Critics were poised and ready to condemn those cheeky Americans for poaching the very British BBC hit The Office. To everyone’s surprise, this US offering has managed to stand its ground.

The Office: An American Workplace follows the same setup as its British counterpart. Slough becomes Scranton, Pennsylvania and the paper company Wenham Hogg is transformed to Dunder Mifflin. The everyday lives of the office employees are depicted in the same documentary style. Thankfully only the first episode of season one reflected the UK show allowing the series to develop at its own pace.

Steve Carell’s portrayal of manager Michael Scott isn’t a mirrored version of the British Brent. Although he is clueless, petty and equally craves the attention and admiration of his staff, Scott is more childish in his ways. Carell’s co-stars also reflect the British archetypes - Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) are based on Tim and Dawn and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is Gareth - but the difference in plots allows you to separate the two versions. The rest of the cast show no reflection of the Slough office.

Season 6 of The Office has just been released and a seventh season is due proving that the American version has definitely outgrown its sibling. This season will have you sniggering at the ridiculousness of Michael Scott and the cringing situations he gets himself into. The Office is a perfect pick-me-up after a bad day at work. Perhaps America can be forgiven for borrowing from a British classic.