Tim is 30 today and receives some special gifts. Dawn wants to organize after-work drinks for him but it's also the annual quiz night. Brent & Finchy see it as a point of honour that they win. The only real competition comes from Tim & Ricky...

Brent decides to take on a new secretary despite the spectre of redundancies in the Slough branch. He can choose between some bloke that's turned up for interview and a pretty young blonde. The day is rounded off with a trip to Chasers nightclub...

A colleague's birthday provides a welcome distraction for the employees of Wernham Hogg and leads to a series of practical jokes at the expense of David and Gareth. Meanwhile, David's growing frustrations with new boss Neil constantly looking over his shoulder are somewhat alleviated by the arrival of two representatives from a public speaking company who seem keen to recruit him.

It's Comic Relief Day and the staff of Werhnam Hogg all do their bit to raise money including Dawn, whose 'kisses for 1' stand finally provides Tim with the opportunity he's been waiting for. But when David can only produce a draft of his new gameshow concept in place of an important company report, Neil and Jennifer draw the line and inform him that he is being made redundant.

It's been three years since the BBC documentary crew first arrived at the office. Back for one last visit, they find Gareth Keenan now in charge and is running the office with a military precision. Since we last saw David Brent he has become a sales rep for a cleaning products company, released his own pop single and has acquired an agent to look after his celebrity appearances. He visits his old workplace regularly, despite him successfully suing Wernham Hogg for unfair dismissal. The big news for Tim is the imminent arrival of Dawn. The documentary crew has kindly offered to fly Dawn and boyfriend Lee from Florida back to Slough for the office Christmas party.

Tim's world is rocked when Dawn turns up at the office to say hello. Despite a stern warning from Gareth and wise words from Keith in Accounts, Tim can't help but get his hopes up again. Meanwhile, David Brent has been using the services of a dating agency and, in between making celebrity appearances in nightclubs, he meets up for drinks with a rather disappointing selection of single women. The office Christmas party kicks off like any other but there are a few surprises in store...