"Assistant director, or assistant *to* the director?"

[Norton Canes]

Got this phrase going round in my head. I think it's from a sitcom, or a comedy film. One character arguing with the other about their job description.

It sounds like the quibbly sort of exchange that Gervais might have written. Or is it from Partridge?

Help

[Dusty Substance]

It sounds like the quibbly sort of exchange that Gervais might have written.

This exchange was from episode one of The Office (UK):

Gareth: I'm assistant regional manager.
David Brent: Assistant to the regional manager.

Is that the one?

[Norton Canes]

Of course.

KARMA

[ajsmith]

Also used throughout the US Office. Particularly in the early seasons, but still fairly frequented referred to later on as a reminder of Dwight's thwarted ambitions. I always found it a little jarring when this pretty much verbatim quote from the Uk Office would still turn up in later episodes of the US one, when by then the US Office had grown into it's own thing.

[Dusty Substance]

Of course.

KARMA

Appreciated.

Happy to help out.

[mr. logic]

The exact line from the thread title is also used in the US Office as a play on the original assistant to the regional manager joke. Some episode where Michael's doing an advert for the company or something.

[Bored of Canada]

Hey, that line was used in the US Office. Dwight says it all the time, and Jim points it out. It's in the original English one too, but it's in the US one.