| The IT Crowd | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Graham Linehan |
| Written by | Graham Linehan |
| Directed by | Graham Linehan |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Neil Hannon |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 25(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Ash Atalla |
| Editors |
|
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 24 minutes (special approx 47 minutes) |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 3 February 2006 (2006-02-03) – 27 September 2013 (2013-09-27) |
The IT Crowd is a British televisionsitcom originally broadcast byChannel 4, created, written, and directed byGraham Linehan, produced byAsh Atalla and starringChris O'Dowd,Richard Ayoade,Katherine Parkinson, andMatt Berry.
Set in the offices of the fictional Reynholm Industries in London, the series revolves around the staff of itsinformation technology (IT) department: technical genius Maurice Moss (Ayoade); work-shy Roy Trenneman (O'Dowd); and Jen Barber (Parkinson), the department head/relationship manager who knows nothing about IT. The show 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 server room, also appears in several 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.[1] Theseries finale was broadcast on 27 September 2013.[2][3][4][5]The IT Crowd was critically acclaimed and has acult following.
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 6 | 3 February 2006 (2006-02-03) | 3 March 2006 (2006-03-03) | |
| 2 | 6 | 24 August 2007 (2007-08-24) | 28 September 2007 (2007-09-28) | |
| 3 | 6 | 21 November 2008 (2008-11-21) | 26 December 2008 (2008-12-26) | |
| 4 | 6 | 25 June 2010 (2010-06-25) | 30 July 2010 (2010-07-30) | |
| Special | 27 September 2013 (2013-09-27) | |||
The IT Crowd is set in the offices of Reynholm Industries, a fictional British corporation based at 123 Carenden Road inCentral London. It focuses on the shenanigans of the three members of the IT support team, who work in a dingy, cluttered basement — a great contrast to the shining modern architecture and stunning London views enjoyed by the rest of the organisation. The obscurity surrounding the company's business is arunning gag; it is stated that the company has bought and soldITV, has a chemicals laboratory, and makes an unnamed product. In one episode, Denholm Reynholm claims the company has bought mobile phone carriers and television stations, creating "the largest communications empire in the UK", but it is unclear whether this is true within the fictional world of the show.[6] Although 123 Carenden Road is a fictitious address, one episode sees the trio visiting theNew Wimbledon Theatre in London, which is said to be a ten-minute walk from the office.[7]
Roy and Moss, the two technicians, are socially ineptgeeks or, in Denholm Reynholm's words, "standard nerds". Despite the company's dependence on them, they are generally ignored and considered losers by the rest of the staff. Roy's support techniques include ignoring the phone, hoping it will stop ringing, and usingreel-to-reel tape recordings of stock IT suggestions such as, "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" and "Is it definitely plugged in?". He wears a different geek-related T-shirt in most episodes.[8] Moss' deep knowledge of technical topics is reflected in his extended, overly detailed suggestions, while he cannot deal with practical problems such as extinguishing fires and removing spiders. His shyness makes it difficult for him to relate to others, often leading him to cite bizarre facts or dwell on himself and/or technology. When someone shows their ignorance about computers, he can be arrogant.
Jen, the team's newest member, is hopelessly non-technical, despite claiming on herCV that she has "a lot of experience with computers", often pronouncing the word as "comp-you-ters". As Denholm is equally technologically illiterate, Jen's interview bluffing convinces him she should be the head of the IT department. After meeting Roy and Moss, Jen redefines her role as "Relationship Manager", yet her attempts to bridge the gap between the technicians and the company's other employees generally have the opposite effect, landing her and her teammates in ludicrous situations.
CreatorGraham Linehan wrote the series after aPC Tech with poor people skills made a house call. The show was video-recorded with a live studio audience.[9] Of this choice, Linehan said, "I trust my instincts, so I'm going to do it my way and hope people come to me."[9] The first series was recorded atTeddington Studios, and subsequent series atPinewood Studios, with intermittent location footage. Cinematic-style footage was recorded before live tapings. The show's title sequence was produced byShynola.[10]
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The programme is broadcast internationally. In Australia, it has been broadcast onABC1 andUKTV. In Bulgaria,GTV began airing it in July 2008.Comedy Central Germany started airing the first series in September 2009. ETV has aired the programme in Estonia. In Poland it has been shown onComedy Central Poland,TVP2, andFox Comedy. In the Czech Republic, it was broadcast onCzech Television andHBO.TV 2 Zulu has aired it in Denmark, as hasComedy Central in the Netherlands.Canal+ runs it in Spain. It aired in New Zealand onTV One. It airs sporadically in the Republic of Ireland onRTÉ2 and on theRTÉ Player.
In the United States, episodes have been shown onIFC; all four series and the special are also available onTubi TV,Pluto TV, and for purchase in theiTunes Store. Canadian channelG4 ran the programme during theirAdult Digital Distraction block in July 2007. Reruns also aired onBiteTV in Canada until it relaunched as "Makeful" in August 2015. It was broadcast in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile onI.Sat. In Mexico, it has aired on Canal 11 since 2010. It was also broadcast in Spain on Canal 3xl in 2011.[11]
A fifth series was commissioned by Channel 4 for release in 2011.[12] Series creator Graham Linehan stated that it would be the programme's last series, and that it would serve as a "goodbye to the characters".[13] The writing team were unable to meet regularly, so they created a virtual writers room using the online project-management toolBasecamp. Linehan found it a disadvantage, calling it "a stuffy, businesslike service that I think it actually ended up making everyone self-conscious", but there was no suitable alternative. Nonetheless, the writers did formulate some story ideas (one was reportedly aDie Hard–based episode[citation needed]), but ultimately, Linehan did not consider the arrangement practical. Due to this, Linehan's conflicting schedule, and the show's budget requirements, the fifth series was shelved.[14]
However, Linehan felt a special "farewell" episode could be produced. He was already busy with his TV adaptation ofCount Arthur Strong and his work onThe Walshes, and the actors had also taken on other commitments. Thus, it was not until June 2013 that the show's final episode was filmed.[15]
Linehan said he would like to explore particular characters in future spin-off-style specials, particularlyMatt Berry's character, Douglas. In a 2014 interview, Linehan said he had a half-formed idea about expanding on the Douglas character but that with Berry busy with his seriesToast of London, Linehan would need to "pounce when he's taking a rest".[16] Linehan has also discussed reprisingBenedict Wong's character Prime from the episode "The Final Countdown".[14] Wong has said he would be "thrilled" if Prime got his own series, joking that it could be calledPrime Time.[17]
| Series | Episodes | DVD release date[a][b] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 31 March 2009 (2009-03-31)[18] | 13 October 2006 (2006-10-13) | 6 December 2006 (2006-12-06)[19] | ||
| 2 | 6 | 30 June 2009 (2009-06-30)[20] | 1 October 2007 (2007-10-01) | 19 March 2009 (2009-03-19)[21] | ||
| 3 | 6 | 15 September 2009 (2009-09-15)[22] | 16 March 2009 (2009-03-16) | 1 April 2010 (2010-04-01)[23] | ||
| 4 | 6 | 14 December 2010 (2010-12-14)[24] | 27 September 2010 (2010-09-27)[25] | 2 December 2010 (2010-12-02) | ||
| Special | 1 | 17 January 2017 (2017-01-17) | 23 November 2015 (2015-11-23)[26] | 18 December 2013 (2013-12-18)[27] | ||
The first series was released in the UK asThe IT Crowd – Version 1.0 in November 2006 by 2 Entertain Video Ltd. The DVD start-up sequence and subsequent menus are designed to resemble aZX Spectrum. The DVD included ashort film written and directed by Linehan calledHello Friend, his directorial debut, and atongue-in-cheek behind-the-scenes documentary presented by Ken Korda, a filmmaker created and portrayed by comedianAdam Buxton, ofAdam and Joe.
The IT Crowd – Version 2.0 DVD was released in the UK in October 2007, with abox set containing both the first and second series. Retail chain HMV sold an exclusive limited-edition version featuring a set of four postcards in the style of popular viral photos such asCeiling Cat — here replicated asCeiling Goth. While the first series DVD menus parodied8-bit games, the Series 2 DVD menus parody16-bit games and refer to the "All your base are belong to us" meme popularised byZero Wing,Mortal Kombat,Tetris andLemmings. There are several "hidden" extras encoded into the subtitles. These are done in much the same way as the base64 subtitles from Series 1, and include three JPG images and atext adventure game file. Episode 4 has aBBC BASIC listing. Episode 6 has light bars in the corner of the screen, which can be decoded using abarcode reader.[28][29]
Series 3 was released in March 2009. The DVD menus are based on suchinternet games as GROW CUBE, Doeo and flow. The DVD for series four was released in the UK in September 2010, also under the 2|entertain label.[30] A boxset containing all four series was released the same day, which includes anIT Crowd-themed board game.
The series 4 DVD includes a documentary feature on computer games, which inspired the menus on each of the series' DVDs, culminating in the gameWindosill, the basis for the series 4 DVD.The Internet Is Coming was released in Australia in December 2013,[31] but had yet to be released elsewhere until it was announced in November 2015 that aRegion 2 DVD version would be released in the United Kingdom and throughout Region 2 on 23 November 2015.[26] All episodes of the programme are available to stream in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland onAll 4, except the fourth episode of series three, "The Speech", which was removed from Channels 4's streaming service on the 4 October 2020 for perceivedtransphobic themes.[32]
Series 1 ofThe IT Crowd holds an averageMetacritic critic score of 67/100 from eight reviews.[33]
The premiere of the programme on Channel 4 was watched by 1.8m viewers, described as "disappointing" byBBC News.[34] Linehan stated he was "playing the long game" and reflected how the first series ofFather Ted also "went pretty unnoticed" but went on to gain viewers and awards.[9] The series four finale on 30 July 2010 reached its ratings peak of 2.17 million, and was highly successful in its time slot.
The IT Crowd has won awards from theBritish Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTAs), theInternational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the International Emmys), theRose d'Or television entertainment awards, and from the fan voted Comedy.co.uk Awards organised by theBritish Comedy Guide. It received aBritish Comedy Awards and anIrish Film and Television Award.
In 2006, the series was voted Best New British Sitcom at the2006 Comedy.co.uk Awards, out of 17 nominees.[35] In 2007, it was voted Comedy of The Year at the2007 Comedy.co.uk Awards, out of 100 nominees.[36] Nominated in the2007 BAFTAs for Best Situation Comedy, alongsideGreen Wing andPulling, it lost toThe Royle Family. In 2008, the series won theInternational Emmy Award for Comedy[37] and the2008 Rose d'Or for Best Sitcom.[38]
Nominated in the2008 BAFTAs for Best Situation Comedy alongsideThe Thick of It andBenidorm, it lost toPeep Show. In 2009, it won Best Situation Comedy at the2009 BAFTAs. Also in 2009, Graham Linehan won Best Television Script at the6th Irish Film and Television Awards, and Katherine Parkinson won Best Comedy Actress at the2009 British Comedy Awards.
At the2014 British Academy Television Awards, Parkinson wonBest Female Comedy Performance;[39] Richard Ayoade wonBest Male Comedy Performance; and Chris O'Dowd was nominated in the same category.
An American version ofThe IT Crowd was almost aired byNBC in 2007–08, starringRichard Ayoade reprising his role as Moss, withJoel McHale as Roy,Jessica St. Clair as Jen, andRocky Carroll as Denholm.[40] It was produced byFremantleMedia forNBC Universal Television Studio with Steve Tao as executive producer. Linehan was credited as executive producer but stated he was not involved.[41] The writing staff was David Guarascio, Moses Port, Joe Port, and Joe Wiseman. A pilot was filmed in January 2007. A full series was ordered and advertised by NBC to be aired in 2007–08.[42][43][44]
A September 2007 report inThe Hollywood Reporter said that the show would not reach production, despite the development of several scripts, as it "didn't quite spark" with new NBC chairmanBen Silverman.[45] In 2012, the pilot was leaked online.[46][47]
In October 2014, it was announced thatNBC would produce another pilot, produced byBill Lawrence.[48] It, too, did not make it to air.[49][50][51]
In January 2018, a third attempt at an NBC remake was confirmed. Unlike the two previous versions, Graham Linehan was to be involved as a writer and executive producer. However, no further developments have been announced.[49]
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A German version of the programme was in production from June 2007, starringSky du Mont, Sebastian Münster, Stefan Puntigam and Britta Horn.[52] Originally titledDas iTeam – Die Jungs mit der Maus (The iTeam – The Boys with the Mouse), the title was changed toDas iTeam – Die Jungs an der Maus (The iTeam – The Boys at the Mouse) at the last minute. The first episode was aired on 4 January 2008 onSat.1 and receivedmainly negative receptions. It was criticised for the poor translation of the original stories and jokes, poor direction, poor timing, and the poor performance of the actors, mainly Stefan Puntigam as Gabriel (the German version of Moss).[53]
Quotenmeter [de]'s Manuel Weis panned the programme, commenting: "It could indeed be possible that the boys of class 10a from secondary school Brunsbüttel made the series. In short: In this form 'The iTeam' should never have come onto the screen. The look is strongly reminiscent of cheap crime documentaries airing in the afternoon and the actors are reminiscent of lousy daytime formats. The climax of these catastrophes is [...] Stefan Puntigam, who embodies the role of the computer geek Gabriel. [...] his role seems artificial, exaggerated and in any case badly acted."[54]The IT Crowd creatorGraham Linehan noted in his blog that even the first gag did not work because it was viewed from the wrong angle.[55] The programme was cancelled after only two episodes due to low ratings. All episodes were later screened onSat.1 Comedy.
