The Office star Ewen MacIntosh on behind-the-scenes detail of Scotch egg scene

21 February 2024 , 13:16

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The late Ewen MacIntosh spoke about filming the Office in an interview years after the show (Image: BBC)

The late Ewen MacIntosh once revealed that the scenes from the Office in which his character eats a Scotch egg were planned quite last minute during production.

The actor - who it's just been announced has passed away, aged 50, recently - is best known for his role as accountant Keith Bishop, known as 'Big Keith,' in the UK version of the beloved mockumentary sitcom. The comedian appeared on the acclaimed BBC show from 2001 until it ended in 2003.

'Big Keith' was known for his love of Scotch eggs and was seen snacking on one in a few scenes. One example saw him bite into a Scotch egg during a conversation with Tim Canterbury (played by Martin Freeman ) whilst the colleagues discussed what they had each got up to the previous night.

Amid the show's 20th anniversary back in 2021, Ewen and other cast members reflected on filming the Office and shared behind-the-scenes details with the Independent. This included him discussing the scenes in question.

The late Ewen MacIntosh is best known for having played Keith Bishop, known as 'Big Keith,' in the BBC mockumentary sitcom the Office (BBC)

Ewen shared: "The scotch egg scenes were something that were planned quite late on, maybe even on the day. The props guy nipped out to Sainsbury's to get some and it's a good job he bought a lot because I went through them."

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"We were reusing them by the end, turning them around to hide the bites because we did so many takes," he added. The actor went on to say that the "funny thing" is that scotch eggs aren't as well known in the US, so when the show attracted interest stateside, viewers thought he was eating an apple.

The Office was created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The mockumentary, which ran from 2001 to 2003, followed employees at the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company.

Co-creator Ricky starred as general manager David Brent. His co-stars included Ewen and Martin, as well as Lucy Davis and Mackenzie Crook, who played receptionist Dawn Tinsley and 'team leader' Gareth Keenan respectively.

The character notably ate Scotch eggs in scenes with colleagues, including one with Tim Canterbury, who was played by Martin Freeman (BBC)

More than a decade after the show ended, Ricky reprised his role in the mockumentary film David Brent: Life on the Road (2016). He was however joined by a host of new co-stars including Ben Bailey Smith and Diane Morgan.

The Office has inspired several international shows, including the US sitcom of the same name, which aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013. It instead followed staff at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Pennsylvania.

Steve Carell played regional manager Michael Scott in the show. He was joined by the likes of Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer, who played Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly respectively. The cast also included B. J. Novak, Ed Helms and James Spader in leading roles.

Joel Leaver