Gervais and Merchant considered “Sitting” by Cat Stevens as a possible theme for The Office (UK). The song was not ultimately selected: the programme’s opening theme became “Handbags and Gladrags,” performed by Big George and based on the arrangement associated with Rod Stewart.
“Sitting” was one of the musical possibilities discussed during the show’s development. Its reflective mood would have offered a different tone from the familiar theme eventually used over the opening credits. The choice mattered because music helped frame the series’ mixture of workplace comedy, embarrassment and quiet melancholy.
“Handbags and Gladrags” was originally written in the 1960s by Mike d’Abo, formerly the vocalist of Manfred Mann. The Office used the Big George performance, while the first series also included Ricky Gervais singing other songs in character as David Brent, including “Free Love Freeway.”
A common mistake is to identify “Sitting” as the actual theme. It was considered during production, but it was not the song used for the show’s regular opening. The other options—“Father and Son,” “Morning Has Broken” and “Wild World”—were not the Cat Stevens title cited in the programme’s documented theme discussion.