'The Office shows Slough is not as bad as they say'
BBCSlough residents have praised The Office for being "spot on" and showing the town "is not as bad as they say" as the sitcom turns 25.
The multi award-winning BBC programme followed the day-to-day lives of office employees in Slough fictional paper merchant Wernham-Hogg.
Its opening titles showing the Slough Trading Estate and other local landmarks on a dreary, overcast day.
Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the mockumentary became a global phenomenon, inspiring international adaptations and influencing a generation of comedy.
As the show celebrates 25 years, we spoke to people in Slough to find out how it has shaped the town.
Life-long Slough resident Floss said she "loves" the sitcom, and "would never move" from the town she has lived in for 45 years.
"Everywhere I go, if I go abroad, everybody knows about it," she said. "It has developed all over the world.
"The Office has made some positive effects as well by showing Slough is not as bad as they say.
"The building where it was [filmed], I used to go past there every day... so that makes me proud that it's from Slough."
Jane said The Office "was spot on for the times and spot on for now".
"Sometimes it was painfully funny and you didn't know whether you should be laughing or not," she said.
The 67-year-old said the roundabout featured in the opening titles of the show was a landmark for anyone who had lived in the town all their life.
She added that Slough "has changed for the better" and was "a good place".
Luke Yaxley works at Iron Mountain Data Centre on Slough Trading Estate.
He said: "I thought it was one of the best things that's ever happened in British comedy, for me it's up there with Only Fools and Horses and I think the way Gervais and Merchant wrote it just shaped British comedy for the future.
"I was quite intrigued when I started working around here to see where it was actually filmed in comparison to where I was working, and it turns out it's where just that Premier Inn is... that's the final shot on the opening credits."
He added that the show had "shaped the way" that him and his friends grew up.
"The sarcasm, the awkwardness, the way you play the joke on yourself... I think Gervais and Murch have really shaped that comedy for the future."
