Who produced The Office (UK)?

Ash Atalla produced The Office (UK). The Egyptian-born British television producer worked on the original BBC sitcom, which was created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant.

Atalla was instrumental in helping the programme reach the BBC. After Merchant and Gervais made the 20-minute film Seedy Boss, Atalla showed the tape to Jane Root, then head of BBC Two. Root commissioned a series based on the film, leading to The Office’s first broadcast in 2001.

A common mix-up is confusing the producer with the creators. Gervais and Merchant shaped the characters, scripts and directing style, while Atalla was credited as producer. Anil Gupta and Jon Plowman were executive producers, and Jane Root was the BBC executive who commissioned the series.

Atalla later became known for producing other British comedies, including The IT Crowd, Man Stroke Woman and People Just Do Nothing. He also founded the independent production company Roughcut TV in 2007.