run the risk of running out of material or repeating what has already been done. British TV is also not so ratings driven as US TV which gives more freedom to the artists. I have seen some poor reviews and that is OK, people find different things funny. There are some shows that friends have raved about that I did not find in the least bit funny. Comedy is a personal thing. All I can tell you is what I saw. I must admit that it started a bit slow, but once you got to know the characters by the second or third episode it is hilarious. Perhaps those who did not find it funny turned off too soon. I can really relate to the characters and goings on of The Office. Perhaps that's what makes it so funny. I was born in Slough and lived and worked for some time in Berkshire County. I have my own versions David Brent and Gareth Keenan from my office experiences. The characters are so true to life, if slightly exaggerated. My absolute favorite character was the dead pan Keith; love the voice mail he left on his answering machine when he was in training and his work appraisal was a hoot. I understand that Ricky Gervais never had any formal training as an actor, which is perhaps what make him so good in his character. Get it, watch it and judge for yourself. Or you could go the BBC web site and watch some clips to see if it is your cup of tea. URL: www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/theoffice