Jennifer Taylor-Clarke

Jennifer Taylor-Clarke is a fictional character on the BBC2 comedy television series The Office.[1] She is the UK Manager overseeing the Slough and Swindon branches of the fictitious paper merchant, Wernham-Hogg. She is portrayed by Stirling Gallacher.

Taylor-Clarke, like Neil Godwin, is seen as a sharp contrast to the lead character of the series, David Brent. She is a competent executive who is often bewildered by the half-witted antics of Brent, who nicknames her Camilla Parker-Bowles, and who is frequently seen taking covert peeks up her skirt. Unlike her subordinate, she appears to be well respected by the majority of the staff at Wernham-Hogg (with the exception of the Warehouse crew, who are seen making sexist remarks to her in one episode). In the series one finale, Jennifer is promoted from a regional directorship to a corporate position, and informs David he has been selected by the board of directors to succeed her, though he loses this opportunity when he fails a health examination. Following this, Jennifer remains in an overseer's role over the Slough branch.

Jennifer is not directly a comical character; her humour, rather, is drawn from giving David a dressing down and interrogating him over his offensive and impulsive remarks. In the series two finale, she agrees with Neil's suggestion that David be sacked, and offers him a generous redundancy package.[2]

Jennifer appeared regularly throughout the first series of the show as well maintaining regular visits to the Slough branch in the second series. In the final episode of the show, she appeared but had no dialogue.

The character of Jan Levinson on The Office is based on Jennifer Taylor-Clarke.[3]