When we launched the full run of the BBC’s The Office earlier this year, keen observers noticed that the episodes — which matched those that aired on BBC America here in the States — sounded a bit different than they remembered seeing on DVD or in the U.K. It turns out that, while Ricky Gervais and his costars cursed freely in the original run of the show, the offensive words were bleeped out to suit American standards for TV broadcast. It was this version that was originally cleared for us to stream on Hulu.

But since so many of you prefer to see the series in its unedited form (we like it that way, too), we reached out to the BBC to see if we could instead offer the show just as it aired in England. We’re happy to say that they were able to oblige us, giving us clearance to stream the series in its original form, curse words and all. Big thanks to the team at the BBC and to our content team for making this happen.

Rebecca Harper ()
Editor

I have a confession to make: I’d never seen a single moment of the original version of The Office — until, that is, yesterday, when I caught up on the first “series,” as they say. As a fan of NBC’s The Office, I immediately recognized a few trademarks of the show: the documentary-style format, the paper supply company, the daft boss (here played Ricky Gervais, who co-created/wrote/directed the show with Stephen Merchant), the boor of a salesman, and the long-suffering sales rep whom we call Jim (John Krasinski) here in the States; in this bizarro universe, his name is Tim (played by Martin Freeman). And yes, he’s pining for the receptionist, too.

If, like me, you’ve been hiding under a rock and missed the original version — or maybe you just love to squirm in your seat as sales manager David Brent (Gervais) treats the Slough branch as his stage — BBC America is offering both seasons (plus the two-part Christmas special) of The Office on Hulu for a limited time. Along the way, you’ll be treated to workplace satire at its finest as Gervais deadpans outrageous management advice to the cameras. My favorite? His secret to finding the perfect job candidate. (Let’s just say it involves luck and a trash can.)

Rebecca Harper ()
Editor