"The Office" (UK) - Minor Characters Quiz

Answer: Nathan

Gareth often talks about 'Oggy' and has several telephone conversations with him but 'The Oggmonster' only appears in the "Red Nose Day" episode. He comes into the office collecting for charity but doesn't stay long because David Brent makes personal comments about his height, his looks and his nickname and he storms out upset. During this exchange we learn his real name is Nathan. 'Oggy' was played by co-writer and co-producer of the show, Stephen Merchant.

Answer: Jimmy the Perv

Jimmy the Perv accompanies Oggy when they are collecting money for "Red Nose Day". He quickly lives up to his name by giving Dawn several pounds for repeated kisses and is obviously anticipating a good snog; Dawn is not really sure how to deal with him but she is saved by David Brent's altercation with 'Oggy' which brings that particular exchange to a halt.
'Gobbler' sounds like an erudite sort of chap; he has a birthday in one episode and Gareth buys him a particularly 'tasteful' toy which he is sure 'Gobbler' will enjoy. Tim is rather less than impressed with the small, and less than perfectly formed, dancing figure who shows rather more detail than most people require! Rather fortunately perhaps 'Gobbler' never actually appears in any episode.
'Fishfingers' gets one or two mentions by Gareth, it seems he is something of a philanderer.
Dawn and Tim are quite intrigued to hear Gareth talking to a girlfriend called Anne on speakerphone; they had always teased that Gareth about his sexuality. However when Anne asks Gareth if he is "going to bring the toys?" Gareth quickly knocks the speakerphone off and looks rather embarrassed. Tim very rarely shows interest in Gareth's activities but this makes him very curious indeed; "is it Buckeroo?". Anne never appears in person in the show.

Answer: Inside Paper

David had previously appeared on the cover of "Inside Paper" after being awarded 'Manager of the Month'! One can only wonder at the incompetence of his fellow managers if Brent was considered the best. Helena does not arrive at the best of times as it is David's last day as an employee of Wernham Hogg but he is putting a brave face on things.

He thinks he can get by by going freelance and by giving 'motivational' speeches for Cooper and Webb. However when Ray and Jude turn up to tell him that C&W no longer require his services either, Brent finally cracks and takes some of his anger out on the unfortunate Helena.

Answer: Stephen Merchant's father

In an interview, Stephen Merchant (co-writer and co-producer) explained; "Yes, he is my dad and we put him in because we thought he had a funny face."
Dawn is played by Lucy Davis. Her father is Birmingham funny-man Jasper Carrott but he does not appear in the show.

Answer: Bruce Lee movies

Simon is not Tim's favourite person; he is arrogant, boastful and prone to fabricating stories. He claims he is good enough to be a Formula One racing driver but makes too much money out of working with computers to be bothered. Only Gareth is taken in by Simon's boasts and he actually tries to impress him by talking about Kung-Fu movies. Simon pounces on his mistake when Gareth says that Bruce Lee fights Chuck Norris in "Enter the Dragon". Of course, as any fool knows, Bruce Lee only fights Norris in "Way of the Dragon"; "He fights Bob Wall in both".

It is one of the very few times that you can feel any sympathy for Gareth as Simon really gets stuck in and makes Gareth squirm.

Answer: Cooper and Webb

Ray and Jude have it on good authority that Brent can deliver a great talk on motivation. Unfortunately that authority appears to stem from one of Brent's cronies, Andy Hitchcock and that information is not particularly reliable.
Brent gets to do one 'gig' and his all singing, all laughing, all dancing style, ("You're Simply the Best"), does not sit well with Ray and Jude's approach; Cooper and Webb dispense with his services fairly rapidly.

Answer: She is confined to a wheelchair

Wheelchair-bound Brenda challenges Gareth's opinions about the disabled whom he thinks are largely spongers. Gareth's suggestion as to how people should be assessed for disability payments is to pretend that the office is on fire and see if they can run away! Of course when there is a fire-drill in "The Office" Gareth and David can't be bothered to carry her and leave Brenda on the stairway. Brenda is played by Julie Fernandez who has Osteogenesis Imperfecta and requires the use of a wheelchair. She was delighted to get the role, saying, "One of the quickest ways of breaking down barriers within the able-bodied community for disabled people is through comedy."
Oliver also came from Swindon and is the only black guy in the office; this exposes Brent's overt racism and he switches from telling racist jokes to being embarrassingly obsequious.
Welsh girl Trudy is outspoken and upsets Brent at her birthday party. She has had one or two drinks too many and lets it be known she is in the market for a man. Brent thinks his luck might be in but gets rebuffed by Trudy as he is 'too old'. I think her judgement is somewhat flawed however, as she ends up with the appalling 'Finchy', the company rep.

Answer: Taffy

Glynn appears in a couple of episodes but never seems to do any work; he is either having a tea-break or watching some distinctly dodgy video about dogs.
He is also the boss of Lee, Dawn's neanderthal boyfriend. David tries to be pally with Glynn and calls him 'Taffy' but Glynn is indifferent towards Brent. Another (unseen) worker in the warehouse is 'Monkey' Allen who, according to Gareth, fancies Dawn.

Answer: Taylor-Clarke

Jennifer appears in several episodes in both series, David is uncomfortable at having a woman boss and tries to both undermine her authority and flirt with her. Neither strategy works as Jennifer sees straight through Brent's ineptitude. Decisions about Brent's future are initially taken higher up the command chain but Jennifer and Neil eventually ease David out of his job.

Answer: Ali G

Keith Bishop uses words very scarcely; his taciturn appraisal interview with Brent is hilarious. He very occasionally has rather strange conversations with Dawn but rarely engages with anyone else.
For 'Red Nose Day' he turns up as Ali G, the comic character created by Sacha Baron Cohen. Gareth does not dress-up but spends the day hopping on one foot, Tim meanwhile has great fun hiding all of Gareth's belongings.