Jeff (Microsoft video)

Jeff
Name	Jeff
Job	Media Department, Microsoft UK Ltd
First Episode	The Office Values
Last Episode	Realising Potential
Episode count	2
Portrayed by	Stephen Merchant

Jeff was an employee of Microsoft who appeared in two Microsoft videos alongside David Brent. Jeff at first tolerated Brent's idiocy but as time went on he became incredibly annoyed by him.

History

Before meeting Brent, Jeff worked for Microsoft but was not confided to his office as he, among other staff, would regularly take his Smart phone outside and work in the sun with his laptop and a blanket down by the water. (The Office Values)

"The Office Values" and "Realising Potential"

Jeff's role at Microsoft required him to record two short films about Microsoft's values with David Brent. Jeff was keen to get Brent to fully discuss the values of the company, however Brent would often offer a small anecdote or diatribe that would reflect the opposite to what Microsoft believed. Jeff also tolerated Brent mocking his glasses and his hair. Jeff also believed David Brent was not right for the current vacancy in the office as Managing Director. (The Office Values)

After many failed attempts to get Brent to discuss certain values appropriately, Jeff posed Brent with the concept of being self critical to work on your own excellence and improvement, to which Brent asked Jeff how he would criticise himself. Jeff described himself as being dogmatic and too focused at times, however Brent said these were not "the obvious things". Brent pointed out Jeff's hair was uncool and 50s, that he should get contact lenses instead of wearing goggles, that he was wearing a "cheap corporate shirt" that was "two sizes too big for him" and that he was puny and should work out to look good, feel good and self improve. (The Office Values)

Jeff, clearly some what livid by Brent's analysis, responded by asking Brent how he would criticise himself. Brent replied that he was "too generous" which Jeff did not believe. Jeff began replying sarcastically to David's answers and when David whipped out a guitar to perform a song that had little to do with Microsoft, Jeff began verbally questioning some of David's self-proclaimed "poignant" lyrics. When David reached the chorus, Jeff interupted asking what the song had to do with Microsoft and David replied it was more relevant than most the shit they'd been listening to so far. Jeff spoke to the crew filming and pointed out he knew that getting Brent would be a bad idea and they should've gotten Peter Kay instead. (The Office Values)

After the disastrous attempt at the first video, Jeff was once again joined by David Brent for a second video that was to begin to think about and prepare for mid-year personal development reviews at Microsoft. Straight off the bat, Jeff took issue with Brent's double usage of the word "professionalism" in an introduction Brent had wrote for himself, which led to Jeff to point out that time is against them which did not stop Brent from making his jokes and comments. After failing to press on, Jeff asked if anyone had a paracetamol. (Realising Potential)

"What you wanna know, Joe?". (Realising Potential)

The video, much like the first attempt, began with Brent answering Jeff with meaningless and unhelpful answers, but soon Brent turned to comparing Jeff to the puppet from Joe 90 and that the only thing missing was windscreen wipers on his glasses. Brent leant forward and began moving his fingers side to side against Jeff's glasses fashioning a crude "windscreen wiper" which he found hilarious. Jeff responded unamused by this and after a while asked if Brent could stop and he complied. (Realising Potential)

Jeff and Brent were then joined by an employee at Microsoft called Renton, who was going to be their "guinea pig" for the day, and David was to help Renton prepare for his mid-year development review, before they could even begin David responded to Jeff pulling out some printed guidelines by tearing them up. (Realising Potential)

Immediately afterwards, Brent assisted Jeff in repairing the torn up guidelines by sticking the paper back together with cellotape. Jeff didn't care for the point Brent said he was trying to prove by tearing them up and believed that Brent had only showed himself up. Before Jeff could explain to Brent why the guidelines were important, Brent insisted they continue on with the task and Jeff sat by and watched as Brent questioned Renton but tended to talked about his own life achievements and doing out-dated impressions. (Realising Potential)

Jeff's next exercise involved Brent pretending that he was receiving an appraisal from Jeff, and Brent described himself as being "perfect". Jeff asked if Brent had any weakness, but correctly assumed Brent did not think he had any. After many failed attempts to get Brent to properly answer the questions in the appraisal, Jeff considered "packing it in" because of Brent's attitude but Brent himself did not understand this. (Realising Potential)

David Brent assists Jeff in repairing the torn up rule book. (Realising Potential)

The two returned to Renton to discuss mentoring, where Brent complained that he did not get the Managing Director job despite sending in a perfectly good CV. Brent then began reciting from his Native American Wisdom book to which Jeff responded that it once again had nothing to do with what they were doing. When Jeff pointed out the book was not a "big book", Brent accused him of being racist. Soon enough, Brent resorted to drawing attention to Jeff's "little nerdlinger glasses" and accused him of wanting to be like Bill Gates. (Realising Potential)

Brent claimed he was doing this as part of the exercise about appraisals and that now that he had done Jeff, Jeff in turn should tell Brent want he thinks of him. Jeff reveled in this chance and began calling Brent an idiot as well as stupid, fat and having a face similar to a pig's. When Renton joined in, Brent got a bit annoyed, yet Jeff continued being honest about how much he detested Brent and finished by telling him how all day he's wanted to punch him in the face but is afraid to because if he starts he wouldn't stop. (Realising Potential)

Jeff felt that Brent's exercise had helped him relieve a lot of built-up stress and continued to call Brent up on his weight as he signed off. Brent took the insults in good humour but soon Jeff began bullying Brent and Renton ran over to join in and help Jeff trip him up. (Realising Potential)

Trivia

• Jeff's hero is "someone like Richard Branson".
• He is against scrumping.
• He also enjoys a good wine.
• Jeff may be a nerdy little dweep, who's scared of women, just likes Brian May records, lives with his mum and watches loads of Dr. Who videos.
• Jeff may also complain about how his mum mixes up his Buffy videos with his Star Trek: Deep Space Nine videos.
• Stephen Merchant also played 2 other characters in The Office; Oggy and Paul Shepherd.