BBC sets up new Office in India

BBC mockumentary sitcom The Office is to be remade in India.

Aditya Birla Group’s Applause Entertainment has acquired rights to the Ricky Gervais comedy, news that comes as the BBC Worldwide Showcase continues in Liverpool, UK.

The Indian Office will follow paper company Wilkins Chawla and its boss, Jagdeep Chaddha, who tries to motivate his team in a downbeat trading estate on the outskirts of a New Dehli satellite town.

“Applause is looking to create premium content for Indian viewers, and we gave picked global successes such as The Office as we believe our audience will love this series,” said Sameer Nair, CEO of Applause.

There have been numerous versions of The Office since it was created by Gervais and Stephen Merchant in the UK for BBC Two in 2001.

Since then, there have been remakes in Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Sweden, Finland, most notably, in the US on NBC.

Applause will remake seasons one and two of the American version of the office.

BBC shows such as Yes Minister and Keeping Up Appearancespreviously been formatted in India.

“The Office format uniqueness lays in its universality, and we are excited to be working with Applause Entertainment to bring this hilarious adaptation to Indian audiences,” said BBC Worldwide senior VP and general manager of Southeast Asia and South Asia Myleeta Aga.

“We are assembling an A-list cast of talent to ensure the highest standards of execution, and see The Office as just the first step in a long and fruitful partnership with Applause. We are confident this partnership will result in many more incredibly popular and well-loved Indian adaptations of BBC formats.”