Sculpture of David Brent has been unveiled – at a Premier Inn in Slough
A SCULPTURE of David Brent has been unveiled – at a Premier Inn in Slough.
The clay creation of Ricky Gervais’ most iconic character marks 25 years since The Office UK first hit British TV screens.
Commissioned by Premier Inn, it is positioned inside its Slough Trading Estate hotel – the exact location of the original exterior shots used for ‘Wernham Hogg’ in the series’ opening credits.
The beloved TV show followed the fortunes of character David Brent from his life as a regional manager in a paper office to life on the road as a travelling salesman.
It was unveiled by Brent impersonator Tim Oliver, who re-enacted the pose as well as some of the character’s signature dance moves, which helped make Berkshire-born writer Gervais internationally famous.
The bust – which took 120 hours to put together and weighs seven kilograms – will be a permanent installation at the site.
A spokesperson for the hotel chain said: “The exact site of the world’s most famous office, Wernham Hogg, is now one of our hotels and so we’re thrilled to unveil this brilliant tribute to mark its place in British comedy history.
“Ricky’s iconic character truly put Slough on the map, and it’s only fitting to honour him with this memorable statue, which we hope will be particularly popular with some of the millions of business travellers who stay with us each year.
“Whilst the building itself is totally transformed – our guests are more likely to be interested in pillows than photocopiers – eagle-eyed fans will certainly spot the similarity in the footprint of the site.”
The hotel company also commissioned research of 2,000 adults which found David Brent’s unforgettable Comic Relief dance topped a list of favourite moments from the show.
It picked up 26 per cent of the vote from Office fans and was followed by Dawn returning to the Christmas party to kiss Tim in the denouement of the festive special (15 per cent).
More than one in 10 (13 per cent), meanwhile, selected Tim’s prank from the very first episode, encasing desk mate and nemesis Gareth’s stapler in lurid yellow jelly.
It emerged 72 per cent of respondents who watched the show consider it a nostalgic snapshot of what working life was like in the early 2000s.
Although 68 per cent are glad they don’t work in an environment like Wernham Hogg – the fictional working home of David Brent.
Elements of working life people believe have changed for the better include flexible working hours (39 per cent), improved office technology (28 per cent) and the business attire (27 per cent).
A fifth (20 per cent) cited an increased focus on wellbeing, and 16 per cent a greater diversity in teams, according to the OnePoll.com figures.
The spokesperson for Premier Inn said: “From tech to business attire, office life has changed drastically in the 25 years since the show aired but what hasn’t changed is the need for business travellers to know what they’re getting with a great night’s sleep in a comfortable room ready to face the day – no matter how embarrassing their boss is.”
The study also saw Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, creators of The Office, named the best comedy writing duo of the 21st century (16 per cent).
They narrowly pipped James Corden and Ruth Jones, writers of Gavin & Stacey (15 per cent), and Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders (12 per cent).