15 Unlikely British TV Shows To Spawn Hollywood Stars

14. The Office €“ Martin Freeman And Ricky Gervais

When you hear the pitch for The Office, you can't help but wonder how it ended up being the success that it was. A fly-on-the-wall mockumentary about an office in Slough. I mean honestly. The only reason why I think it ever got made was because Ricky Gervais was probably extremely charismatic and the BBC were looking for something on the cheap. By the point that The Office was made, Freeman had been in a variety of roles but nothing on a recurring basis. Meanwhile, Gervais was just coming out of a talk show/comedy hybrid on Channel 4 called Meet Ricky Gervais. But to put it into context for an international audience, The Office shouldn't have worked, and certainly shouldn't have spawned a seemingly infinite number of international versions. After all, the series was based in Slough €“ a town so terrible that in 1937 Sir John Betjeman wrote in the poem "Slough", "Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough!" and from all accounts it hasn't got any better. This must have been one of the main reasons why The Office was set there. The Office was an exceptional success, which pushed forward the careers of everyone involved. It won awards not only the UK, but also a Golden Globe in the US and was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards. Of course this turned Gervais overnight into a household name, and resulted in Freeman being cast as Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. But you have to credit Freeman's performances in Sherlock for getting cast as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy.