Office in awards shock
...it's not going to win one
The Office’s dominance of award shows could be over, after judges barred it from entering one of the most prestigious global accolades.
Ricky Gervais’s sitcom has won just about every gong going - including two Golden Globes and a clutch of Baftas - but it will have to go without a prime-time Emmy.
The show will be conspicuously absent from the ballots because there are not enough episodes eligible for consideration.
Emmy rules have recently been relaxed so that just six episodes are required to enter.
But BBC America, which airs the programme on US cable, submitted one of the six shows in series two for the International Emmys two years ago. And the rules say it cannot be submitted again, leaving just five episodes available.
One solution would have been to air the two-part finale early. The station had planned to air it in the autumn, but had it gone out before May 21, it would have been allowed entry.
However trade journal Variety reports that Gervais was against the idea, and the BBC stuck with its plans of giving the comedy a proper send-off.
The news comes in the week that America’s NBC network officially announced it is to go ahead with its remake of the show, despite misgivings about the translation.
It has ordered six episodes of the show, subtitled An American Workplace and starring Steve Carrell in the David Brent role, even though a pilot episode was slated for missing the subtlety of the original.Published: 19 May 2004
