The Office (UK) Trivia
0Loading crowd target
0Loading crowd target
7correct to beat the crowd
50 free The Office (UK) trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Before Scranton there was Slough. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's The Office ran for just twelve episodes and a two-part Christmas special on BBC Two and BBC One, yet it became the first British comedy ever to win a Golden Globe and the template for the American remake and a dozen other versions. These 50 questions cover the whole run in order: the Wernham Hogg premise, David Brent's gaffes, Gareth's Territorial Army boasts, the pub quiz, the stapler in jelly, Neil Godwin and the Swindon merger, Red Nose Day, the redundancy, and the Christmas specials that finally got Tim and Dawn together. There are also questions on the theme song, the 1998 short film that started it all, the Microsoft training videos and David Brent: Life on the Road. Easy questions check you know who plays whom; the expert tier asks about Gareth's car, the original songwriter of Handbags and Gladrags, and the BBC clerical error that nearly cost Gervais a BAFTA. Every answer is cited, with a short explanation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01On which channel was The Office first broadcast on 9 July 2001?
BBC Two
BBC Two drew modest ratings at first, yet the two Christmas specials that ended the story in 2003 went out on BBC One.
Q 02What is the name of the paper merchants where David Brent is manager in The Office?
Wernham Hogg
Wernham Hogg made Brent redundant, and he sued the firm and won an out-of-court settlement.
Q 03In which town is David Brent's branch set in The Office?
Slough
Slough gets defended by Brent: he reads John Betjeman's poem that begins 'Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough', then attacks it for giving the town a bad name.
Q 04Which pun completes the paper company's motto, "life is ___"?
stationery
The joke is the whole company in four words: a paper merchant whose life is going nowhere.
Q 05What meaningless title does Gareth take far too seriously?
Team Leader
Team Leader brings Gareth no pay rise: once Tim is promoted, he retorts that his own new title came with more money while Gareth's means nothing.
Q 06Who plays sales rep Tim Canterbury?
Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman's Tim takes off his microphone to tell Dawn how he feels, so viewers never hear her turn him down.
Q 07Who plays Gareth Keenan?
Mackenzie Crook
Mackenzie Crook changed the part: Gareth was written for a bigger, thuggish actor, but after Crook's audition the writers rethought him.
Q 08Who plays receptionist Dawn Tinsley?
Lucy Davis
Lucy Davis plays Dawn, who has been with Lee since school, until she dumps him after the office Christmas party and goes back to Tim.
Q 09Where does Dawn's fiancé Lee work?
The warehouse
The warehouse is where Lee works, and when he catches Tim larking about dancing with Dawn, he pins Tim against a wall.
Q 10Gareth constantly boasts about his time in which organisation?
The Territorial Army
The Territorial Army is what Gareth cites as training when Brent sends him to find out who doctored a rude picture of Brent.
Q 11What is the show's theme song?
Handbags and Gladrags
Big George performed it, based on the Rod Stewart arrangement; Brent himself sings a version over the credits of one episode.
Q 12Who played Michael Scott, David Brent's counterpart in the American remake of The Office?
Steve Carell
Steve Carell's Michael Scott even met Brent: Gervais appeared as Brent in a US episode, asking Michael whether there were any jobs going.
Q 13Which song does David Brent play on guitar at the staff training day in The Office?
Free Love Freeway
Free Love Freeway later got a Wembley outing: Gervais sang it as Brent, with Gareth alongside, at the 2007 Concert for Diana.
Q 21What did Tim famously encase Gareth's stapler in?
Jelly
Jelly is just one of Tim's pranks: in series two he also glues Gareth's phone so the receiver can't be picked up, 'in the name of fun'.
Q 22When Brent pretends to phone Chris Finch to sack him, who has he actually dialled?
The speaking clock
The speaking clock gives Brent away when Jennifer switches the call to speakerphone, so the room hears the time instead of Finch getting the sack.
Q 23In The Office's quiz night episode, how is the disputed tie-break finally settled?
A shoe-throwing contest
A shoe-throwing contest settles it: Finch wins by hurling birthday boy Tim's shoes over the roof of the pub.
Q 14What was the name of David Brent's old rock band?
Foregone Conclusion
Foregone Conclusion comes up when Tim says he dreams of playing in a band, and Brent boasts that he has been there and done that.
Q 15Which short film, made while Merchant trained as a BBC producer, grew into The Office?
Seedy Boss
Seedy Boss reached BBC executive Jane Root through producer Ash Atalla, and she backed Gervais and Merchant to develop it into a series.
Q 16What job title does Gareth give himself in The Office, which Brent corrects by adding 'to the'?
Assistant Regional Manager
Assistant Regional Manager is Gareth's boast, and after Brent is made redundant, Gareth really does end up running the branch.
Q 17Gervais and Merchant met when Merchant was hired as Gervais's assistant at which radio station?
Xfm
Xfm made Gervais head of speech, though Merchant recalls him admitting he had no idea what he was doing and offering the job if Merchant did all the work.
Q 18Why did The Office end after two series and a Christmas special?
Its creators' choice
Its creators' choice: Gervais refused to write a third series despite the show's success, so two Christmas specials tied up the loose ends instead.
Q 19In 2004, The Office won Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy at which awards?
The Golden Globes
The Golden Globes prize went to a show seen in the US only on BBC America, beating American shows such as Sex and the City and Will & Grace.
Q 20What is the first episode of The Office called, in which Brent promises nobody will lose their job?
Downsize
Downsize starts the job-cuts plot, and Brent's promise of no redundancies collapses when he accepts a promotion at the end of series one.
Q 24In The Office, why does Brent hire Karen as his secretary despite the threat of redundancies?
He fancies her
He fancies her so openly that his clumsy bid to impress her ends with him accidentally headbutting her.
Q 25Why does Gareth turn down a woman who invites him home from the nightclub?
She is married
She is married, and when her husband turns out to want to join in, Gareth refuses to have another man involved and leaves.
Q 26In The Office, why did Brent really lose the head-office promotion he accepted at the end of series one?
He failed a medical
He failed a medical because of high blood pressure, yet Brent hints to his staff that he faked it on purpose so he could stay with them.
Q 27In The Office, Brent's suave rival Neil runs which branch before the merger?
Swindon
Swindon's staff move over with Neil at the merger, and Brent's own staff take to Neil so quickly that Brent starts to resent him.
Q 28In The Office Christmas specials, Brent does a Blind Date-style nightclub show dressed as which character?
Austin Powers
Austin Powers doesn't help: Brent isn't picked on the Blind Date-style show and gets barracked by the crowd.
Q 29In the series two finale of The Office, what does Brent do when his redundancy is confirmed?
He begs to keep his job
He begs to keep his job, promising to try twice as hard, but Neil and Jennifer's decision has already been approved.
Q 30On Red Nose Day in The Office, which comedy character does Keith dress up as?
Ali G
Ali G is Keith's costume for the day, while Gareth raises money by hopping everywhere on one leg.