List of The IT Crowd characters

The three main characters in The IT Crowd (l-r): Jen (Katherine Parkinson), Moss (Richard Ayoade), and Roy (Chris O'Dowd)

The following is a list of fictional characters from the Graham Linehan British Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd.

Main characters

Roy Trenneman

Roy is an easy-going, work-shy Irish IT technician who spends most of his time playing video games, reading comics or just slacking off in the office.[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] His work attire is very casual compared to his colleagues; choosing to wear jeans and geek chic T-shirts.[lower-alpha 1][1][2] Prior to his IT job, he worked as a waiter, where he said he would carry the food of rude customers in his trousers before serving it to them.[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] Whenever he answers phone calls, he often uses the phrase "Have you tried turning it off and on again?",[3][4] that he has even placed it on an automated recording in "Fifty-Fifty",[lower-alpha 6] and made a wager with Jen that he would not say it in the episode "Bad Boys".[lower-alpha 7] The series 4 episodes reveal Roy to have globophobia (fear of balloons)[lower-alpha 7][5] and being extremely uncomfortable when a masseur planted a kiss on his bottom.[lower-alpha 8][lower-alpha 9] In the episode special "The Internet Is Coming", Roy's new girlfriend remarks he is "emotionally artistic" although it is later revealed she might have meant emotionally autistic.[6]

Roy's last name was not given in the first three series.[lower-alpha 4][lower-roman 1] Following the broadcast of the episode "The Speech" in 2008, Linehan blogged a graphic showing Roy's last name as Tenneman,[7] and later changed the spelling to Trenneman for the broadcast of the series 4 episode "Something Happened" in 2010.[lower-alpha 8] Roy's immediate family members do not appear in the series, but in the episode "Aunt Irma Visits", he finds the resemblance of Moss's psychiatrist to his own mother disturbing.[lower-alpha 10]

In the documentary "The IT Crowd Manual", Roy is described as a worker who is doing something so beneath his capabilities. O'Dowd said that Roy is slightly more capable of talking to people than Moss, but is still a man-child, slightly socially inept. Critic Boyd Hilton said that Roy thinks he's on the cool edge of nerdiness. Author Cory Doctorow said that Roy's snark and misanthropy is bang-on for a certain tribe of nerds. Regarding his friendship with Moss, O'Dowd said that it's like they met in college; Linehan likened the two to 14-year-olds who like spending time with each other. Linehan said he originally thought the role should not be played by an Irish person, but that O'Dowd was amazing and the best man for the job. Ayoade said that O'Dowd was a good actor, and liked that he could choose what level of nasal to do in some of his expressions. Linehan also liked how O'Dowd would exceed in his physical performance as demonstrated in the episode where he pretended to be disabled.[8]

Maurice Moss

Maurice Moss, who goes by Moss, is a computer nerd with a side-parted afro and dark-rimmed glasses.[9] The humour in his character is derived from his socially awkward comments and his complex and in-depth knowledge of specialised technical subjects, including chemistry and electronic engineering. Moss has some quirky habits: He switches through glasses of various sizes in reaction when he and Roy scheme; when his ears get hot, he sprays them with a bottle;[lower-alpha 1][9] he uses inhalers;[lower-alpha 11] he can detect chemicals such as rohypnol by smell.[lower-alpha 12] When faced with conversation concerning women's topics such as bras, he faints; he also spaces out when confronted with sports topics such as football. He lives with his mother,[lower-alpha 13] who sends him to work with an apple each day,[lower-alpha 14] and had sued him when he was eleven for breaking a window.[lower-alpha 9][9] He admits he is horrible at lying, and demonstrated this with his lies concerning Jen in the episode "The Haunting of Bill Crouse" where he tells Bill that Jen has died.[lower-alpha 4] He suppresses his urges to cuss and does not like to break the rules, with an exception in the "Bad Boys" episode when he and Roy ditch work after lunch and he gets in trouble for shoplifting, consequently having to do three hours of community service and give a Scared Straight! talk to some kids.[lower-alpha 7]

In the documentary "The IT Crowd Manual", Linehan said that Moss was an amalgam of various stereotypes with some uniqueness brought together by him and Richard, and described him as a really nerdy guy and a geek. Parkinson said Moss was a classic square, a timeless nerd. Ayoade said Moss was very childlike and positive. He had used his normal voice for Moss, and he liked that Moss sometimes adopts a confident persona like a child would do. Linehan said that he built the show around Richard so it was appropriate that he ended the show by turning out the light in the final episode.[8]

Jen Barber

Jen becomes the relationship manager of the IT department, having been assigned by Denholm at the start of the series because she had impressed the latter by listing computers on her curriculum vitae. She knows very little about electronics and computers,[10] pretending to work even when her desktop and landline phone were revealed to be unplugged or disconnected,[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] making statements at executive meetings such as searching "Google" on the Google website would cause the network to crash,[lower-alpha 13] and believing that the Internet resides in a physical box.[lower-alpha 15] In "Tramps Like Us", during a job interview, she struggles with not knowing what IT even stands for.[lower-alpha 16][11]

She is easily excited by pursuits such as buying cute shoes sized too small for her feet,[lower-alpha 11] and trying to impress good-looking men,[lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 3] but that her relationships usually turn out to be disastrous.[8] In series 2, Jen reveals that she was a heavy smoker several years prior; she briefly takes up the habit again, but quits when she realises the anti-smoking regulations have made her more socially isolated.[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 17]

In an interview with The Independent, Parkinson said that Lineham originally wanted Jen to be "likeable" but "I know what he wanted now – he wanted her to be the more normal person people could relate to.” Although she would act as the straight woman to the two guys, her klutziness was well received by the audience.[12] Arts critic Rupert Christian describes Jen as the normal person going against the new technology.[8] Parkinson also said that Jen is sometimes shallow and egotistic.[8]

Douglas Reynholm

Douglas is introduced in series 2 where he takes over Reynholm Industries after his father Denholm's death. Having been away for seven years because of a court case, he attends Denholm's funeral in a dramatic fashion. He has been described as awful, sex-crazed,[13] and a serial dater.[14] He has a history of sexual harassment, which is one of the conditions he has to control in order to take over the company. He flirts with Jen during the funeral,[lower-alpha 5] and later tries to flirt with her when he makes her his personal assistant.[lower-alpha 12] As part of the subsequent sexual harassment settlement, he was required to wear "electric sex pants" that deliver shocks whenever he is aroused at work, although Moss disarms them later.[lower-alpha 16] In the episode "Something Happened", he practices the religion of "Spaceology" where he applies "space star ordering" and has his hand replaced with a robotic one.[lower-alpha 8][15] He sometimes brings up the topic of denying having killed his first wife, and in the series 4 finale, he reunites with an ex-wife Victoria for two weeks before they break up and he is sued for a large sum of money.[lower-alpha 9]

In an interview with Radio Times, Linehan said "I could easily spend an hour, or half an hour, with Douglas. He's my favourite way of making fun of people that I really loathe, like Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. I basically just have happen to him all the things that I'd love to happen to them, and it's basically a really enjoyable process." Linehan also likes Berry's extraordinary voice and gift for comedy.[16] In an interview with Slant, Berry said that the part was written for him,[15] and in Digital Spy, he said he tried to "do his own thing" regarding his portrayal.[17][8] In "The IT Crowd Manual", Berry described Douglas as so confident and privileged that he did not care where things would come out wrong, cause offence, or make him look like a fool.[8]

Recurring

Denholm Reynholm

Denholm is the director of Reynholm Industries at the start of series 1. He openly boasts about employing attractive people who do very little work and who engage in adulterous relationships. In his office, he had a picture of himself on the wall, and of the members of The A-Team on the desk.[lower-alpha 1] Whenever he hires a new member of staff, he likes to give them a long, hard stare to assess them.[lower-alpha 1] He enjoys setting up initiatives intended to boost performance in a company; for example, he "declares war" on stress, mandating employees to attend a stress management seminar, after which he threatens to fire anyone who does not pass a stress test that same day.[lower-alpha 11] In the series 1 finale where he celebrates the success of Project Icarus, he forgets to acknowledge the IT department which did most of the work on the project, preferring to thank everyone else including the janitors.[lower-alpha 10] In "Return of the Golden Child", during a company executive meeting, he congratulates himself for being so rich, however, when the police arrive to inquire about irregularities in the company's pension fund, he simply opens a window and jumps to his death.[lower-alpha 5] He makes a guest appearance in series 3 when he beckons his son to join him in a place resembling heaven, if not for the presence of Adolf Hitler.[lower-alpha 18] In "The IT Crowd Manual", Denholm is described as strict and slightly sociopathic. Linehan said that Morris had set the tone of the series that the characters cannot be realistic.[8]

Richmond Avenal

Richmond is a mild-mannered, posh-accented goth who resides in the IT department server room. A former up-and-coming executive reporting to Denholm, he discovered gothic metal band Cradle of Filth and changed his appearance, causing Denholm to feel rather uncomfortable with his appearance and attitude, especially after Richmond had recommended Denholm's mother also listen to Cradle of Filth.[lower-alpha 2][18] Richmond's absence from series 3 is explained as him having scurvy,[lower-alpha 18] but Linehan noted in an episode commentary that Fielding was too busy on other projects.[19] In the series 4 finale, he returns without his goth makeup to testify for Douglas Reynholm's divorce case, having founded a business called Goth2Boss where he helps his fellow goths work in society.[lower-alpha 9] In "The Internet Is Coming", he is seen in his original goth costume again.[6][8]

In "The IT Crowd Manual", Parkinson likened Richmond to a damaged bird and vulnerable. Guest star Lucy Montgomery described Richmond as bit of an Edward Scissorhands. Fielding said he based Richmond's voice on Roger Waters' after watching a Pink Floyd documentary.[8]

Notable guest appearances


Notes

  1. ↑ In "The Haunting of Bill Crouse", Roy presents a business card that shows only his first name.

Works cited

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Yesterday's Jam". The IT Crowd. Series 1. Episode 1.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Red Door". The IT Crowd. Series 1. Episode 4.
  3. 1 2 "The Work Outing". The IT Crowd. Series 2. Episode 1.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "The Haunting of Bill Crouse". The IT Crowd. Series 1. Episode 5.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Return of the Golden Child". The IT Crowd. Series 2. Episode 2.
  6. 1 2 3 "Fifty-Fifty". The IT Crowd. Series 1. Episode 3.
  7. 1 2 3 "Bad Boys". The IT Crowd. Series 4. Episode 5.
  8. 1 2 3 "Something Happened". The IT Crowd. Series 4. Episode 3.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Reynholm vs. Reynholm". The IT Crowd. Series 4. Episode 6.
  10. 1 2 3 "Aunt Irma Visits". The IT Crowd. Series 1. Episode 6.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Calamity Jen". The IT Crowd. Series 1. Episode 2.
  12. 1 2 "Men Without Women". The IT Crowd. Series 2. Episode 6.
  13. 1 2 "Smoke and Mirrors". The IT Crowd. Series 2. Episode 5.
  14. ↑ "Friendface". The IT Crowd. Series 3. Episode 5.
  15. 1 2 3 "The Speech". The IT Crowd. Series 3. Episode 4.
  16. 1 2 "Tramps Like Us". The IT Crowd. Series 3. Episode 3.
  17. ↑ "Moss and the German". The IT Crowd. Series 2. Episode 3.
  18. 1 2 3 "From Hell". The IT Crowd. Series 3. Episode 1.

References

  1. ↑ Goodacre, Kate (27 September 2013). "'The IT Crowd' finale: Did Roy, Moss and Jen get a fitting send-off?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  2. ↑ Hogan, Michael (27 September 2013). "The IT Crowd, Channel 4, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/channel-4-reboots-the-it-crowd-night
  4. ↑ Freeman, Hadley (18 May 2012). "Chris O'Dowd: from The IT Crowd to Hollywood". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Marnell, Blair (16 April 2010). "The IT Crowd 4.05 'Bad Boys'". CraveOnline. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  6. 1 2 Wollaston, Sam (28 September 2013). "The IT Crowd – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Linehan, Graham (13 December 2008). "What Roy was actually looking at tonight… - Why, That\'s Delightful!". Why, That\'s Delightful!. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 The IT Crowd Manual. 24 December 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Renshaw, David (16 May 2013). "The IT Crowd – box set review". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  10. ↑ "The IT Crowd". Channel 4. 18 December 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  11. ↑ Hale, Lyra (2 September 2015). "4 Reasons to Watch The IT Crowd, Like Now". Tell-Tale TV. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Gilbert, Gerard (8 June 2015). "Katherine Parkinson interview: Sherlock actress on likeability and being 'intimidated' by America". The Independent. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  13. ↑ "Inside The Studio Of The IT Crowd's Matt Berry". Synthtopia. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Susanna Lazarus. "Toast of London's Matt Berry: I'm typecast as lady-obsessed and sleazy". RadioTimes. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  15. 1 2 Aubry D'Armino (20 August 2010). "Interview: The IT Crowd". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Liam Martin (28 December 2014). "The IT Crowd creator Graham Linehan wants Douglas Reynholm spinoff". Digital Spy. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  17. ↑ Mayer Nissim (28 December 2011). "Matt Berry: 'Replacing Chris Morris in The IT Crowd was daunting'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  18. 1 2 ""Fifty-Fifty"/"The Red Door" · The IT Crowd · TV Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  19. ↑ Episode commentary for "From Hell". The IT Crowd Series 3 (DVD).
  20. ↑ Stuart Kemp. "Graham Linehan and Adam Buxton writing Channel 4 sitcom The Cloud". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  21. ↑ Johnny Dee. "Six to watch: Adam Buxton". the Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  22. ↑ Claire Hodgson (20 December 2013). "IT Crowd: Watch behind the scenes on Christmas Eve special documentary - Mirror Online". mirror. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
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