7. It's A Comedy About Comedy
What sets The Office apart from most sitcoms is the fact that, given its 'real-world' setting, people often talk about television shows, literature, film and music that actually exist. These references are scattered across every conversation, as onscreen as in real life, and nobody bats an eye. But Brent doesn't just want to be recognised for his encyclopedic knowledge of British comedy, he wants to join the ranks of his heroes. As he tells the camera at one point, ''If you were to ask me to name three geniuses, I probably wouldn't say Einstein, Newton... I'd go Milligan, Cleese, Everett. Sessions.'' For Brent prizes nothing above his sense of humour. He would much rather be called a good comedian than a good boss. Unfortunately, he has little chance of being called either. And so, in an increasingly desperate attempt to tug at his colleagues' collective funnybone, he deploys one reference after another in a seemingly endless roll-call of comedy classics. The Two Ronnies, Fawlty Towers, Ali G, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Morecambe and Wise, Harry Enfield,Vic and Bob, erm, an ITV Digital advert featuring Johnny Vegas and a stuffed monkey... Of course, these names are mostly meaningless beyond these shores or on anyone who wasn't schooled by Saturday night light entertainment. But just as The Office is, on one level, a TV show that mentions other TV shows, so Brent is a comedian who talks about other comedians. Curiously, he even considers himself to have a catchphrase; ''Remember, you're only as old as the woman you feel." Never mind the fact that he says this only once (as Michelle Dubois would have it), or even that it's not his phrase to begin with - he only 'claims' it once he hears Gareth has 'stolen' it. In Brent's eyes, his jokes are too good for his colleagues and so he's thrilled to have the opportunity to play to a bigger audience. Which brings us neatly to our next point...