Charity

"Charity"
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Episode no.	Episode 11
Original airdate	28 October 2002 (BBC 2)
Written by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Directed by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
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Charity is the fifth episode of the second series of The Office.

Plot

It’s Red Nose Day in the office as they raise money to fight famine for Comic Relief. Dawn offers kisses for ₤1, Keith dresses up as Ali G, and Neil and Rachel perform a choreographed dance that goes down a storm. David Brent, feeling jealous of all the attention given to Neil, tries to match it with a dance of his own. It is not received as well, resulting in awkward silence with some applause. Yet Brent continues to feel he is climbing the ladder toward fame, especially after his management training seminar. Gareth’s mates, Jimmy the Perv, and the Oggmonster stop by to get a kiss from Dawn and be insulted by Brent. Neil and Jennifer give Brent a verbal warning for devising a quiz show rather than finishing reports. Dawn talks to Keith about her possible plans to move to America. Tim pays ₤1 to kiss Dawn, causing a noticeable change in his demeanor and resulting in a tense moment with Rachel. Neil and Jennifer once again speak with Brent in his office and offer him a redundancy package.

Quotes

• David: Who says famine has to be depressing?
• David: I sort of fuse Flashdance with MC Hammer shit.
• David: Oh bloody hell. What’s the weather like up there?
  Oggy: Oh, I’ve heard that one before.
  David: Parents put you in a growbag when you were little did they?
  Oggy: That’s an old one.
  David: Let’s grow ourselves a little lanky goggle-eyed freak
  Oggy: Alright calm down there’s no need to get offensive.
• David: Imagine a cross between Telly’s Addicts and Noel’s House Party. You’ve just imagined Upstairs Downstairs, a new quiz show devised and hosted by David Brent.
  Neil: David, I just don’t understand this.
  David: Well the contestants run upstairs and they get a clue…
  Neil: No, not the game show.
• David: Do it yourself I’ve gotta save some Africans!
• Gareth: Where’s my tiny tanks? How am I supposed to work?
  Tim: You’ll just have to hop to it.
• Keith: Word of warning then. Out there they call them fanny packs cause fanny means your ass over there… not your midge…

Trivia

• The character of Oggy is played by the co-writer of the series, Stephen Merchant.

Cultural References

• Red Nose Day is a yearly event where Comic Relief raises money for famine relief. It involves wearing plastic or foam red noses after giving a donation and is considered a semi-holiday.
• Keith dresses up as Ali G from the Channel 4 show, Da Ali G Show, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, and he uses his well known catchphrase “Booyakasha” to answer the phone.
• Lenny Henry is a British comedian who is married to Dawn French. He hosted the first Red Nose Day on 5 February 1988.
• David Brent’s bird costume is in reference to Rod Hull who was a popular entertainer on British television and often appeared with his puppet, Emu.

External links

• BBC episode guide: "Charity"
• Video for Comic Relief featuring Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant