The IT Crowd
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
The IT Crowd is a Channel 4 sitcom written and directed by Graham Linehan, the co-creator of Father Ted, and produced by Ash Atalla. It follows the two-man IT department of Reynholm Industries, banished to a grubby basement beneath the company's gleaming London offices: Roy Trenneman, a work-shy support technician who answers every call with 'Have you tried turning it off and on again?', and Maurice Moss, a socially awkward genius who lives with his mum. Their new boss, Jen Barber, landed the job by claiming on her CV to know about computers, and knows nothing about them at all. Shot in front of a live studio audience, the show ran for four series from 2006 to 2010 and ended with a one-off special, The Internet Is Coming, in 2013. It won the BAFTA for best situation comedy and an International Emmy.
Play the IT Crowd quizAt a glance
- First aired
- 3 February 2006
- Last aired
- 27 September 2013
- Created by
- Graham Linehan
- Channel
- Channel 4
- Series
- 4
- Episodes
- 25
- Set in
- Reynholm Industries, 123 Carenden Road, central London
- Quizzes
- 3
The IT Crowd quizzes
Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again? Test your knowledge of the Reynholm Industries basement.
Roy, Moss, Jen, the Reynholms and the goth in the server room. How well do you know the people of Reynholm Industries?
Fires, Countdown, the Elders of the Internet and a musical called Gay! A tough test on the best IT Crowd episodes.
The IT Crowd cast and characters
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Chris O'Dowd | Roy Trenneman |
| Richard Ayoade | Maurice Moss |
| Katherine Parkinson | Jen Barber |
| Chris Morris | Denholm Reynholm |
| Matt Berry | Douglas Reynholm |
| Noel Fielding | Richmond Avenal |
Roy Trenneman
Played by Chris O'Dowd
An Irish support technician who will do almost anything to avoid answering the phone, and who answers it with 'Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again?' He wears a different geeky T-shirt in almost every episode.
Maurice Moss
Played by Richard Ayoade
A brilliant but hopelessly literal IT expert with a side parting, too-short trousers and a pen in his shirt pocket. He lives with his mother, deals with a fire by emailing the emergency services, and becomes a Countdown champion.
Jen Barber
Played by Katherine Parkinson
The head of the IT department, who got the job by claiming to know about computers and has no idea what IT stands for. She gives herself the title of Relationship Manager and spends most of her time trying to get out of the basement.
Denholm Reynholm
Played by Chris Morris
The intense, eccentric founder and boss of Reynholm Industries in series one. In series two he steps out of a window of the office building when the police arrive to investigate the company.
Douglas Reynholm
Played by Matt Berry
Denholm's booming, womanising son, who takes over Reynholm Industries after his father's death. He spends the company's money freely and makes constant passes at Jen.
Richmond Avenal
Played by Noel Fielding
A pale, gentle goth who lives in the server room behind the red door. He was once a high-flying executive, until he heard Cradle of Filth and turned goth.
The IT Crowd facts and FAQs
- When was The IT Crowd first shown?
- The IT Crowd was first shown on Channel 4 on 3 February 2006, with the first two episodes, 'Yesterday's Jam' and 'Calamity Jen', airing on the same night. The fourth and last full series ended on 30 July 2010.
- How many series and episodes of The IT Crowd are there?
- There are four series of The IT Crowd, each of six episodes, plus an extended farewell special, making 25 episodes in all. A fifth series was planned but never made.
- When was the last episode of The IT Crowd?
- The last episode of The IT Crowd was the one-off special 'The Internet Is Coming', shown on Channel 4 on 27 September 2013. It wrapped up the series in place of a fifth series.
- Who created and wrote The IT Crowd?
- The IT Crowd was created, written and directed by Graham Linehan, who had earlier co-written Father Ted and Black Books. It was produced by Ash Atalla, and the theme music was composed by Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy.
- Where is The IT Crowd set?
- The IT Crowd is set at Reynholm Industries, a fictional corporation at 123 Carenden Road in central London. The IT department works in a dingy basement, far from the glass-walled offices upstairs.
- Where was The IT Crowd filmed?
- The IT Crowd was recorded in front of a live studio audience. The first series was filmed at Teddington Studios in south-west London and the later series at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.
- Who are the main characters in The IT Crowd?
- The main characters in The IT Crowd are Roy Trenneman (Chris O'Dowd), Maurice Moss (Richard Ayoade) and their manager Jen Barber (Katherine Parkinson). Their bosses are Denholm Reynholm (Chris Morris) and his son Douglas (Matt Berry), and the goth Richmond Avenal (Noel Fielding) lives in the server room.
- Was there an American version of The IT Crowd?
- No American version of The IT Crowd ever aired. NBC filmed a pilot in 2007 with Richard Ayoade reprising the role of Moss, and later attempts were announced, but none was picked up for a series.
Awards and recognition
BAFTA TV Award for Best Situation Comedy (2009)
International Emmy Award for Comedy (2008)
BAFTA TV Awards for Katherine Parkinson and Richard Ayoade (2014), for best female and male comedy performance in The Internet Is Coming