Five of the Best… The Office episodes available to watch on BritBox

The Office is one of the iconic British comedies of all time. Tapping in to cringeworthy office culture - overbearing bosses, inane conversation and office romance - this mockumentary launched the careers of Ricky Gervais, Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook, among others.

Its sharp scriptwriting won legions of fans and spawned a movie - David Brent: Life on the Road - as well as a long-running and equally uncomfortable-to-watch US version starring Steve Carell. 

Before you settle down to watch the box set on BritBox, we’ve rounded up five of the best episodes to get you chuckling and cringing in equal measure.

1. David Brent shows off his dance moves

Warning: Clip includes mature language

Episode: Charity (series 2, episode 5)

In arguably the show’s most iconic scene, David (Ricky Gervais) ramps up his cringe factor with his self-described “Flashdance with MC Hammer” effort at a work fundraiser. See also: Keith (Ewen Macintosh) squeezes into an Ali G costume.

2. Gareth’s health and safety masterclass

Episode: New Girl (series 1, episode 5)

Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) is undoubtedly one of the funniest characters in The Office, and his drooling-yet-patronising treatment of Donna (Sally Bretton) during their one-on-one health and safety session is one of his best scenes. She’s taught how to lift a box and safely place a mug, but she’s not very impressed…

3. Tim and Dawn kiss

Episode: Christmas Special, part 2

All good long-running comedies have a will-they-won’t-they relationship, and Office fans were delighted when we finally saw Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis) kiss at the work Christmas party. Dawn seemingly leaves the event with her fiancé Lee (Jeol Beckett) before surprising everybody by returning alone, saying nothing and kissing Tim. Of course, Gareth has something to say about it…

4. David becomes a motivational speaker 

Episode: Motivation (series 2, episode 4)

David’s preparations for his evening motivational seminar don’t get off to the best start when he discovers his staff’s nicknames for him. However, he’s convinced his session is a huge success after blasting out Tina Turner to stony-faced onlookers.

5. Gareth’s stapler gets stuck in jelly

Warning: Clip includes mature language

Episode: Downsize (series 1, episode 1)

Poor old Gareth is always the butt of Tim’s practical jokes, and putting his stapler in jelly is probably Tim’s finest moment - an early sign of things to come from the very first episode. The prank is a result of Gareth telling him “I don’t like jelly – I don’t like the way it moves”, and when Gareth seeks support from David he only gets more jelly-related puns thrown back at him.