The IT Crowd - Series 1 to 3 DVD Box Set

RRP: £29.99

Best Price: £12.97

(0 Reviews)

After the phenomenally successful comedies Father Ted and Black Books, writer Graham Linehan went solo for this surreal look at computer techies trapped in the bowels of a dispassionate corporation.

The setting is the dingy, cluttered basement of Reynholm Industries where a trio of social outcasts run the IT department – or rather slack off because no-one appreciates or understands their ‘dark art’. Roy (Chris O’Dowd) is the hip geek with retro t-shirts while Moss (Richard Ayoade) is the über -geek with little experience in social interaction. The fish out of water is their boss Jen (Katherine Parkinson) who fakes her way into the job and acts as a buffer between her clueless charges and the fiery CEO, Reynholm himself (Chris Morris).

The show lacks a real hero, or anti-hero. Where Father Ted was trapped, surrounded by imbeciles, there isn’t really anyone to root for in The IT Crowd. Instead, the comedy lies in putting the characters outside of their comfort zone. The series 2 opener is the most memorable, following Roy being dragged along to Gay: A Gay Musical and ending with him having to pretend to be gay... and disabled. Linehan is the master of misunderstanding and mishap.

Although the show’s riffs on IT departments can occasionally by obvious – Roy’s “have you tried turning it off and on again” being one of them – it does cleverly tap into modern trends as the world becomes more geek chic, Facebook becomes Friendface in one episode. Chris Morris also adds a satirical edge to earlier episodes by amping up corporate culture’s ridiculous slogans and quick fix ideas to make sure the IT underdogs at least appear vaguely normal. Series 3 suffers from his absence when Reynholm is replaced by his womanizing son (Matt Berry).
The IT Crowd is slightly broader than his previous work but Linehan still manages to weave together bizarre, hilarious and increasingly embarrassing situations for his hapless characters.