“If you put Varun in front of people, he’ll just talk about startup fundraising for two hours. I highly doubt David Brent could do that.” We’re in Slough’s premier office space and local worthy Vineet Vijh, a man who has made it his life’s mission to overturn the reputation bestowed upon it by Ricky Gervais and The Office, is giving me a tour of the town’s newfound pride and joy. Future Works, a co-working space at the end of the Elizabeth Line, is a disconcertingly optimistic upgrade to Wernham Hogg, the paper-merchant setting of The Office. The program today celebrates its 25th anniversary — and still plays an outsized role in the national imagination when it comes to depicting the purgatory of worklife just outside the capital. “The last time something happened around here,” says one 28