Which actor plays Neil Godwin, David Brent's Series 2 superior?

Patrick Baladi plays Neil Godwin, David Brent’s superior in Series 2 of The Office (UK).

Neil is introduced as the new head of the Slough branch’s management structure after Jennifer Taylor-Clarke is promoted. His calm, competent and socially confident manner contrasts sharply with Brent’s self-conscious showmanship, making him one of Brent’s most important comic rivals.

Baladi appeared in the second and final series of the sitcom and returned for the two-part Christmas special. Neil’s role is easy to confuse with those of other prominent male characters: Joel Beckett plays warehouse worker Lee, Ewen MacIntosh plays accounts clerk Keith Bishop, and Ralph Ineson plays Brent’s bullying friend and sales representative Chris “Finchy” Finch.

The casting also helped establish the show’s central workplace tension. Neil does not need to perform authority for the camera, while Brent constantly tries to prove that he is admired. Their contrast exposes how insecure Brent is beneath his managerial confidence.