Actors from The Office reflect on 25-year legacy

Actors who starred in the UK version of The Office have been reflecting on its success as the beloved show celebrates 25 years.

Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the multi award-winning and critically acclaimed BBC sitcom was set at Slough paper merchant Wernham-Hogg.

Martin Freeman and Mackenzie Crook, who played Tim and Gareth respectively, reunited to look back at the series and reflect on its cultural impact.

While Joel Beckett, who played Dawn Tinsley's fiancé Lee, and David Schaal, who played Glynn, also known as Taffy, spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire about what it was like to film the show.

The mockumentary-style sitcom has become a global phenomenon, inspiring multiple international adaptations and influencing an entire generation of comedy.

It ran in the UK until 2003, with award-winner Gervais at the helm as office manager David Brent.

The BBC marked its debut with a special episode of Remembers, in which Freeman and Crook share personal memories and behind-the-scenes stories.

"...of course we didn't know how huge it would [become] and its longevity, but I do remember thinking, 'this is special, this is like nothing I've seen before'," said Crook.

Among their anecdotes was how Gervais came close to ruining filming on a daily basis.

Freeman said: "I've never laughed that much at work, before or since. It's easily the funniest time I've ever had."

He said he initially auditioned to play Gareth but was "very very glad they called me back".

Freeman compared being in The Office to "being in a cool indie band" while Crook said: "We were treated like rock stars for a while there."

Schaal, aka Taffy, said while the show was "mostly scripted" they "did freestyle a bit".

"The thing that I added is that I laughed... and [Ricky] said yeah yeah keep that in because it gives the scene lots of energy," he said.

"I remember him finding everything funny, exactly as he comes across on TV, that's what he was like, very warm, very friendly and laughed at everything."

Beckett said while the show was set in Slough, it was actually filmed in a working office at Teddington Studios.

He said: "Usually you'd get a script... with this particular audition you were asked to come in in character, there was no script, and you weren't allowed to break until Ricky had finished the audition."

On the filming, he said: "It was so low-budget there was just a camera on the shoulder of the cameraman and that was it... so you were allowed to try things where normally on set you wouldn't be able to do that.

"It's such a great show, and the fact that people are talking about it 25 years later, that's good enough for me."

To mark the anniversary, Gervais hosted a YouTube special which shared previously untold and exclusive stories from set, and gave fans an insight into the mind of his eccentric character.

The 65-year-old comedian divulged his 25 favourite moments as incompetent office manager Brent and delved into the inspiration behind some of his most memorable lines.