Prime Video has released a trailer for ‘The Office Australia‘, the new Aussie take on the iconic franchise which is set to premiere this October in the UK on the streaming service.
This thirteenth adaptation of the global hit franchise and follows the employees at a packaging company, Flinley Craddick in Sydney. When Hannah (Felicity Ward) gets news from the 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.
“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.”
The series stars Felicity Ward as Hannah Howard, managing director, Flinley Craddick, Sydney; 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 include Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie, Rick Donald, and Chris Bunton.
“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.”
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. While many aspects of the workplace have changed since then, especially post 2020, the physical office is a timeless precinct for comedy, and one that will never tire an audience as long as the characters are authentic, familiar, faced with relatable dilemmas, and, most importantly, entertaining and hilarious. This universal appeal has seen the BAFTA- and Golden Globe-winning cult comedy remade for audiences around the world, including France, Canada, Chile, Israel, India, the Middle East, Poland, and South Africa, which was recently announced.
“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!”
The eight-part Australian Amazon Original series is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon MGM Studios, and is based on a BBC Studios format. It 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.
All eight episodes of ‘The Office Australia‘ will premiere on Friday, 18th October 2024 exclusively on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide (excluding the U.S.)
