Do we like them?

Do we like David Brent?

A character from The Office (2001-2003)

Our score: 4 out of 10. He means well and wants to be loved, but he's vain, tactless and a terrible boss. We'd cringe through every meeting, but we wouldn't follow him anywhere.

David Brent runs the Slough branch of Wernham Hogg, a paper merchant. A documentary crew follows daily life in the office. He sees himself as a funny, wise, much-loved boss who is 'a friend first, boss second, entertainer third'. His staff see something rather different.

He is desperate for approval. He does impressions, tells jokes that land badly, and talks about being progressive while showing the opposite. He dodges hard decisions and takes credit for good moments, and he is hopelessly self-unaware. Underneath is a lonely, insecure man who wants to matter.

His awkwardness is more pitiful than cruel, and he sometimes shows real humanity when the pressure is on. He still makes work worse for the people around him, particularly the staff who have to carry his mistakes. That keeps him in the middle of the scale: we feel for him, but we wouldn't back him.