Before Michael Scott, there was David Brent. The Slough office boss created and played by Ricky Gervais was the inspiration for Steve Carell’s Scott. (“Guilty! Unorthodox, but guilty!”) Sure, both characters are gloriously awkward and painfully desperate for approval, but Brent gives Scott a run for his money in the cringe department. Where Scott genuinely longs to create a workplace family, Brent is driven almost entirely by a need to be respected—a distinction that may explain why the original feels, ahem, funnier. Larry David put it best when it comes to writing comedy: “No hugging, no learning.” Sentimentality and personal growth only get in the way of the joke. And the British are so good at not doing both! Just in time for The Office’s 25th anniversary, Gervais is revisiting Brent’s finest—and most excruciating—moments in a YouTube special. —Carolina de Armas