This week’s episode is an interview with writer/producer/director Brent Forrester! Brent is our first guest who worked on The Office—he worked on the show from seasons 3 through 9, with numerous writing, directing, and producing credits from that time. He’s also written for shows like The Simpsons, The Ben Stiller Show, King of the Hill, and more. Our conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the art of comedy writing, what it was like crafting some of our favorite episodes, and even writing for animated comedies. It was a fantastic conversation and we hope you enjoy it! 

Brent also teaches courses on writing TV comedy, his next class on WRITING THE PILOT starts on February 9! You can check it out here: https://www.brentforrester.com/webinar



Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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"I've, uh, I've been at Dunder Mifflin for 12 years, the last four as Regional Manager. If you want to come through here... See we have the entire floor. So this is my kingdom, as far as the eye can see."

This week we go all the way back to the beginning—we’re talking about the Pilot! In the spirit of the new year and fresh off our rewatch of the BBC Office, we use this episode to look back at the very first episode of NBC’s The Office. We look at the first illustrations of our favorite characters, how it lines up with its British precursor, and the new additions from the superfan edit. And along the way we make sure to highlight all of the new talking heads, fake firings, and staplers in jell-o that go into this episode. Then we head to the Conference Room where we talk about things to we want to leave in 2024 and add for 2025!

Our job is to speak to listeners on a podcast about... uh, quantities and types of Office-themed podcast episodes. You know, whether we can supply it to them. Whether they can pay for it. And…we’re entertaining ourselves just talking about this.

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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"My resolution? I never want to make Holly cry again. Unless it’s from laughing too hard. Or making love too beautifully."

We kick off 2025 with a Voicemail Episode! After a quick check-in on our resolutions from last year, we spend this week’s episode answering listener voicemails from the past few months. We cover all sorts or topics, including what Micheal would do in a time loop, Dwight vs. the computer, Jim’s sandwiches, Office earworms and more! 

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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"The people you work with are people you were just thrown together with. You don't know them. It wasn't your choice. Yet you spend more time with them than you do friends or family.But probably all you've got in common is that you walk on the same bit of carpet for eight hours a day. And so, obviously, when someone comes in who you have a connection with…Yeah. Dawn was a ray of sunshine in my life and it meant a lot. But if I'm really being honest, I never thought it would have a happy ending. I don’t know what a happy ending is. Life isn’t about endings, is it? It’s a series of moments”

This week we conclude our UK Office rewatch with a deep dive on the Christmas Special! We check in on our favourite characters, with David on the road, Gareth in the boss’s chair, and Dawn and Lee in Florida. We follow their storylines all the way to the crescendo at the Christmas Party to see what happens with Tim and Dawn, and to see if David can finally get a laugh or find some luck in love. And along the way we cover all of the celebrity appearances, Secret Santas, and Austin Powers costumes that go into the episode. Then in the Conference Room we do a quick post-Christmas Ordinary Things segment to check in on Edwin’s time in Portland and Alex and Sean's babies first Christmases. And then to close the show we do a quick round of BBC Office Trivia sent in by a friend of the pod in the UK! 

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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“Life is just a series of peaks and troughs, and you don't whether you're in a trough until you're climbing out, or on a peak until you're coming down. And that's it, you know, you never know what's round the corner. But it's all good. "If you want the rainbow you've got to put up with the rain". 

This week we finish our UK Office series 2 rewatch by discussing ‘Charity’ and ‘Interview’! We go through all the storylines with a special focus on David along with Tim & Dawn. And of course we highlight all of the signature dances, redundancies, and Dirty Berties that go into them. Then we head to the Conference Room for another deep dive comparing the UK and US versions of The Office. We have just one more episode in our UK Office rewatch, so we hope you’ll join us for this week’s episode and the last one on the Christmas Special! 

Do you know which philosopher wrote that? Dolly Parton. And people say she’s just a big pair of tits.

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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“Life is about communication. We live for three score year and ten. And it’s, ‘Did I communicate?’ 'Yes you did.' ‘Did I get something across?’ 'Yes you did.’ ‘Are you gonna pay me for it?’ ‘Yes, lots. Thanks very much. Not why I do it, but thank you.'

Our BBC Office rewatch continues as this week we’re watching ‘Party' and ‘Motivation’ from series 2! We follow along as the staff have a party for Trudy and David gets a gig as a motivational speaker, culminating in his unforgettable presentation. We go through all the storylines and make sure to cover all of the raunchy gifts, nicknames for David, and escalating dares that go into these episodes. Then in the Conference Room we once again compare and contrast the US and UK versions of the show, before closing with some emails sent in by listeners! 

So put on those high heeled boots, put in your earring, and join us for this week’s episode!

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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“Big day today. Swindon mob are arriving. Um, I’ve laid on a do for them. Part of the job…If you ask me what kind of vibe I’m going to lay down, it’s gonna be a very much just a chill out let’s-get-to-know-each-other type of vibe"

This week we dive into Series 2 in our rewatch of the BBC Office! We look at ‘Merger’ and ‘Appraisals’, the first 2 episodes in the next series. We go through all of the story lines, talking heads, and performance reviews that go into them. And we make sure to highlight all of the comedy routines, talking cookie jars, and David Brent poetry that go into them. Then we head to the Conference Room for another segment comparing these 2 episodes with the US version of the show—this week it’s entitled, ‘I’ve Forgot Me Snotted Creams”—before closing with an extra-challenging round of listener submitted trivia! 

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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Malcolm: Are you saying that you cheated science and faked high blood pressure so that you could remain in the job?

David: You know, you got to ask yourself that.

Malcolm: Did you?

David: What's worse, cheating medical science or cheating friends?

This week we continue our deep dive into the original UK Office series with episodes 5 & 6: "New Girl" and "Judgement".

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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"Yeah, so you choose anything. If he can throw it over, we've won the champagne. And that's it. And that's the real quiz. Choose one thing."

This week we continue our deep dive into the original UK Office series with episodes 3 & 4: "The Quiz" and "Training". Whether you have something to prove in a pub quiz or need to break out the ol' axe for some singalongs, join us on our journey exploring the roots of the show we love.

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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"David Brent. I've been in the business for twelve years, been at Wernham Hogg as General Manager for eight of those, so putting together my team."

After many years of anticipation we finally go across the pond and dive into the BBC version of The Office! We finally are rewatching and discussing the episodes and seasons that started it all, 2 episodes at a time. We start with the first 2 episodes of series 1 (Downsize & Work Experience), profiling the different characters and how they establish iconic profiles in the show. Then in the Conference Room we make a deeper comparison between the US and UK versions of The Office, with a special focus on the two pilot episodes and how they match up with one another, all the way down to the staplers in jello. 

So grab your portable phone holster and get some batteries for Big Mouth Billy, as the ‘MSPC INVESTIGATES’! 

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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Darryl: Help me!

Dwight: What do you want!?!

Darryl: To look good for Val!

Dwight: Val Kilmer? I don’t buy it. That doesn’t make any sense. Wow… I figured out your goal. I am going to make you the buffest dude Val Kilmer has ever seen.

Grab your clipboard and put on your evening gown—this week we’re talking about Val! We dedicate this episode to the warehouse foreman who joins the staff in season 8, going through her storylines, best moments, arc with Darryl, and more. And naturally we cover all of the love beanies, damning texts, and gloves for Nate that go into her time on the show. Then we head to the Conference Room for some quick Ordinary Things questions before wrapping up with another round of trivia!

Support our show and become a member of Scott's Tots on Patreon! For only $5/month, Tots get ad-free episodes plus exclusive access to our monthly Mailbag episodes where we casually pick through every single message/question/comment we receive. We also have Season 2 of our Ted Lasso podcast Biscuits with the Boss available to our Patrons, as well as our White Lotus Christmas Special, Party Down, and unreleased episodes of this show. Oh, and Tots get access to exclusive channels on our Discord.

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