Tim places his stapler in jelly as a prank on Gareth in the first episode of The Office (UK).
Tim Canterbury is bored and unhappy in his sales job, so he amuses himself by tormenting his desk mate, Gareth Keenan. The jelly prank turns an everyday office stapler into an object Gareth cannot immediately use, producing one of the show’s most memorable examples of low-stakes workplace mischief.
The gag also establishes the contrast between the two characters. Gareth takes his unofficial “Team Leader” role and office procedures extremely seriously, while Tim responds to Gareth’s self-importance with sarcasm and practical jokes. Their antagonistic friendship becomes a recurring source of comedy throughout the series.
The prank is sometimes confused with other jokes in the programme. Tim also hides Gareth’s computer and later glues his telephone receiver so it cannot be picked up. The stapler-in-jelly gag was subsequently reprised in other versions of The Office, including the American adaptation.