Ant Middleton's Motivational Speech Is Reminding People Of David Brent

A motivational speech delivered by Ant Middleton is reminding people of The Office's David Brent. See for yourself here:

The former SAS: Who Dares Wins chief instructor was delivering a speech to Norwich City FC back in 2019, the purpose being to inspire them and teach them a thing or two about teamwork.

However, looking back on it, it seems as though the 40-year-old's style and message was taken straight from The Office protagonist's playbook.

Complete with uncanny delivery and gestures, Middleton said: "Play to your strengths but acknowledge that there's weaknesses amongst the team, because that's what teamwork's about.

"It's about me recognising your weaknesses, you recognising my weaknesses and naturally filling that spot when that comes into play.

"A weakness comes into play - 'Well don't worry brother, I've got you.'"

Chatting post-speech, Middleton then exhibited the sort of not-so-subtle boasting which Gervais' character can't resist.

YouTube/Norwich City Football Club

He said: "They talk to me about teamwork and they say, 'Look Ant, you're at most elite level, life or death', and I'm like, 'Listen, you're at the most elite level of what you do, you know'.

"It's not life or death, but it's win or no win."

Regrettably for the former soldier, the clip is now doing the rounds after it came to the attention of the Accidental Brent TikTok account.

The video has been viewed more than 579,000 times, and many a TikToker was tickled by the likeness.

One person commented: "This is more David Brent than David Brent himself."

Another said: "Bro it feels like Ricky Gervais wrote the script."

A third added: "This is the most Brent-like thing I've ever seen."

Well, perhaps it's this sort of thing that's made Middleton want to live far away from the UK.

After Channel 4 chose not to renew his contract for SAS: Who Dares Wins, Middleton went over to Australia to work on their version of the show - and he said he feels like he fits in better Down Under.

Speaking to The Mirror in May, he said: "I feel like I fit in here.

"That's very strange being the person that I am. I don't know whether the UK is a bit pretentious for me, a bit too PC for me, where I can't be myself.

"I have to suppress a part of me to fit in, which I don't like doing and I won't do, as you've probably seen, but here you've got that balance that right."

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Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey