If, like me, you were one of the many who turned away from the American take on The Office after sitting through the first couple of episodes, then you’ve missed an absolute treat. Because by the end of that first series, it had slowly turned, found its own identity, and emerged as a flat-out brilliant programme that’s now so much better than its British inspiration it’s staggering.

Steve Carell has turned out to be a far stronger lead character than the Ricky Gervais equivalent, not least because Carell's Michael Scott simply wants to be liked. That's pretty much the extent of his ambitions. Throw in the well-developed Jim and Pam romance, the glorious catalogue of back characters and the exemplary Rainn Wilson as Dwight, and you have - genuinely - a modern day comedy masterpiece. Amazing, considering how tepid and reverential those few first episodes were.

At the end of this month, The Office returns in the USA, with an hour-long season opener. In tribute, we’ve been YouTube raiding, and found some of our favourite moments to date…

We start with the marvellous moment where Jim sends Dwight a fax from the future:

Next up? The usually quiet Stanley goes apeshit at Ryan...

More? How about Dwight trying to give Stanley a Schrutebuck?

And finally, the immortal moment when Dwight reaches for the pepper spray...

Roll on the end of the month...!