Tim Canterbury
Encyclopedia
Tim Canterbury is a main character in the BBC
sitcom The Office
, played by Martin Freeman
. He is a 30-year-old sales representative for paper merchants Wernham Hogg and lives with his parents. He spent one year at a university
before dropping out, and one day hopes to return to get a psychology degree. He has quite a self-deprecating and ironic sense of humour.
Tim flirts with, and feels great attraction to, receptionist Dawn Tinsley
. His office nemesis is Gareth Keenan
, with whom he regularly exchanges barbed banter and on whom he frequently plays practical jokes. His relationship with his boss David Brent
is mixed; at times Tim seems to get along well with David, and often good-naturedly humours Brent's attempts at comedy and social interaction. However, like the other employees, he is often exasperated and annoyed by Brent's more extreme personality flaws.
In many ways, he is Brent's complete opposite. While Brent tends to annoy people with his incessant displays of vanity and childlike need to be loved, Tim is liked by almost everyone due largely to his humility, his sense of humour and his overall good-natured attitude.
Tim's equivalent in the American version of The Office
is Jim Halpert
. His French equivalents are Paul Delorme (played by Jeremie Elkaim
) and Louis Tremblay.
During the second series Dawn and Tim remain friends, but don't seem to be as close anymore. Tim starts to take his job more seriously after being promoted and becomes somewhat distant toward Dawn at first. Tim also begins to date Rachel, one of the former Swindon employees, and Dawn grows jealous (along with Gareth, who claims he had feelings for Rachel before Tim). In the fifth episode of the second season, Dawn is selling kisses for Red Nose Day. After Tim makes a contribution, they share a kiss. Tim is then driven to choose between Rachel and Dawn, unaware of Dawn and Lee's plans to move to America. In the next episode he makes his decision, breaking up with Rachel. Tim soon discovers that Dawn is leaving for Florida
with Lee. Initially Tim seems reluctant to say anything, but changes his mind during an interview with the camera crew and runs to tell Dawn how he feels. Their conversation is kept private as Tim takes off his mic, but he emerges unsuccessful and admits Dawn said no. The second series ends with both Dawn and Tim depressed.
Nearly three years pass, with Tim remaining complacent in his job at Wernham-Hogg and Dawn existing unhappily with Lee in Florida. Dawn and Lee are flown back for the reunion, and she resumes her friendship with Tim briefly. When Dawn receives a Christmas present from Tim encouraging her to hold on to her dream of becoming an illustrator, she returns to the Christmas party without Lee, where she and Tim kiss and finally become a couple.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom The Office
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
, played by Martin Freeman
Martin Freeman
Martin John C. Freeman is an English actor. He is known for his roles as John in Love Actually, Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock and Mr. Madden...
. He is a 30-year-old sales representative for paper merchants Wernham Hogg and lives with his parents. He spent one year at a university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
before dropping out, and one day hopes to return to get a psychology degree. He has quite a self-deprecating and ironic sense of humour.
Tim flirts with, and feels great attraction to, receptionist Dawn Tinsley
Dawn Tinsley
Dawn Tinsley is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom The Office, played by Lucy Davis. She is a receptionist for paper merchants Wernham Hogg and is engaged to warehouse worker Lee. Her American The Office equivalent is Pam Beesly...
. His office nemesis is Gareth Keenan
Gareth Keenan
Gareth Keenan is a fictional paper salesman on BBC's comedy The Office. He is portrayed in the series by Mackenzie Crook as a gaunt, self-important team leader proud of his alleged lieutenant status in the Territorial Army...
, with whom he regularly exchanges barbed banter and on whom he frequently plays practical jokes. His relationship with his boss David Brent
David Brent
David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary The Office, as well as a recurring character in the NBC series of the same name, portrayed by co-writer and director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the BBC series...
is mixed; at times Tim seems to get along well with David, and often good-naturedly humours Brent's attempts at comedy and social interaction. However, like the other employees, he is often exasperated and annoyed by Brent's more extreme personality flaws.
In many ways, he is Brent's complete opposite. While Brent tends to annoy people with his incessant displays of vanity and childlike need to be loved, Tim is liked by almost everyone due largely to his humility, his sense of humour and his overall good-natured attitude.
Tim's equivalent in the American version of The Office
The Office (US TV series)
The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the original BBC series of the same name, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company...
is Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
. His French equivalents are Paul Delorme (played by Jeremie Elkaim
Jérémie Elkaïm
Jérémie Elkaïm , is a French actor best known for his role in Presque rien . In the movie, he plays Mathieu, a troubled, emotionally fragile teen who finds himself in a whirlwind romance with Cédric...
) and Louis Tremblay.
Relationship with Dawn Tinsley
Aside from being her colleague and close friend, Tim harbours strong feelings for Dawn. Their relationship is seen to be very flirtatious at times. However, Dawn's engagement to Lee prevents them from becoming more than friends for quite some time. Their friendship seems to suffer after the episode Training Day, in which Dawn and Lee are having problems. Tim consoles her throughout the episode, but mistakenly comes to the conclusion that Lee and Dawn have split. He then asks Dawn out on a date in front of everyone, where she tells him that she and Lee are still together. Embarrassed, Tim insists he was just asking her out as a friend.During the second series Dawn and Tim remain friends, but don't seem to be as close anymore. Tim starts to take his job more seriously after being promoted and becomes somewhat distant toward Dawn at first. Tim also begins to date Rachel, one of the former Swindon employees, and Dawn grows jealous (along with Gareth, who claims he had feelings for Rachel before Tim). In the fifth episode of the second season, Dawn is selling kisses for Red Nose Day. After Tim makes a contribution, they share a kiss. Tim is then driven to choose between Rachel and Dawn, unaware of Dawn and Lee's plans to move to America. In the next episode he makes his decision, breaking up with Rachel. Tim soon discovers that Dawn is leaving for Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
with Lee. Initially Tim seems reluctant to say anything, but changes his mind during an interview with the camera crew and runs to tell Dawn how he feels. Their conversation is kept private as Tim takes off his mic, but he emerges unsuccessful and admits Dawn said no. The second series ends with both Dawn and Tim depressed.
Nearly three years pass, with Tim remaining complacent in his job at Wernham-Hogg and Dawn existing unhappily with Lee in Florida. Dawn and Lee are flown back for the reunion, and she resumes her friendship with Tim briefly. When Dawn receives a Christmas present from Tim encouraging her to hold on to her dream of becoming an illustrator, she returns to the Christmas party without Lee, where she and Tim kiss and finally become a couple.