The IT Crowd - Making Of (Series 2)
8The IT Crowd is a British sitcom originally broadcast by Channel 4, written by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, and Matt Berry.
Set in the offices of the fictional Reynholm Industries in London, the programme revolves around the three staff members of its IT (information technology) department: computer programmer Maurice Moss (Richard Ayoade), work-shy Roy Trenneman (Chris O'Dowd), and Jen Barber (Katherine Parkinson), the department head/relationship manager who knows nothing about IT. The programme also focuses on the bosses of Reynholm Industries: Denholm Reynholm (Chris Morris) and later, his son Douglas (Matt Berry). Goth IT technician Richmond Avenal (Noel Fielding), who resides in the dark server room, also features in a number of episodes.
The comedy premiered on Channel 4 on 3 February 2006, and ran for four series of six episodes each. Although a fifth series was commissioned, it was not produced. The programme was concluded with a special, one-off episode, that aired on 27 September 2013. The programme was critically acclaimed and has become a cult television series.
The IT Crowd is set in the offices of Reynholm Industries, a fictional British corporation in central London, located at 123 Carenden Road. It focuses on the shenanigans of three members of the IT support team located in a dingy, untidy, and unkempt basement β a great contrast to the shining modern architecture and stunning London views enjoyed by the rest of the organisation. The obscurity surrounding what the company does is a running gag throughout the series, and all that is known is that the company bought and sold ITV, and has a chemicals laboratory. However, it is hinted that Reynholm Industries is a communications company, as Denholm Reynholm claims that the company, through buying mobile phone carriers and television stations, had created the largest communications empire in the UK. Douglas Reynholm states his father Denholm, whom he succeeds after Denholm commits suicide, once described the IT department as being run by "a dynamic go-getter, a genius, and a man from Ireland."
Roy and Moss, the two technicians, are socially inept geeks or, in Denholm Reynholm's words, "standard nerds". Despite the company's dependence on their services, they are despised, ignored, and considered losers by the rest of the staff. Roy's exasperation causes his laziness: his support techniques include ignoring the phone, hoping it will stop ringing, and using reel-to-reel tape recordings of stock IT suggestions like, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" and "Is it definitely plugged in?". He also wears a different T-shirt in each episode. Moss's wide and intricate knowledge of all things technical is reflected in his accurate yet indecipherable suggestions, while he cannot deal with practical problems like extinguishing fires and removing spiders. Moss has trouble speaking to others in a rational manner, often citing bizarre facts about himself or technology, and is occasionally arrogant around others when it comes to computers.
Jen, the newest member of the team, is hopelessly non-technical, despite claiming on her CV that she has "a lot of experience with computers". As Denholm, the company boss, is equally technologically illiterate, he is convinced by Jen's interview bluffing and appoints her head of the IT department. After meeting Roy and Moss, Jen redefines her role as "relationship manager", yet her attempts at bridging the gap between the technicians and the business generally have the opposite effect, landing Jen in situations just as ludicrous as those of her teammates.