Shell Shockers Unblocked

Listen Up! Let's Not Turn Crazy Into Wacky!
1:03pm Wednesday 23rd February 2012
Shark Attack - Channel 5
Channel 5
News Online
The sensationalistic drama that ignited an international scare for
The Office was left to curl up in its grave by critics, never penetrating
the open marketplace of television for its outlandish (and without precedent in
British television), and has been forgotten during the succeeding lull period in
British television.
In her well-researched and incredibly sensitive documentary The
Shark Attack, Sharon Oakley investigates The Office’s love-hate drama that dealt
with ‘frustrated sexual relationships’ between various members of the series
and then played into sex panic in the nation, with a six part running time slot
(with more at Christmas?) hosted by David Mitchell's Scott Mabin.
Opening with a press conference with the show's director Deborah Pella, it shows
that the concept was conceived in an attempt to put some distance between the
teams, particularly Michael McIntyre, who had no legal contact with Edna &
Eileen, or anyone else, much less sex addicts whose behaviour had been featured
in the show.
The purpose of what came across as an audition scene involving the team in their
lewd office - clearly the location of last season's 'Invisible Women' - was to
ensure viewers could see a real sex addict - with much darker complex
problems - thus providing the catalyst for social embarrassment.
And yet from the documentary come to light some disturbing details, such as
that the role-playing in the building was not exactly that of a mental health
staff, or even of the series itself.
It was more like David Mitchell himself - who has a medical condition that causes
him to crave sexual images - and his entourage.
Most importantly of all, it meant that the ‘frenzied’ tensions in the room were not
lonely.
OAKLEY: Mr Mitchell himself admitted this was
not exactly the real events in the show's office, it was reality.