IN A Basingstoke office block not so far, far away, a team of bank workers have been working overtime to make a Star Wars parody that has become an overnight hit on the internet.

Overtime tells the story of two bored colleagues working in a lonely and deserted office, who pull out lightsabers from under their desks and challenge each other to a duel.

The wacky spoof has been created by movie-mad office staff from Barclays, based at Churchill Plaza in Basingstoke, and is based loosely on the blockbuster films.

Viewers see the pair battle through the empty offices at the iconic Basingstoke building, until Chad Fadar (based on Darth Vader) - played by Nick Rowntree - halts the fight because it is disturbing him as he frantically works on his financial reports needed for the next day.

The swashbuckling parody has attracted more than 2,000 hits on online video sites including YouTube and Facebook.

Now the film is set to receive added exposure at the POL-8 Film Festival in Poland - a top event in the European moviemakers' calendar.

The parody, which cost just £45 to make and brought together 15 staff from Barclays Asset and Sales Finance, was the brainchild of Geoff Harmer, who works in IT support.

He said he got the idea for the film when he discovered he could recreate the famous Star Wars lightsaber special effect and decided to set his parody at his place of work.

"The logistics of filming it while everyone was at work was too much, then I thought we would have to set it after the day shift - and so came the Overtime idea," he explained.

He added: "It was a bonding experience, bringing together some people who wouldn't ordinarily have met."

The 36-year-old, of Grove Road, Cranbourne, Basingstoke, has a passion for film-making and is involved with a Basingstoke-based movie-making outfit, Fraught Productions.

The film's main stars - Alan Blake, Andy Gray and Nina Leighton - spent up to six hours learning how to lightsaber fight under the expert tuition of marshal arts expert Gavin Herbert, who runs lessons in Reading.

Mr Harmer said: "The best thing for me was watching Alan, Andy and Nina become so good at lightsaber fighting."

Mr Blake, an application specialist who lives in Reading, was cast for his "irritating" ability to juggle.

The 39-year-old said: "Everyone in the office has seen the film, and some have been making lightsaber noises when I pass by."

The film team certainly worked overtime, with the filming process taking six weeks to complete.

Mrs Leighton, 33, from Andover, said: "It was a case of putting in the hours but it was well worth it in the end."

When the film was finished, the group held a premiere in a training room at Churchill Plaza and raised £1,000 for the Nystagmus Network charity.

The charity is close to Mr Harmer's heart as his three-year-old son Paddy suffers from Nystagmus - a disorder causing uncontrolled movement of the eyes.

The film crew are now planning an eagerly-awaited sequel - Overtime 2: Time an' a half. The force will undoubtedly be with them.