Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook, two stars of the original BBC sitcom The Office, have opened up about their frustrations with co-creator Ricky Gervais and their disdain for the American remake. In a new BBC special titled Remember... The Office, airing Wednesday night, the actors shared candid details about the show's production and legacy as it celebrates 25 years since its inception.
Script Credit Dispute
Freeman, who played Tim Canterbury, expressed annoyance over claims that all dialogue came directly from Gervais and Stephen Merchant's scripts. He noted that while the scripts were brilliant, improvisation played a key role. “It was all there on the page. However, my true feeling about it is that when it became the monster that it did and people would say it sounded improvised, then understandably, Ricky and Stephen went, 'No, none of it's improvised.' Which is not true,” Freeman said.
He added that published scripts were actually transcriptions of the final episodes, not the original drafts. “That annoyed me a little bit because, well, anyone who knows any of us knows that that line came from you in that moment, that line came from me.” Freeman emphasized that the writing was brilliant but the process was collaborative. “You only need to know us a little bit or know the process of it. We're also in there, you know? It doesn't mean it's a co-credit. Doesn't mean it's improvised, but it's nicely loose.”
Dislike for the US Remake
Both actors voiced strong opinions about the American version starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott. Crook, who played Gareth Keenan, said he never watched it after the first episode. “I remember hearing about it and thinking, 'Why? Why do they need to do that? We've done it, haven't we?' I remember thinking or joking at the time that one day somebody would say something about The Office and I'll say I was in the original, and they'll say, 'I didn't realise there was an original.' That's happened countless times.”
Freeman echoed this sentiment, lamenting that “millions of people don't know ours exists.” The US version became the most successful international remake, but the original stars feel it overshadowed their work.
