Australia will now have its own version of the hit British sitcom, “The Office”, though this time, the boss with the lack of self-awareness will be a woman instead.
Meet Hannah Howard, the charming, yet pretty inept, and definitely not self-aware new female boss in the official trailer for “The Office”. Comedian and actor Felicity Ward is the first woman to play the iconic lead role, 23 years after “The Office” first debuted.
All eight episodes of “The Office” premiere 18 October and will be available on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide (excluding the U.S.) as part of the Prime membership. Prime members across the globe enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in a single membership.
The highly-anticipated Australian version is the thirteenth adaptation of the global hit franchise and follows the employees at a packaging company, Flinley Craddick in Sydney. 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;
When Hannah 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.
“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.”
“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.”
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, India, the Middle East, Poland, and South Africa, which was recently announced.
