Markus Selin’s TV division Solar Republic to produce the Finnish version of UK hit show The Office.
The fly-on-the-wall style mockumentary is co-produced by Finnish telco Elisa Viihde and Nelonen who acquired rights from BBC Worldwide. Production starts on August 22 on the the Finnish version Konttori, commissioned as 16 episodes to be transmitted over two seasons.
Finland’s star stand-up comedian Sami Hedberg is reprising the role of office manager David Brent - played in the original version by Ricky Gervais - and the local version will be set in Riihimäki, home to Finland’s highest flagpole.
“We had long talks of what the Finnish version of The Office could be like. After all, it ultimately consists of profoundly Finnish elements: misunderstandings stemming from shame and timidity,” said Solar Republic producer Jesse Fryckman.
Unne Sormunen, Head of Domestic Programming at Nelonen Media said: "At Nelonen we are always investing in local content and big personalities like Sami Hedberg. There is no better fit for David Brent in our country. It is a pleasure to be partnering for the first time with Elisa and BBC Worldwide to experiment and find new ways of producing high quality TV entertainment."
The original version of The Office has been licensed in 238 territories, including Sweden where the local version Kontoret was produced by Jarowskij for TV4.
Konttori is the latest Finnish drama series commissioned by telco group Elisa Viihde, now an established heavyweight partner to Finnish producers. Elisa’s first local drama commissioning was the drama comedy Downshifters (10x42’) that premiered successfully on Elisa last November and is set to air on YLE in October.