As the hashtag has it, ‘#BrentsBack'. Yes, David Brent, ex-Wernham Hogg middle manager, chilled-out entertainer, “friend first, boss second” and frustrated rock star, is back, back, back and finally living his dreams in David Brent: Life On The Road. The feature-length Brentathon has a new trailer showcasing his new life as a touring musician.
If anything Ricky Gervais’ comic creation seems to have become less self-aware since his Slough days. He’s still working as a travelling salesman, working for a "cleaning and ladies’ personal hygiene products company", but his true passion is for his band, Foregone Conclusion. He’s assembled a group of session players, hired a gifted rapper (the gifted and very funny Ben Bailey Smith, AKA Doc Brown) and paid for the outfit to hit the road and play a series of not-sold-out venues. It’s like the Blues Brothers, only with a quirkier interpretation of the ‘blues’ part.
The Office spinoff is getting a Netflix release in the US but lands in the UK on August 19, with songs by Razorlight’s Andy Burrows and a screenplay written by Gervais himself. Will the hallowed sitcom lend itself to the longer format as successfully as Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa? Will Finchy show up to lob a shoe over the tour bus? Fingers crossed.