What filming setup did The Office (UK) use instead of the traditional British sitcom multi-camera style?

The Office (UK) used a single-camera setup instead of the traditional British sitcom multi-camera style. That production choice helped the series look and feel like a documentary observing real office workers.

The sitcom was created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and first aired on BBC Two in 2001. Its mockumentary format follows employees at the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company in Slough. A camera crew is treated as part of the fictional world, while characters frequently glance toward the lens or speak directly to it.

Traditional British sitcoms commonly used multiple cameras in a studio, often with a studio audience or a laughter track. The Office rejected that presentation: its single-camera filming, documentary-style framing and absence of a laugh track intensified the awkward pauses and uncomfortable reactions. The approach later influenced British comedies including Peep Show, Twenty Twelve, Fleabag and Motherland.