The Intern says, "Cool!" Says it a lot, actually. The executive smiles and then leaves the meeting before any real decision is made. Daily, there is what's called, "the damage limitation meeting."
Where does this happen? At a public broadcaster, of course. Is it funny? It's freakin' hilarious. But let's not make this about the CBC. You can if you want, but it's about all of us.
That is, all of us who work for a company that puts some effort into defining its mandate and values. You know what I mean – the sort of outfit where people talk about "a regular digital handshake" and use buzzwords that defy actual meaning.
Me, I've been to a few meetings that defy description or meaning. I work for a media company, so it comes with the territory. I sit there wondering, "What does that mean?" and then stop wondering because in three weeks there will be a new buzzword or catchphrase and, besides, nobody cares what the TV critic thinks about anything.
That can be very useful. Occasionally it's frustrating, like that time I sent seven, count 'em, seven, e-mails to an editor, and there was no reply … never mind. There are occasional mentions of TV critics in W1A (now streaming on Netflix), which is today's actual topic, and a top recommendation. It's a brilliant BBC mockumentary that mocks the BBC. Relentlessly. Hence, you could be tempted to extrapolate that the shenanigans in W1A are probably representative of monkey-business doings at CBC. You could be right.
But, really, this tomfoolery is about office life, and that's universal.
The great thing about W1A – called that because of the BBC HQ's postal code – is that it portrays an organization that is just nuts and yet it is entirely plausible.
The point of the fake documentary, narrated with deadpan relish by David Tennant, is to track the doings of Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville – yes, him, best known as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham on Downton Abbey) who has been appointed as "Head of Values" at the BBC. This involves being on top of such things as the "Way Ahead Task Force," which he defines as the, "Where have we been, where are we going and how do we get there?" task force.
Ian cycles to work. He's got a bit of bother folding up his foldable bicycle, but Simon Harwood, Director of Strategic Governance (Jason Watkins) is happy to help. Or he seems to be, until you realize that his dead eyes are in constant staring mode and he rarely says anything except, "Brilliant! Brilliant!"
This is a BBC that airs such hit programs as Britain's Tastiest Village and How Big is your Dog?, all of them "Brilliant! Brilliant!"
Most of the characters are caricatures and they take turns stealing scenes with outbursts of absurdity. Mind you, the one who steals everything is Jessica Hynes as Head of PR Siobhan Sharpe. She is utterly oblivious to anything except social media buzz and talks a constant, bewildering patter about hashtags and "penetration."
Some of the humour in W1A will glide by if you're not drenched in matters British. The use of a Welsh accent by one character is probably funnier in Britain than it is here. But what's marvellous about the entire series is that while it's the BBC making fun of itself, it's about corporate culture anywhere. As someone who works in the media, I found great swathes of the antics on W1A to be painfully familiar. In the new BBC HQ in which it is set, there are no offices, really, just a bunch of meeting rooms. So staff wander around looking for a place to work or talk in peace. There are people with grand titles who seem to have no function. Being rude to others is a perk of power. And a gift for spouting inanity is a route to power.
In the genre of cringe-inducing comedy, W1A isn't up there with The Office. While Bonneville is excellent as the Head of Values, he's not the pivotal character and he spends as much time bewildered by the BBC as the viewer does. The show is simply an accurate, often devastating send-up of corporate life and gobbledygook.
Watching it is a treat, not just because it has stinging one-liners delivered with terrific comic timing. It's about life in a lot of offices. And if we didn't laugh at corporate life, we'd go mad.