The Office Australia: All You Need To Know

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, who receives word from Head Office on the closure of Howard’s branch, forcing her and her team to work from home. What ensues is her staff hunkered down in survival mode to meet impossible sales targets to keep their in-office work life in tact, all the while enduring Howard’s outlandish plots to keep her “work family” 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