Review - The IT Crowd

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The IT Crowd Review

Graham Lineham, the co-creator of Father Ted and Black Books, has written a new sitcom series, The IT Crowd, shown on Channel 4 on Friday.  Directed by Ben Fuller (Dead Ringers) produced by Ash Atalla (The Office), this sitcom is the most bizarre satire of office dramas but one that attracts a lot of viewers.  Set in the forgotten dingy IT basement of a fictional British corporation, Reynholms Industries, Lineham has produced the perfect team of characters: the two IT geeks, Roy (played by Chris O’Dowd) and Moss (played by Richard Ayoade), plus the new boss, Jen (played by Katherine Parkinson), who lied about her IT experience on her CV.  The show’s catchphrase: “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is actually quite helpful as I guess this is what most IT people do when something goes wrong with a computer.  I expect it is going to be pretty hard for those proper IT men to say that now without being a tiny bit self-conscious.

So why is this show so successful? On top of the downloadable episodes on the internet a week before the official TV broadcast, the show’s over-the-top silliness and the absurd remarks made by the characters surely catch a lot of viewers’ attention, including mine.  For instance, the staff’s incapability of solving practical problems like extinguishing fires and telling little lies for a good cause are just a few of the many comical behaviour that are brought about in the show.  What I like about the show is that you don’t really have to know anything about computers to understand or enjoy the humour in it.  In fact, most of the humour comes from the work environment and the everyday chitchat of their social lives.  So how did Lineham come up with the idea of The IT Crowd?  Where did all his ideas come from?  Maybe he is hopeless with computers as well, that’s why he is in such a good position to produce a sitcom about people who know nothing about computers.  Or maybe he is a natural at writing hilarious scripts and makes lots of money.  But whatever it is, he has made sure that people who aren’t interested in computers won’t switch off.  This show is not about the nuts and bolts of computers, it is about the life moving around them.

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Sadly, what we missed was Dylan Moran (creator of Black Books) and Bill Bailey; but in their place we are offered three top-notch actors, each of them emitting a strong enthusiasm to take their characters to extremes for a really good laugh.  I have to admit that Richard Ayoade does make an excellent IT geek, Moss, short for Maurice.  With his geeky name, side-parted hair, clip-on ties, a variety of checked short-sleeved shirts and trousers that are too short but worn too high, he is absolutely qualified as a geek.  Personally, he is my favourite out of the ludicrous ...

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