BBC1 To Screen The Office This Christmas

The BBC has announced that a two part special of its hit comedy, The Office, will be screened on its flagship BBC1 station this Christmas.

BBC director of television, Jana Bennett, said the series had gained a “huge and loyal” fan base when it appeared on BBC2, but explained the Corporation had decided to screen the comedy on BBC1 to make sure the widest number of viewers got a chance to watch the last ever episodes of the series.

She said: “This is in the great tradition of BBC2 growing and nurturing strong comedies, like Absolutely Fabulous, which are then offered to a wider audience on BBC1 – and we hope the viewers will enjoy a toe-curlingly funny Christmas.”

The move to BBC1 will no doubt boost ratings for The Office, which stars Ricky Gervais as the now infamous David Brent. The last series of the show achieved the highest ratings for a comedy on BBC2 and viewing figures averaged around 4 million.

The BBC recently moved to silence those that have criticised its commitment to public service broadcasting, with the launch of a £220 million season of historical programming on BBC1 this autumn (see BBC Travels Back In Time With £220m Autumn Schedule).

Highlights of the new season of programming include Pompeii – The Last Day, a historical re-enactment of the final 24 hours before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79 and Colosseum, which uses special effects and dramatic reconstruction’s to examine how Roman gladiators worked and lived.

BBC: 020 8743 8000 www.bbc.co.uk

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