Felicity Ward as Hannah Howard in ‘The Office’. Image: courtesy of Prime Video

EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE paper company is coming to Australia, and we hope they’ll be well-versed in the new Right to Disconnect laws before landing on Prime Video on October 18.

The eight episode series will see a local version of the hit sitcom, made up of a cast from Australia and New Zealand, which will join the global franchise and the fiercely divisive tug-of-war between its American and British predecessors: which is superior?

Created by Julie De Fina (Aftertaste, Where the Wild Things Are) and Jackie van Beek (What We Do in the Shadows, Wellington Paranormal), the series was first announced in May, 2023, 20 years after the release of the original.

And as our work environs have definitely changed since the time of Michael Scott, we break down what to expect from this Aussie version, who’s in it, and where and when to stream it.

What is the The Office Australia about?

Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward), the managing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick, wants her staff to return to working in the office full-time, and they’re not happy about it. What started it is Howard’s insecurity to keep her “work family” together after receiving word from Head Office on the closure of her branch, forcing them to a fully remote set-up. It’s the kind of self-interest from a well-meant place not too dissimilar from Michael Scott. But what ensues is Howard’s staff hunkered down in survival mode to meet impossible sales targets, while enduring Howard’s outlandlish plots to keep them all together

Who is in The Office Australia cast?

Felicity Ward will be playing Hannah Howard, the managing director of Flinley Craddick.

The series’ first female lead (we previously saw Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott and Ricky Gervais’ David Brent in the US and UK versions, respectively), Ward has credentials in stand-up comedy, starred in other Australian comedies and dramas, notably on Spicks and Specks and Wakefield, as well as hosted a slew of comedy shows at home and in the UK.

In terms of her “office family”, Ward will be joined by an ensemble cast of Aussie and New Zealander actors including:

  • Edith Poor (The Power of The Dog, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power)
  • Steen Raskopoulos (The Duchess, Feel Good)
  • Josh Thomson (Wellington Paranormal, How to Please a Woman)
  • Shari Sebbens (Thor: Ragnarok, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Sapphires)
  • Zoe Terakes (Talk to Me, Nine Perfect Strangers)
  • Chris Bunton (It’s Fine, I’m Fine)
  • Josh Dutson
  • Kieran Egan

No details on their characters have been released just yet.

Where was The Office Australia filmed?

The Office was filmed in Rydalmere, an industrial suburb in Sydney’s west. The series of filmed in mid-2023.

It is not yet known if the series will make particular mention of which Australian city Flinley Craddick is set in.

Where to watch The Office Australia?

The Office Australia will be released on October 18 on Prime Video, with all eight episodes available by then.

Until then, all nine seasons of the US version are also available to stream on the platform.

Australian Original ‘The Office’. Image: courtesy of Prime Video

Related:

Lee Tiger Halley is one to watch

‘Tony’: Everything you need to know about the A24 Anthony Bourdain biopic