The Office Producer Admits Some Scenes Would Not Be Made Today
The producer behind the iconic British sitcom The Office has revealed there are certain scenes in the show that he would not include if it were being produced in the current climate. Ash Atalla, who worked alongside Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant on the groundbreaking mockumentary, made these candid remarks while dismissing the notion of a pervasive culture war within the comedy industry.
From The Office to The IT Crowd: A Producer's Journey
Atalla's collaboration with Gervais and Merchant on The Office launched the careers of its creators and established Atalla himself as one of the United Kingdom's most accomplished television producers. Following the conclusion of the series, Atalla, now 53, embarked on new ventures, most notably producing the cult classic The IT Crowd. In 2007, he founded his own production company, Roughcut TV, which has since created successful programmes such as People Just Do Nothing for major UK broadcasters.
Reflecting on his extensive body of work, Atalla acknowledged that some content from his earlier projects would likely be omitted today. "The question is: is it enough of a defence to say that it was of its time? And I think, yes it is," he stated in an interview with The Telegraph. "The world moves on, things move on."
Addressing Controversy and Offering Apologies
Specifically addressing The IT Crowd, which faced criticism leading to Channel 4 removing an episode in 2020 due to its portrayal of a transgender character, Atalla estimated that "ninety-eight per cent of it is fine, and two per cent, yeah, we wouldn't do now." He expressed a clear disinterest in causing distress through comedy, adding, "I'm not interested in upsetting people with my comedy. And if we have done, I would apologise and move on."
Atalla emphasised that his professional focus lies elsewhere, stating, "I don't want to be sitting in rooms arguing with people about politics or race or anything through my work. That's not where I want my career to live."
The Broader Context of Comedy and Censorship
This reflection occurs within a wider industry conversation about historical content. Other British comedies, including The Mighty Boosh and League of Gentlemen, have seen episodes removed from streaming platforms like Netflix due to the use of blackface, a practice now widely condemned. Comedian Jack Carroll criticised such removals as "arbitrary gestures" that avoid substantive action against discrimination while erasing comedy history.
The debate extends internationally, with American comedian Jerry Seinfeld previously commenting that "extreme left and PC crap" had ruined comedy, a remark he later retracted. Atalla responded to Seinfeld's initial statement with bewilderment, pointing to the enduring legacy of Seinfeld itself. "Look at his work, one of the greatest sitcoms ever, where is the culture war in that?" he questioned, noting the show's focus on mundane, universal anxieties.
Ultimately, Atalla's comments highlight the evolving standards within television comedy, the producer's personal accountability for past work, and the ongoing, complex dialogue about artistic expression, social sensitivity, and historical context in the entertainment landscape.
