List of The IT Crowd characters

The three main characters in The IT Crowd (l-r): Jen (Katherine Parkinson), Moss (Richard Ayoade), and Roy (Chris O'Dowd)

The following is a list of fictional characters from the Graham Linehan British Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd.

Main characters

Roy Trenneman

• Chris O'Dowd

Roy is an easy-going, work-shy Irish IT technician who spends most of his time playing video games, reading comics or just slacking off in the office.^{[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3]} His work attire is very casual compared to his colleagues; choosing to wear jeans and geek chic T-shirts.^{[lower-alpha 1][1][2]} Prior to his IT job, he worked as a waiter, where he said he would carry the food of rude customers in his trousers before serving it to them.^{[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5]} Whenever he answers phone calls, he often uses the phrase "Have you tried turning it off and on again?",^[3][4] that he has even placed it on an automated recording in "Fifty-Fifty",^{[lower-alpha 6]} and made a wager with Jen that he would not say it in the episode "Bad Boys".^{[lower-alpha 7]} The series 4 episodes reveal Roy to have globophobia (fear of balloons)^{[lower-alpha 7][5]} and being extremely uncomfortable when a masseur planted a kiss on his bottom.^{[lower-alpha 8][lower-alpha 9]} In the episode special "The Internet Is Coming", Roy's new girlfriend remarks he is "emotionally artistic" although it is later revealed she might have meant emotionally autistic.^[6]

Roy's last name was not given in the first three series.^{[lower-alpha 4][lower-roman 1]} Following the broadcast of the episode "The Speech" in 2008, Linehan blogged a graphic showing Roy's last name as Tenneman,^[7] and later changed the spelling to Trenneman for the broadcast of the series 4 episode "Something Happened" in 2010.^{[lower-alpha 8]} Roy's immediate family members do not appear in the series, but in the episode "Aunt Irma Visits", he finds the resemblance of Moss's psychiatrist to his own mother disturbing.^{[lower-alpha 10]}

In the documentary "The IT Crowd Manual", Roy is described as a worker who is doing something so beneath his capabilities. O'Dowd said that Roy is slightly more capable of talking to people than Moss, but is still a man-child, slightly socially inept. Critic Boyd Hilton said that Roy thinks he's on the cool edge of nerdiness. Author Cory Doctorow said that Roy's snark and misanthropy is bang-on for a certain tribe of nerds. Regarding his friendship with Moss, O'Dowd said that it's like they met in college; Linehan likened the two to 14-year-olds who like spending time with each other. Linehan said he originally thought the role should not be played by an Irish person, but that O'Dowd was amazing and the best man for the job. Ayoade said that O'Dowd was a good actor, and liked that he could choose what level of nasal to do in some of his expressions. Linehan also liked how O'Dowd would exceed in his physical performance as demonstrated in the episode where he pretended to be disabled.^[8]

Maurice Moss

• Richard Ayoade

Maurice Moss, who goes by Moss, is a computer nerd with a side-parted afro and dark-rimmed glasses.^[9] The humour in his character is derived from his socially awkward comments and his complex and in-depth knowledge of specialised technical subjects, including chemistry and electronic engineering. Moss has some quirky habits: He switches through glasses of various sizes in reaction when he and Roy scheme; when his ears get hot, he sprays them with a bottle;^{[lower-alpha 1][9]} he uses inhalers;^{[lower-alpha 11]} he can detect chemicals such as rohypnol by smell.^{[lower-alpha 12]} When faced with conversation concerning women's topics such as bras, he faints; he also spaces out when confronted with sports topics such as football. He lives with his mother,^{[lower-alpha 13]} who sends him to work with an apple each day,^{[lower-alpha 14]} and had sued him when he was eleven for breaking a window.^{[lower-alpha 9][9]} He admits he is horrible at lying, and demonstrated this with his lies concerning Jen in the episode "The Haunting of Bill Crouse" where he tells Bill that Jen has died.^{[lower-alpha 4]} He suppresses his urges to cuss and does not like to break the rules, with an exception in the "Bad Boys" episode when he and Roy ditch work after lunch and he gets in trouble for shoplifting, consequently having to do three hours of community service and give a Scared Straight! talk to some kids.^{[lower-alpha 7]}

In the documentary "The IT Crowd Manual", Linehan said that Moss was an amalgam of various stereotypes with some uniqueness brought together by him and Richard, and described him as a really nerdy guy and a geek. Parkinson said Moss was a classic square, a timeless nerd. Ayoade said Moss was very childlike and positive. He had used his normal voice for Moss, and he liked that Moss sometimes adopts a confident persona like a child would do. Linehan said that he built the show around Richard so it was appropriate that he ended the show by turning out the light in the final episode.^[8]

Jen Barber

• Katherine Parkinson

Jen becomes the relationship manager of the IT department, having been assigned by Denholm at the start of the series because she had impressed the latter by listing computers on her curriculum vitae. She knows very little about electronics and computers,^[10] pretending to work even when her desktop and landline phone were revealed to be unplugged or disconnected,^{[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]} making statements at executive meetings such as searching "Google" on the Google website would cause the network to crash,^{[lower-alpha 13]} and believing that the Internet resides in a physical box.^{[lower-alpha 15]} In "Tramps Like Us", during a job interview, she struggles with not knowing what IT even stands for.^{[lower-alpha 16][11]}

She is easily excited by pursuits such as buying cute shoes sized too small for her feet,^{[lower-alpha 11]} and trying to impress good-looking men,^{[lower-alpha 6][lower-alpha 3]} but that her relationships usually turn out to be disastrous.^[8] In series 2, Jen reveals that she was a heavy smoker several years prior; she briefly takes up the habit again, but quits when she realises the anti-smoking regulations have made her more socially isolated.^{[lower-alpha 5][lower-alpha 17]}

In an interview with The Independent, Parkinson said that Lineham originally wanted Jen to be "likeable" but "I know what he wanted now – he wanted her to be the more normal person people could relate to.” Although she would act as the straight woman to the two guys, her klutziness was well received by the audience.^[12] Arts critic Rupert Christian describes Jen as the normal person going against the new technology.^[8] Parkinson also said that Jen is sometimes shallow and egotistic.^[8]

Douglas Reynholm

• Matt Berry

Douglas is introduced in series 2 where he takes over Reynholm Industries after his father Denholm's death. Having been away for seven years because of a court case, he attends Denholm's funeral in a dramatic fashion. He has been described as awful, sex-crazed,^[13] and a serial dater.^[14] He has a history of sexual harassment, which is one of the conditions he has to control in order to take over the company. He flirts with Jen during the funeral,^{[lower-alpha 5]} and later tries to flirt with her when he makes her his personal assistant.^{[lower-alpha 12]} As part of the subsequent sexual harassment settlement, he was required to wear "electric sex pants" that deliver shocks whenever he is aroused at work, although Moss disarms them later.^{[lower-alpha 16]} In the episode "Something Happened", he practices the religion of "Spaceology" where he applies "space star ordering" and has his hand replaced with a robotic one.^{[lower-alpha 8][15]} He sometimes brings up the topic of denying having killed his first wife, and in the series 4 finale, he reunites with an ex-wife Victoria for two weeks before they break up and he is sued for a large sum of money.^{[lower-alpha 9]}

In an interview with Radio Times, Linehan said "I could easily spend an hour, or half an hour, with Douglas. He's my favourite way of making fun of people that I really loathe, like Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump. I basically just have happen to him all the things that I'd love to happen to them, and it's basically a really enjoyable process." Linehan also likes Berry's extraordinary voice and gift for comedy.^[16] In an interview with Slant, Berry said that the part was written for him,^[15] and in Digital Spy, he said he tried to "do his own thing" regarding his portrayal.^[17][8] In "The IT Crowd Manual", Berry described Douglas as so confident and privileged that he did not care where things would come out wrong, cause offence, or make him look like a fool.^[8]

Recurring

Denholm Reynholm

• Chris Morris

Denholm is the director of Reynholm Industries at the start of series 1. He openly boasts about employing attractive people who do very little work and who engage in adulterous relationships. In his office, he had a picture of himself on the wall, and of the members of The A-Team on the desk.^{[lower-alpha 1]} Whenever he hires a new member of staff, he likes to give them a long, hard stare to assess them.^{[lower-alpha 1]} He enjoys setting up initiatives intended to boost performance in a company; for example, he "declares war" on stress, mandating employees to attend a stress management seminar, after which he threatens to fire anyone who does not pass a stress test that same day.^{[lower-alpha 11]} In the series 1 finale where he celebrates the success of Project Icarus, he forgets to acknowledge the IT department which did most of the work on the project, preferring to thank everyone else including the janitors.^{[lower-alpha 10]} In "Return of the Golden Child", during a company executive meeting, he congratulates himself for being so rich, however, when the police arrive to inquire about irregularities in the company's pension fund, he simply opens a window and jumps to his death.^{[lower-alpha 5]} He makes a guest appearance in series 3 when he beckons his son to join him in a place resembling heaven, if not for the presence of Adolf Hitler.^{[lower-alpha 18]} In "The IT Crowd Manual", Denholm is described as strict and slightly sociopathic. Linehan said that Morris had set the tone of the series that the characters cannot be realistic.^[8]

Richmond Avenal

• Noel Fielding

Richmond is a mild-mannered, posh-accented goth who resides in the IT department server room. A former up-and-coming executive reporting to Denholm, he discovered gothic metal band Cradle of Filth and changed his appearance, causing Denholm to feel rather uncomfortable with his appearance and attitude, especially after Richmond had recommended Denholm's mother also listen to Cradle of Filth.^{[lower-alpha 2][18]} Richmond's absence from series 3 is explained as him having scurvy,^{[lower-alpha 18]} but Linehan noted in an episode commentary that Fielding was too busy on other projects.^[19] In the series 4 finale, he returns without his goth makeup to testify for Douglas Reynholm's divorce case, having founded a business called Goth2Boss where he helps his fellow goths work in society.^{[lower-alpha 9]} In "The Internet Is Coming", he is seen in his original goth costume again.^[6][8]

In "The IT Crowd Manual", Parkinson likened Richmond to a damaged bird and vulnerable. Guest star Lucy Montgomery described Richmond as bit of an Edward Scissorhands. Fielding said he based Richmond's voice on Roger Waters' after watching a Pink Floyd documentary.^[8]

Notable guest appearances

• Paul (Danny Wallace):^[3] A cultural adviser who is fired by Denholm for his choice of gift to a Japanese company, but regains his position due to his quick use of a "Profanity Buzzer".^{[lower-alpha 11]}
• Daniel Carey (Oliver Chris): A 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?. While he is charismatic and good-looking, he is shown to be quite violent and immature when he brutally beats up a clown with the clown's own shoe for mocking his failure on TV.^{[lower-alpha 6][18]}
• Bill Crouse (Adam Buxton): Goes on a date with Jen, and after being told by Moss that she'd subsequently died, proceeded to tell 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. When Jen found out about Bill's lies, she inadvertently scared him by making him think she was a ghost who was haunting him.^{[lower-alpha 4][20][21]}
• April (Lucy Montgomery):^[3] A trans woman journalist working for Richest magazine. April becomes romantically involved with Douglas while writing a magazine article about him.^{[lower-alpha 15][8]}
• Nolan (Tom Binns) is introduced in series 3 while Reynholm Industries is experiencing financial turmoil worsened by Douglas's cavalier behaviour, Nolan is Douglas's responsible and serious right-hand-man who is trying to hold the company together.^{[lower-alpha 18]} He was also the one who introduced Jen to the shareholders during her speech for winning Employee of the Month.^{[lower-alpha 15]}
• IT Tech Support (Kevin Eldon): Appearing in "Bad Boys" as a laptop phone technician who responds in a strong and incomprehensible French accent. Linehan had based Eldon's character on his real-life interactions with a French technician. Eldon said that at first, he was upset about the character's silliness but looking back at his role, he said that Graham was exactly right, and that his only criticism was that he should have made him more French and more silly.^[22]
• Dr. Mendall (Frances Barber):^[8] The company psychiatrist who has a crush on Moss, and the feeling is mutual. Roy claims that she looks exactly like his mother. A drunken Roy sleeps with her after a staff party.^{[lower-alpha 10]}

Notes

Works cited

References