Which actor played Ricky Howard, the temporary employee in The Office (UK)?

Oliver Chris played Ricky Howard, the temporary employee in The Office (UK).

Ricky is introduced in Series 1, Episode 3, “The Quiz,” when David Brent hires him as a temporary worker despite Wernham Hogg’s downsizing plans. Ricky is a recent graduate and quickly proves that he is considerably more intelligent than David expects.

The episode’s central joke is David’s growing frustration with Ricky’s competence. Ricky teams up with Tim Canterbury for the pub quiz and helps defeat David and Chris Finch, including by answering the decisive Shakespeare question. His intelligence and confidence make him an unusual foil for David’s insecurity.

A common mix-up is confusing Ricky’s actor with the performers who play other prominent supporting characters. Martin Freeman plays Tim, Ralph Ineson plays Chris “Finchy” Finch, and Patrick Baladi plays Neil Godwin. Ricky Howard is a short-lived but memorable Series 1 character, and Oliver Chris is the canonical credited actor.