The IT Crowd
Perhaps it’s the current fashion for ‘geek chic’ (urgh), but there seems to have been a rash of comedies about or for geeks recently. Well, two—-there’s Hyperdrive, and now the new Channel 4 comedy, The IT Crowd. Roy and Moss are a couple of nerds who toil in the foetid basement IT department of a huge company, fielding stupid help desk calls from the other employees (“Is the button on the side glowing? No? Then you need to turn it on… push the button…you don’t know how to push a button? Are you from the past?”). Roy is prone to rage and wearing RTFM t-shirts (yay!), while Moss is dressed by his mother and has an aerosol can of water clipped to his belt with which to spray his ear when it gets hot.
It’s written by Graham Linehan and has many of the wacky and surreal hallmarks of Father Ted, laugh-out-loud moments (Moss emailing the fire brigade when his soldering iron starts a fire in the office), and some great physical comedy. However, it has one aspect that puts me into ‘Points of View’ mode1:
1 “Why Oh Why do Channel Four persist in…Disgusted of Birmingham”. â
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The thing about stereotypes is that they are just that, truisms - were they not to exist, there would be nothing to copy or make fun of. It may pain us to admit it, but we do all recognise them when we see them. The driver wearing a hat, the model engineer with spectacles repaired with sticking plaster, and the pasty face of the permanently shut away; the jobsworth at the gates. One day a scriptwriter will come up with a visual stereotype of, say a janitor, who speaks in rhyming couplets of surpassing excellence - now that would be witty.----- I have to admit that I just didn't think it was all that funny, obvious stereotypes abounding and all. A bit obvious, really.
by jim w @ 06/02/2006 7:03 pm • Permalink •
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Is it a coincidence that they are both terrible? Hyperspace just wasn't funny and The IT Crowd just about raised the odd snigger, but the whole thing was ruined by the terrible acting (Chris Morris was quite good though) and the annoying canned laughter.
by Luke Redpath @ 06/02/2006 11:03 pm • Permalink •
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What Mr Briggs there says, but also when you've got characters that are stereotypes it's much easier to get the audience to sympathise with them. Sure, Jen is a terrible cliche (though I've known many women who fit that cliche, which is why it's a cliche I guess) but when she pops out of that stereotype, even just a little bit she suddenly becomes a very sympathetic character.
At least that's the theory. Oddly the first example to come to mind is the development of Giles in Buffy...
As for the program itself, I liked it but I got the feeling Linehan has raised the curtain on his magic sitcom machine. It all feels a little too by-the-numbers.
by Pete Ashton @ 07/02/2006 1:02 am • Permalink •
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I think it will be OK. The first time that you see Father Ted the characters and situation seem to be nothing special, but after a few episodes the running gags start making you smile and the spiralling eccentricity of the characters, of whom you have now become rather fond, starts to lift the show off the ground. I suspect this will work in a similar way. You can seldom judge a traditional sitcom like this after only one episode, but I think it looks promising.
by ThoughtBadger @ 07/02/2006 1:03 am • Permalink •
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Give 'em Hell, gel !
by Mr.D. @ 07/02/2006 8:03 am • Permalink •
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Whoah, no one likes it! Well, just me and ThoughtBadger
. I also think that it might take a little while to bed in, but I did enjoy it. As I've said, I also like Hyperdrive, even though it's a completely different kind of humour (rather gentle and quiet, rather than belly laughs, and more character-driven).
Mr. D.: Oh, I do...
by bsag @ 07/02/2006 7:03 pm • Permalink •
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Well I liked it. OK it isn't highbrow and some of it is predictable but to unwind and have a snigger it was great. Anyone remember the first couple of episodes of Red Dwarf whebn they first went out? Plenty of people knocked it then but look how it developed. (and Chris Morris is brilliant).
by Steve @ 08/02/2006 4:02 pm • Permalink •
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I really enjoyed the show and did enjoy the slight geeky touches, such as the "mp3 is not a crime" and EFF stickers. Althought the canned laughter really gets on my nerves I found the show reasonable funny and I hope it gets better.
I would just like to say has anyone noticed that Moss used to play Thornton in the excellent Garth Marenghi's Darkplace?
by J @ 09/02/2006 9:03 pm • Permalink •
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the RTFM t-shirt was great too ! I found it here > http://www.all-tribes.com/eng/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_25
by Jez Russel @ 10/02/2006 12:03 am • Permalink •
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J: I loved Garth Marenghi's darkplace, but hardly anyone else I know has ever seen it. For those who weren't fortunate enough to catch it when it was on Channel 4, it was a comedy within a comedy. Garth Marenghi (bad horror writer and Stephen King wannabe) had apparently written a series called 'Darkplace' (set in a haunted hospital of the same name in Romford), which hadn't been shown for 20 years because it was too scary. He introduces an episode of Darkplace, which is interspersed by interviews with the actors involved and Garth's publisher, Thornton. The episodes were a fantastic 80s pastiche, with horrendous acting, missed cues and wobbly sets. I wish they'd show it again.
by bsag @ 11/02/2006 5:03 pm • Permalink •
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I saw the third episode last night, and it is definately getting better as it goes, there were some real Father Ted type moments last night such as the kiddies restauraunt entertainers. I wonder if the actress playing Jen has modelled some of the voice on early Mrs Thatcher, there does seem to be some resemblance there.
by Keith @ 11/02/2006 6:03 pm • Permalink •
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bsag, I wish they would bring out on DVD
by J @ 13/02/2006 12:03 pm • Permalink •
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IT Crowd! I just love it!! From the first minute i fell in love with Moss! All jokes are terribly hilarious!!! I cant wait for next Friday!!! I really enjoed it! Paulina.
by paulina @ 13/02/2006 4:03 pm • Permalink •
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Hi
Just come across this blog - love it.
Anyway just wanted to say to Luke the laughter wasn't canned. I was in the audience when it was being filmed. It went down very well, so there would be no need to use a synthesised laughter track.
I thouroughly enjoyed it too. The sitcom is dead, long live the sitcom.
by Greg @ 23/02/2006 12:02 pm • Permalink •
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I am completely appalled that IT crowd ever got to the commisioning stage. The script is dire, obvious and unfunny. The acting from everyone is forced, painful and unreal. The storylines are chauvenistic, limited and just so unreal. It's a shame the situation could be funny. The Office showed that, this is just sub-Office pathetic tat
by Phil @ 24/02/2006 9:02 pm • Permalink •
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Didn't catch my interest that much to begin with, but once I started watching it I've fallen in love!
Yes, it uses stereotypes, but it works for that type of comedy. If stereotypes weren't used, it just wouldn't be that interesting in my opinion.
People know stereotypes so they can be muddled with and made to be amusing. I'm sure I'm not the only one who recognised certain aspects of character behaviour as slightly familiar? Hmm?
by Vix0r @ 27/02/2006 8:03 pm • Permalink •
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Hello, I'm a huge fan of the IT Crowd and eagerly await the second series. Moss is the most fabulous character ever to come into existence and I know that within my group of friends, not an hour goes by without some reference to the amazing IT Crowd. Congratulations are in order to Lineham and everyone else involved in this show. I love the way that Noel Fielding is involved and it's laugh a minute. I mean, where else do you see a 30 year old man with the coolest hair ever to grace a head say ' Four, I mean five, FIRE!!!!' Love It Love IT love it!
by Hannah Matthews @ 02/03/2006 8:04 pm • Permalink •
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I love the it crowd its so funny better then the other programs
by gaybo @ 04/03/2006 1:04 pm • Permalink •
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Absolutely loved the IT Crowd! It started off wobbly but got better and better as it went along, and it really went out with a bang. My housemates and I called film nights ever friday to watch it... and we're all madly in love with Moss now. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD! And it will be a tragedy if there isn't another series.
by MJ @ 04/03/2006 3:04 pm • Permalink •
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Living in Oz I've started using Channel BT to see programs like Hyperdrive, Life on Mars and IT Crowd that we won't see down here for another twelve months or so. IT Crowd is just brilliant. It's right up there with top Brit comedies like Coupling.
The actor playing Moss is just brilliant. I really like the way they've tried to portray geeky nerds, but haven't taken a cheap shot by mocking them. Instead its a very affectionate, very nerdy in-joke sort of laughter most of the time.
Having a lot to do with my work's outsourced IT people I wish we had Moss and Roy instead. They'd be a big improvement...
by srb @ 06/03/2006 2:04 am • Permalink •
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