The Office UK Vs US: Which Characters Are Best?

Todd Packer simply isn’t nasty enough to serve his purpose. He’s used sparingly and has many of the same mannerisms of his UK equivalent, but Packer is a boorish oaf, rather than a malevolent bully. His friendship with Michael seems a lot more reciprocal, thereby blunting the effect of the character.

Finchy, meanwhile, is the closest the original Office has to a villain. He’s ostensibly Brent’s best mate, but the regional manager is only ever treated as an underling, and even a punching bag when things don’t go Finch’s way. He is blamed for their loss at the office quiz, and used to garner easy laughs when in wider company.

What’s worse, Finch backs up his boasts. He spins tales of his womanising that sound farfetched, but repeatedly we see that he is somewhat of a ladies’ man (and a bloody good rep, to hear David tell it).

It’s his sinister side that makes the moment Brent finally stands up to him one of the series’ best, but the all round sliminess of Finchy makes him one of the great sitcom baddies. He’s thrown a kettle over a pub, what have you done?