Catherine Tate to join 'Office' cast

Catherine Tate, who had been among those considered as Steve Carell's September replacement on "The Office," is in fact coming onto the NBC series for the second half of the 2011-12 season.

The British comedienne made a brief appearance in the spring among the coterie of post-Carell cameos as Nellie Bertram, a role she will reprise. James Spader, who officially joined the cast at the start of the current season, isn't going anywhere, however.

"Catherine is hysterical," said "Office" exec producer Paul Lieberstein. "We introduced her briefly in last season's finale and knew she had to be a part of the show somehow."

In addition to award-winning BBC series, “The Catherine Tate Show,” Tate has appeared in projects fro "Doctor Who" to "Starter for Ten."