‘The Office’ Is Getting a Saudi Arabian Adaptation
The Office has been off the air for years, but it remains one of the most popular TV shows ever. The comedy is beloved around the world, including in Saudi Arabia, where the series is getting an Arabic-language reboot.
‘The Office’ was adapted in several countries after its original BBC run
English comedian Ricky Gervais created The Office, a mockumentary-style sitcom. In the original version, which premiered on BBC in 2001, Gervais portrayed paper company boss David Brent.
The show lasted only two seasons on the BBC and received fair ratings. But the American version, which debuted on NBC in 2005, was far more successful. It ran for nine seasons and won numerous accolades, including five Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for series lead Steve Carell.
Since its BBC debut, The Office has seen several international iterations. Germany was the first to adapt the series in 2004. And after the success of the U.S. show, Canada released its version in 2006.
In the ensuing years, numerous other countries rebooted The Office in their home language, including France, Chile, the Czech Republic, India, Finland, Sweden, Israel, and Poland.
The Saudi version of ‘The Office’ is ‘Al-Maktab’
The Middle East is now getting its own version of The Office. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Saudi media company MBC is collaborating with the BBC to launch an Arabic-language adaptation.
Titled Al-Maktab (which translates to “The Office”), the comedy will center on a courier services company headed by a self-absorbed boss, Malik Al-Tumaifi (played by Saleh Abuamrh). The show will be helmed by Egyptian director Hisham Fathi and will air in most of the Middle East and parts of North Africa.
“It’s incredibly exciting for us to now be bringing the very first Arabic version of the comedy to MBC’s screens very soon,” MBC Studios KSA general manager Zeinab Abu Alsamh enthused.
“Al Maktab features a very talented cast from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and beyond who will bring the stories of this eccentric group of colleagues and their boss to life, reimagined for Middle Eastern and Gulf audiences for the very first time,” she added. “It’s definitely one for the history books.”
The BBC is looking forward to seeing the Middle Eastern version of the comedy
MBC is working closely with the BBC (it still holds all format rights for The Office) to produce Al-Maktab. And BBC Studios’ Format Sales Senior Vice President André Renaud suggested the studio is looking forward to seeing a new modern Arabic adaptation.
“Although office working may look slightly different for many of us in 2022, the familiarity of these well-observed characters as they navigate petty rivalries, moments of friendship and humor, and a boss that sometimes makes a fool of themselves still rings just as true,” he said in a statement via The Hollywood Reporter.
Renaud added, “I’m sure audiences in the Middle East and the Gulf will take Malik and his team to their hearts as much as audiences did with David Brent in the UK over 20 years ago.”
The 20-part Al-Maktab will air on various MBC stations across the Middle East and North Africa in late 2022. The TV show will also stream on Shahid VIP.
