The IT Crowd - Series 1 (DVD)

== Review of The IT Crowd Series One DVD ==

I first got into 'The IT Crowd' when I saw a clip on one of those channel four's top 100 comedy….whatevers, which featured a clip from a scene of a woman looking like her head was floating through the air when in fact she was sat on a trolley that was being pushed by a midget like character named 'small Paul'. The surreal ness of it all coupled with the knowledge that it was written by the ...
...that I had to buy the series on DVD.

=== Basic Storyline ===

The show is centred around three main characters whom all work in the basement of a company, two as IT teckies (Roy and Moss) managed by the non IT teckie, Jen, who is known as the 'relationship manager'. Each character is contrasting to the next and the series focuses on the different situations that occur and how they are dealt with by these three characters. ... more

Review of The IT Crowd Series One DVD

I first got into 'The IT Crowd' when I saw a clip on one of those channel four's top 100 comedy….whatevers, which featured a clip from a scene of a woman looking like her head was floating through the air when in fact she was sat on a trolley that was being pushed by a midget like character named 'small Paul'. The surreal ness of it all coupled with the knowledge that it was written by the same guy (Graham Linehan) who wrote the marvellous Father Ted meant that I had to buy the series on DVD.

Basic Storyline

The show is centred around three main characters whom all work in the basement of a company, two as IT teckies (Roy and Moss) managed by the non IT teckie, Jen, who is known as the 'relationship manager'. Each character is contrasting to the next and the series focuses on the different situations that occur and how they are dealt with by these three characters. More of this is in detail later in this review.

Episodes

(and review of each one)

Yesterday's Jam

Story: Jen applies for a job in Reynolm Industries though blagging her way through interview she ends up working in IT despite her very obvious lack of IT skills. Roy and Moss who have a comfortable way of life down there (answering the phones by saying "hello IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?") are blatantly unsettled by this new person in their department and go to extreme lengths to get rid of her.

Rating: I would give this first episode 8/10 as it gives you an idea of the characters and a flavour for the comedy that follows later in the series. Almost like a flexing of the muscles type episode there are little laugh out loud moments but a fair few chuckles. There is a number of visual humours in there such as when Jen opens a toilet door on to find a bare arsed bearded bloke sat down.

Calamity Jen

Story: Reynolm declares war on 'stress' and invites a 'stress expert' to talk to the staff about it. Roy and Moss who by this point in the series are known for an unusual way of living life irritate the expert to the point that he becomes more than just stressed. Elsewhere Jen becomes infatuated with a pair of red shoes which are beautiful in her eyes despite being several sizes too small for her.

Rating: I would give this 10/10 for this episode. Whenever I have watched it with friends it is usually their favourite episode. You get to see more of the characters and appreciate the humour that goes with it. My favourite bit is where Jen, who has mangled feet due to the shoe situation' gets her feet jumped on accidentally by a Japanese business man who Reynolm is trying to do business with. Her reaction is to launch a foul mouthed tirade at the Japanese man who looks bemused until his interpreter calming repeats in his native tongue what was being said. In this particular scene there is a cameo appearance from Danny Wallace who reduces the bad language through pressing the profanity buzzer.

Fifty Fifty

Story: Jen flirts her way into trouble by impressing a security guard by luckily getting fifty fifty questions right. When he appears on Who wants to be a Millionaire (cameo appearance from Chris Tarrant) later that evening you can imagine who he phones as a friend. Meanwhile Roy puts as poor a description of a man you could think possible to prove that women like bad boys. When he gets a response he has to meet this woman for a date.

Rating: like the first episode I give this 8/10. There are real moments of great script writing and by this point you can almost predict what is going to happen but not in a bad way. For example, when Moss suggests a foreign restaurant called messijo's you know full well that it is going to be something different to the description. So when they all turn up at Messy Joes, similar idea to the wacky warehouse you still give a few laughs.

The Red Door

Story: When Roy gets trapped under a desk Moss goes to 'help' but in the meantime Jen is intrigued by the red door that never seems to open. This episode introduces Richmond (played superbly by Noel Fielding), a goth like character who has to live behind the red door as punishment by Reynolm for becoming a goth. This is all revealed through comical flash backs during the episode.

Rating: The character of Richmond is fantastic and gives this a 9/10 from me. To get Roy out from under the desk without the attentions of the girls who are working there Jen has to distract them. When she pervs over a builder and asks them to check him out because he is like "the ones in ads!" you immediately know what is coming, the total opposite and again this is the IT crowds strength as a sitcom.

The Haunting of Bill Crouse

Story: Bill Crouse (played by Adam Buxton) takes Jen out for an unsuccessful dinner date so that when he comes calling the following day Moss, who struggles with telling white lies, tells him that she is dead. The whole of Reynolm industries is brought to a halt with the "devasting news" which everyone except Moss, and more importantly Jen seem to know about.

Rating: For me this is the most complete episode of the lot and nothing short of 10/10 gives this episode justice. The storyline unravels really well where Bill Crouse goes round telling everyone that he was the last person to sleep with her when in actual fact there was no such action and then is freaked by the sudden appearances of Jen, such as the moment I mentioned in the first paragraph of this review.

Aunt Irma Visits

Story: Aunt Irma is the term used to describe Jen's time of the month. Unfortunately for Moss and Roy they believe they too have been caught up in the cycle after suffering the same symptoms. The far fetched ness doesn't stop there when Moss sends an e-mail out to everyone telling them about his and Roys problems. To counteract the difficulties this brings, i.e. socially, they all have a girls night in that culminates in a night out where they all get seriously drunk with harrowing consequences…..

Rating: To be honest I feel this episode goes a bit too over the top but its redeeming feature is without doubt the ending which without wanting to spoil it isn't as predictable as I have found in other episodes. I would give this a 8/10

Good points

Scripts and Actors

I think, primarily the scripts are decent, they really bring the characters out and each character although uniquely different mix well together. But for me the standout feature is the quality of acting from the main characters to the ones like Adam Buxton who only appear for one episode. Chris Morris, star in his own right from programmes such as Brass Eye, is an absolute revelation as extreme manager Deynolm Reynolm. I don't think anyone else could laugh out loud to himself and say "I was just enjoying this cup of tea". It's that sort of humour all the way through. Katherine Parkinson as Jen is another inspired move; she plays the character brilliantly and is entirely believable and convincing in everything she does. Chris O'Dowd as Roy and Richard Ayoade as Moss have great chemistry on screen and this again makes the roles they are playing move convincing and as previously discussed Noel Fielding (of Mighty Boosh fame) is a great addition to the characters as Richmond.

Extras

Some DVD's now just have the standard director commentary, trailer and other mandatory features. This is where the IT Crowd differs. There are many deleted scenes of which some must have been very unlucky to not have made the cut. 'Behind the IT Crowd' with interviews with the cast done by Adam Buxton who plays a strange interviewer; adding to the hilarity of the content. Also there is 'Hello Friend' which is a short film/story that has nothing really to do with the main feature but does include (just to add to the many cameos) Little Britain's David Walliams.

Other

The DVD menu page is amusing in itself by having a parody of old isometric video games, which if left on has many different levels and again adds to the whole package. The theme tune is written by Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy yet is a complete contrast to his work with them and a compliment to the show itself

Bad points

Perhaps not bad points but this sort of comedy is not everyone's cup of tea. Its not that there are thousands of IT jokes that only certain geeks would get, far from it, though it is spoof like comedy where situations are often very far fetched and unbelievable but if you can see past that there is a lot of like about this DVD.

Overall

I think the IT Crowd is a great British sitcom. There has been a more successful second series which I believe is inferior to this series and it has been recommisioned for a third next year. This in mind this DVD is a great starting point. I would recommend it, especially if it less than £10 like most places are selling it for now. To conclude I think that if you like the previous work of Linehan, such as Father Ted and Black Books (series one) then IT Crowd would well and truly be for you! 

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