Office Gossip
Encyclopedia
Office Gossip is a British
sitcom
that aired on BBC One
in 2001. Starring Pauline Quirke
, it was written by Paul Mayhew-Archer
, who co-wrote The Vicar of Dibley
, and George Pritchett.
Recently, it has been aired in the United States on various PBS stations as part of 'One Season Wonders.
to Rod Battle. Battle, a workaholic whose wife is on the verge of leaving him, confides in Jo and she clearly harbours feelings for him. Meanwhile, Simon is having an affair with his boss, Maxine, a married woman. Both of these relationships, especially Jo and Rod's, become the subject of gossip in the office, often led by Cheryl.
, did not receive positive reviews and was pulled after only one series. The first episode received 6.6 million viewers, but by the sixth episode only 4.4 million people tuned in. Pauline Quirke, however, did win the award for Most Popular Comedy Performer at the National Television Awards 2001
for her performance in Office Gossip.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
that aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 2001. Starring Pauline Quirke
Pauline Quirke
Pauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
, it was written by Paul Mayhew-Archer
Paul Mayhew-Archer
Paul Mayhew-Archer is a writer, producer and script editor for the BBC.He studied English at Cambridge University after attending Eastbourne College, being a member of Reeves House. He spent his time at school writing plays...
, who co-wrote The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley
The Vicar of Dibley is a British sitcom created by Richard Curtis and written for its lead actress, Dawn French, by Curtis and Paul Mayhew-Archer, with contributions from Kit Hesketh-Harvey. It aired from 1994 to 2007...
, and George Pritchett.
Recently, it has been aired in the United States on various PBS stations as part of 'One Season Wonders.
Cast
- Pauline QuirkePauline QuirkePauline Perpetua Quirke is a British actress. She is best known for her role as Sharon in the comedy series Birds of a Feather, alongside her lifelong friend and frequent acting partner Linda Robson...
- Jo Thomas - Robert DawsRobert DawsRobert Daws is an English actor. He is most notable for a variety of roles he has played in television dramas.-Career:Daws played Tuppy Glossop in the early 1990s version of Jeeves and Wooster...
- Rod Battle - Neil StukeNeil StukeNeil Stuke , is an English actor notable for playing Matthew in the second and third series of Game On after taking over the role from Ben Chaplin,and for his role as Billy Lamb, Head Clerk in the 2011 BBC television series "Silk"...
- Simon - Pippa HaywoodPippa HaywoodPhilippa Haywood is an English actress who trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.Famous for playing the much-put-upon Helen Brittas in the BBC One comedy series The Brittas Empire, Haywood has an extensive television career which includes Julie Chadwick in the BBC Two comedy Fear, Stress &...
- Maxine Wells - Daniela Denby-AsheDaniela Denby-AsheDaniela Denby-Ashe is an English actress, best known for playing the character Janey Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life:...
- Cheryl Potts - Charlotte FrancisCharlotte FrancisCharlotte Rose Francis is an English actress/singer. She is best known for her part as Lucy Barker in the CITV children's comedy drama My Parents are Aliens in series one to seven....
- Sam Thomas
Plot
Set in the office Tippins Toy Ltd, Office Gossip concentrates on the love lives of Jo Thomas and Simon, who sit opposite each other. Jo is a single mother, her daughter is eleven-year-old Sam, and is the hardworking PAPersonal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
to Rod Battle. Battle, a workaholic whose wife is on the verge of leaving him, confides in Jo and she clearly harbours feelings for him. Meanwhile, Simon is having an affair with his boss, Maxine, a married woman. Both of these relationships, especially Jo and Rod's, become the subject of gossip in the office, often led by Cheryl.
Episodes
| Title | Airdate | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| "Too Close for Comfort" | 2 February | Jo learns that Rod's wife has left him, and he invites himself round to dinner, and when Cheryl spots him leaving Jo's office she soons starts the gossip. Also, Maxine tries to make sure her husband doesn't discover her affair with Simon. |
| "Old Bangers" | 9 February | Cheryl finds more reason to gossip when she spots Jo getting out of Rod's car, and Simon's strenuous denials of an affair land him in trouble with Maxine. |
| "Work Experience" | 16 February | The school that Jo's daughter Sam attends has been flooded Flood A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water... , so Jo has to bring her to work, which annoys child-hating Maxine. Cheryl thinks that Jo is pregnant by Simon. The staff are trying to figure out why the splatter-gun toy is not selling, and Sam eventually solves the riddle, and exacts revenge on Maxine when the latter takes credit for it. |
| "Moving On" | 23 February | Rod meets a company lawyer who has a personal hygiene problem and when Simon decides to look for another job, Jo wonders whether Rod really appreciates her work. |
| "The Violin Lesson" | 2 March | When Rod is introduced to some Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... an clients, he has to stop saying his opinions about the French French people The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups... , and Jo is annoyed when Rod gives Sam a violin. |
| "Lucky in Love" | 9 March | Jo joins a dating agency Dating agency A dating agency is a business which acts as a service for matchmaking between potential couples, with a view toward romance and/or marriage between them.-Variations:... , and Rod plucks up the courage to leave his wife. Simon and Maxine have an argument. |
Reception
Office Gossip, despite having a good cast and prime time slot of Friday at 9pm on BBC OneBBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
, did not receive positive reviews and was pulled after only one series. The first episode received 6.6 million viewers, but by the sixth episode only 4.4 million people tuned in. Pauline Quirke, however, did win the award for Most Popular Comedy Performer at the National Television Awards 2001
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
for her performance in Office Gossip.