The IT Crowd

Posted by Neil Crosby on February 18, 2006 07:30 PM

I’ve watched the first four episodes of Channel Four’s new Friday Night comedy, The IT Crowd, now, and I must say that overall I’m impressed. So far it hasn’t had the instant grasp of, say, Coupling or Black Books, but I’m definitely enjoying it.

The show revolves around two tech support guys and their female boss, and the hilarious high jinx that ensue as they go about their work. So far we’ve seen the pain of having to buy shoes two sizes too small because they were incredibly pretty, a goth accounts manager decked out in KISS gear whilst at a business meeting, and learnt that having excrement on your forehead is not the way to make a successful date.

For me, the show is made by its background details - things like Roy’s t-shirts, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster poster, and the various stickers and nick-nacks that make it into shot. It’ll be interesting to go back and watch the show again and see what else is lurking in the background that I didn’t notice on the first viewing.

I was wary of watching the show before it first came on the TV. Working in IT as I do, I worried about how it would choose to portray us and how well us IT Guys would come out. So far, I’d say we’re not doing too badly. The laughter very much seems to be with us, rather than at us, with plenty of the humour directed at the ineptitude of the non-IT-literate characters as well. The writer of the show, Graham Linehan (Black Books, Father Ted et al.) has done a really good job of capturing the feel of the IT office.

The only thing that’s really got my goat about the show so far? When we saw a shot of their computer screen, they were using Internet Explorer. The bastards.

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Comments

  1. by Becca [TypeKey Profile Page] on February 18, 2006 08:57 PM

    Oy, I pointed out that Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster poster and is there an acknowledgement? :p

  2. by John Beisley on February 18, 2006 09:01 PM

    Of course they were using Internet Explorer, what else is there? It is the Internet, after all :)

  3. by Neil Crosby [TypeKey Profile Page] on February 18, 2006 10:43 PM

    Becca: I’m sorry, it was absolutely you who spotted it - I’m just a dozy clutz in the corner here :)

    John: I really hope that that tongue is firmly lodged in your cheek! :p

  4. by John Beisley on February 21, 2006 02:05 AM

    You know me better than to doubt that, Neil :)

  5. by Anonymous on August 7, 2006 07:13 AM

    Coupling is gold.

  6. by David on August 7, 2006 07:25 AM

    Coupling is Gold.

  7. by David Murrin [TypeKey Profile Page] on August 7, 2006 07:25 AM

    Bah, damn anonymous.

    Coupling, is GOLD.

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workingwith.me.uk is a resource for web developers created by Neil Crosby, a web developer who lives and works in London, England. More about the site.

Neil Crosby now blogs at The Code Train and also runs NeilCrosby.com, The Ten Word Review and Everything is Rubbish.