As a result of the Swindon merger, a group of new staff arrive at Slough branch and David wastes no time in familiarising them with his unique style of management. Meanwhile, Tim seems to be taking his promotion very seriously.

As David conducts the annual staff appraisals he discovers that the group from Swindon are less than impressed with their new boss and a lunchtime trip to the pub does little to improve the situation. The same cannot be said for Tim however, who is getting on particularly well with new girl Rachel.

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.

David's preparations for his first motivational training seminar that evening don't get off to the perfect start when he first discovers the staff's new nicknames for him that are doing the rounds and then receives another reprimand from Neil for neglecting his duties. Meanwhile, Tim and Rachel finally go public with their relationship, much to the dismay of Gareth.

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.

Although slightly peeved that the staff seem to be taking his redundancy in their stride, David's spirits remain high as he plans his future while also being interviewed for an article in 'Inside Paper'. Tim takes drastic action when he learns that Dawn has resigned in order to move to the USA with boyfriend Lee. However, when David is told that his services as a motivational speaker are also no longer required he sinks to his lowest ebb and begs Neil to reconsider the dismissal. But is it too late?

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...