The IT Crowd is set in the offices of Reynholm Industries, a fictitious British corporation in central London. It focuses on the shenanigans of the three-strong IT support team located in a dingy, untidy and unkempt basement - a stark contrast to the shining modern architecture and stunning London views enjoyed by the rest of the organisation. The obscurity surrounding what this company actually does (despite announcing profits such as "eighteen hundred billion billion") serves as a running gag throughout the series.
Moss and Roy, the two technicians, are portrayed as socially inept geeks or "standard nerds". Despite the company's utter dependence on their services, they are despised, ignored, and considered losers by the rest of the staff. Roy's exasperation is reflected in his support techniques of ignoring the phone in the hope it will stop ringing, and using reel-to-reel tape recordings of stock IT suggestions ("Have you tried turning it off and on again?" and "Are you sure it's plugged in?"). Moss's wide and intricate knowledge of all things technical is reflected in his extremely accurate yet utterly indecipherable suggestions, while demonstrating a complete inability to deal with practical problems like extinguishing fires and removing spiders.
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 tech-illiterate, he's convinced by Jen's interview bluffing and appoints her head of the IT department. Her official title is "relationship manager", yet her attempts at bridging the gulf between the technicians and the business generally have the opposite effect, landing Jen in situations just as ludicrous as those of her team-mates.
Cast
* Roy - Chris O'Dowd: Roy is a laid back, lazy, Irish IT engineer who goes to great lengths to avoid performing his role within the organisation. He constantly eats junk food and has a low regard for his career in technology, despite signs that he is more than capable. He is a big fan of comics and often reads them when he is supposed to be working. His work attire is very casual compared to his colleagues; he wears a new geek-related t-shirt in every episode. Before becoming an IT consultant, he held a job as a waiter, during which time he would carry the food of rude customers in his trousers until he served it to them. He often attempts to attract women by methods such as pretending to be a "bastard" because he believes that that is what women want. He is rarely successful, but still has better social skills than Moss. When angry, upset or worried, his voice adopts a notably higher pitch and trembles significantly.
* Maurice Moss - Richard Ayoade: Maurice Moss (Age 32, although his online dating profile seems to assert it is 22) is a stereotypical computer nerd, and displays characteristics typical of nerd behaviour. The humour in his character is derived from his socially ignorant comments and his intricate and detailed knowledge of specialised technical subjects, including Chemistry and Electrical Engineering. He lives with his mother. Both he and Roy feel they never get the credit they deserve in the company. They also show little interest in anything related to sport, as seen in "Fifty-Fifty" when asked about a prominent sports match that had been on television the previous night, neither of them knew what had happened.
* Jen Barber - Katherine Parkinson: Jen is a woman who enters the department in episode one as a new starter, placed there seemingly at random by boss Reynholm, despite her lack of technical or technology management experience. Although originally intended to be the Head of Department, her role was changed to that of "Relationship Manager" due to her ability to converse with other employees within the company. She has admitted to a propensity for telling lies in order to further her own goals, as evidenced by her current occupation as a member of the IT support team. She is easily excited by stereotypical female pursuits such as shoes and men. During the second season we learn that she had been quite a heavy smoker several years previously; she took this habit up again, but quit when she realised that due to anti-smoking laws she was facing social isolation.
Recurring
* Denholm Reynholm - Chris Morris: Denholm was a director of Reynholm Industries, and a parody of modern earnest upper management, always ready with new and often ridiculous initiatives, such as mixed-gender lavatories in the office, stress-busting seminars, and other equally ludicrous ideas, all intended to boost performance in a company he openly boasts as employing attractive people who do very little work and all engage in adulterous relationships. Denholm was also very easily distracted, and often paid little attention to the people he happened to be having discussions with. He committed suicide by walking out of a window after being informed the police wanted to interview him about a scandal involving the company's pension accounts.
* Douglas Reynholm - Matt Berry: The son of Denholm, Douglas takes over Reynholm Industries after his father's death. He disappeared for seven years after a court case, but returned to attend Denholm's funeral. He speaks in a very dramatic manner, is something of a libertine and has a history of sexual harassment. He attempts to flirt with Jen during his own father's funeral. He shares several of his father's behaviours, including his arrogance and thus appears to be unable to remember any of his employees other than those he finds attractive. He had supposedly killed his wife by setting the house on fire. (In reality, Berry is only nine years younger than Morris.)
* Richmond Avenal - Noel Fielding: A Goth whose new-found love for the extreme metal band Cradle of Filth instigates his downfall from being Denholm's second-in-command. He works in the server room behind "the Red Door" all on his own, shunned by the rest of the department, who find his affected sense of gloom annoying, even though he personally describes himself as "cheerful". The episode introducing Richmond and Jen's discovery of him is something of a parody of the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. Richmond's manner of speaking to others is reminiscent of famed horror actor Boris Karloff, although when Richmond is on his own he speaks in a voice somewhat closer to Fielding's own. When Richmond tells stories, he tends to pause and look off into space dramatically, puzzling those around him. Richmond often conducts himself in a manner that non-gothic people may consider 'gay'. He is shown to read Heat, moments after a comment Roy had made that he did not know any heterosexual men who read Heat. However, in the 4th episode of Series 2, "The Dinner Party", he attends Jen's dinner party and is alluded to having sex several times with one of her female guests.
Guest appearances
* Daniel Carey - Oliver Chris: Daniel is the security guard that Jen falls for, but unfortunately her plans for romance go pear-shaped after she fails to help him as a "phone a friend" on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
* Patricia - Alice Lowe: A woman who goes on a date with Roy. The date ends badly because Roy somehow winds up with a smear of chocolate on his forehead, which is perceived by Patricia to be excrement.
* Paul - Danny Wallace: Fired by Denholm from his position as cultural adviser for his choice of gift to the Japanese, but regains his position after a quick hand on the "Profanity Buzzer" - never shown to actually speak.
* Bill Crouse - Adam Buxton: Goes on a date with Jen and after being told by Moss that she'd subsequently died, told the entire office that he was the last person to sleep with her. Nicknamed "The News" because of his propensity to announce those who he has slept with.
* Dr. Julian Holmes - Toby Longworth: A stress expert who visits the company to give a presentation, and ends up very stressed himself due to Roy and Moss's behaviour.
* Dr. Mendall - Frances Barber: The company psychiatrist who has a crush on Moss, and the feeling is mutual. Roy claims that she looks exactly like his mother.
* Judy - Cheryl Fergison: A horribly ugly woman that Roy gets entangled with while trying to meet a woman named Julie. Roy claims she has hair on her eyes and three rows of teeth.
* Derek Pippen - Silas Carson: One of Denholm's top employees, who becomes the head on Reynholm Industries after Denholm commits suicide. He hates the IT department, and says he wants to use the basement for something a lot more useful, like "a big toilet", but is fired by Douglas Reynholm when he takes over the company.
* Johann - Philip Rham: A German man, who Moss intends to learn to cook from, however he turns out to be a cannibal.
* Margaret - Sarah Hadland: Margaret is a divorced friend of Jen's who tends to become "friendlier" to men after she has had a few drinks. She is partnered with Moss at Jen's Dinner party.
* Jessica - Catherine Shepherd: Another of Jen's friends who attends the dinner party. She talks very quickly and is considered annoying by the rest of the characters- apart from Richmond who she has sexual intercourse with twice (the second time being so loud that Roy and Moss have to play loud music on the highest volume setting to drown them out).
* Paula - Dolly Wells: A Model friend of Jen's who was in a very bad car accident, and now has her face obstructed by bandages. She is partnered with Roy, and has a large and wealthy apartment. She turns down Roy's date option because he isn't her type physically.
* Helen Buley - Amelia Bullmore: The head of BHDR Industries, who are "the top makers of that product that has something to do with our company", according to Jen.
this would have to be my fave at the moment its soooooooo funny!!!
(a bit like how a find Buffy more enjoyable when Oz (seth green) is in it....mind you that also made me like Scooby Doo 2)...lol. But seriously the IT crowd is a good show Moss is probebly my favorite character..."..you'll never guess what happened, this is really funny, it wasn't a cookary class....he wanted to eat me" (classic)
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