The Office is a British mockumentary sitcom. It was shown on BBC Two. It began on 9 July 2001 and ended on 27 December 2003. The series was created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The series starred Gervais, Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook, Lucy Davis, Oliver Chris, Patrick Baladi, Stacey Roca, Ralph Ineson, Stirling Gallacher, Joel Beckett and Ewen MacIntosh.