List of The IT Crowd characters

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

Central

Roy

Portrayed by Chris O'Dowd: Roy is a laid back, very lazy, but notoriously unlucky Irish IT engineer who goes to great lengths to avoid performing his role within the organisation such as (in episode 3) a machine to say his first troubleshooting step "Hello IT? Have you tried turning it off and on again?" usually followed by "are you sure its plugged in". He constantly eats junk food and has a low regard for his career in technology, despite signs that he is more than capable. He is a big fan of comics and often reads them when he is supposed to be working. His work attire is very casual compared to his colleagues; he wears a new geek-related t-shirt in every episode. Before becoming an IT consultant, he held a job as a waiter, during which time he would carry the food of rude customers in his trousers until he served it to them. He often attempts to attract women by various methods, such as pretending to be a "bastard" because he believes that that is what women want. In one episode he won a £20 bet with Jen by proving this theory correct. He is rarely successful, but still has better social skills than Moss. When angry, upset or worried, his voice adopts a notably higher pitch and trembles significantly. His last name is never mentioned in the series, although O'Dowd and Linehan discussed the possibilities of it being either 'Shepherd' or 'McGonagall.' After the episode "Speech", Graham Linehan's blog suggested that Roy's last name is Tenneman[1], but Linehan clarified that this was not canonical. The only member of Roy's immediate family mentioned is his mother - who he insults on the phone before realising he isn't speaking to a Reynholm Industries employee. In the final episode in the first series, we discover Moss' psychiatrist resembles his mother.

Maurice Moss

Portrayed by Richard Ayoade: Maurice Moss ("Moss") (Age 32, although his online dating profile seems to assert it is 22) is a stereotypical computer Nerd, and displays characteristics typical of nerd behaviour. The humour in his character is derived from his socially ignorant comments and his intricate and detailed knowledge of specialised technical subjects, including Chemistry and electronic engineering. He lives with his mother (in one episode, Moss enters her room while she is asleep, but her body is under the bedclothes, hence, she is not seen). Both Moss and Roy feel they never get the credit they deserve in the company. They also show little interest in anything related to sport; in "Fifty-Fifty" when asked about the previous night's match, neither of them knew what had happened, while in "Smoke and Mirrors" Moss's interest wanders when Jen brings up football in conversation. This lack of sporting awareness drives the plot of "Are we not men?", as Moss and Roy use the website bluffball.co.uk [2] to appear knowledgeable about football with unfortunate consequences. In "Smoke and Mirrors", it is revealed that he wears his glasses in bed. In "Yesterday's Jam", it is revealed that he keeps several pairs of glasses in his desk, and he keeps a spray bottle on his belt to prevent getting a "hot ear". In "Calamity Jen", it is revealed that he keeps a heap of inhalers in his desk.

Jen Barber

Portrayed by Katherine Parkinson: Jen enters the department in episode one as a new starter, placed there seemingly at random by boss Denholm, despite her lack of technical or technology management experience. Although originally intended to be the Head of Department, her role was changed to that of "Relationship Manager" due to her ability to converse with other employees within the company. She has admitted to a propensity for telling lies in order to further her own goals, as evidenced by her current occupation as a member of the IT support team despite little to no knowledge of computers. She is easily excited by stereotypical female pursuits such as shoes and men. During the second series we learn that she had been quite a heavy smoker several years previously; she took this habit up again, but quit when she realised that due to anti-smoking laws, she was facing social isolation. She drives a Ford Ka in Pepper Red, first shown in The Haunting of Bill Crouse. Unlike Maurice, her mother has only been mentioned, in 'Moss and the German'. In the third season she declares "ich bin ein Nerd," referencing the Ich bin ein Berliner speech by John F. Kennedy. She maintains a surprisingly good relationship with Roy and Moss despite their apparent differences in personalities. They even went on a "big girls night out" in the "Aunt Irma" episode. She later goes on to decline a better job offer as she feels that Roy and Moss need her. This suggests that she has an actual attachment to them and they are seen by her as more than just work colleagues.

Recurring

Denholm Reynholm

Portrayed by Chris Morris: Denholm was a director of Reynholm Industries, and a parody of modern earnest upper management, always ready with new and often ridiculous initiatives, such as mixed-gender lavatories in the office, stress-busting seminars and other equally ludicrous ideas, which are all intended to boost performance in a company he openly boasts as employing attractive people who do very little work and all engage in adulterous relationships. In his office, he has a picture of himself on the wall, and of the A-Team on the desk. Denholm was also very easily distracted, and often paid little attention to the people he happened to be having discussions with. When he gets a new member of staff, he likes to give them a long, hard stare. He committed suicide by walking out of a window after being informed the police wanted to interview him about a scandal involving the company's pension accounts, which shows more of his sinister-like interests. However, the character returns in the third series; when his son has a near-death experience, Denholm is shown to have gone to a place resembling heaven, if not for the presence of Adolf Hitler.

Douglas Reynholm

Portrayed by Matt Berry: The son of Denholm, Douglas takes over Reynholm Industries after his father's death. He disappeared for seven years after a court case, but returned to attend Denholm's funeral in a dramatic fashion. He speaks in a very dramatic manner, is something of a libertine, seemingly violent and has a history of sexual harassment and transphobia. He attempts to flirt with Jen during his own father's funeral. He shares several of his father's behaviours, including his arrogance and thus appears to be unable to remember any of his employees other than those he finds attractive. He had supposedly killed his wife by setting the house on fire.

Richmond Avenal

Portrayed by Noel Fielding: Richmond is a goth whose introduction to extreme metal bands such as Cradle of Filth instigated his downfall from being Denholm's second-in-command to his current position in the IT Department. He works in the server room behind "the Red Door" all on his own, shunned by the rest of the department, who find his affected sense of gloom annoying even though he personally describes himself as "cheerful". When Richmond tells stories, he tends to pause and look off into space dramatically, puzzling those around him. He is shown to read Heat, moments after a comment Roy had made that he did not know any heterosexual men who read Heat. It is later implied that Richmond may be bisexual, being shown at the end of the sixth episode of series one waking up with Denholm Reynholm after a drunken party (although both react with immediate horror), but also being shown in series two episode four leaving with and later sleeping with Jessica from Jen's dinner party. Richmond's absence from series three is due to him having scurvy, or so Moss explains. Richmond didn't appear in Series 3 due to Noel Fielding's busy schedule.

Nolan

Portrayed by Tom Binns: Introduced in Season 3 while Reynholm Industries are going through a financial crisis due to Douglas's cavalier behaviour, Nolan appears to be Douglas's right hand man trying to hold the industry together. He was also the one who introduced Jen to the shareholders during her speech for winning employee of the month. He also handles any other announcements that have to be made to the staff. Nolan admits he doesn't know the difference between a laptop and "the larger one".

Notable guest appearances

Daniel Carey - Oliver Chris: Daniel is the 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 after he brutally beats up a clown with the clown's own shoe for mocking his failure on TV.
Patricia - Alice Lowe: A woman who goes on a date with Roy. The date ends badly because Roy somehow winds up with a smear of chocolate on his forehead, which is perceived by Patricia to be feces. She works as a receptionist.
Paul - Danny Wallace: Fired by Denholm from his position as cultural adviser for his choice of gift to a Japanese company, but regains his position after a quick hand on the "Profanity Buzzer" - never shown to actually speak.
Bill Crouse - Adam Buxton: Goes on a date with Jen and after being told by Moss that she'd subsequently died, told 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 what Bill was saying about her and him, she inadvertently, and unknowingly scared him by making him think she was a ghost.
Dr. Julian Holmes - Toby Longworth: A stress expert who visits the company to give a presentation, and ends up very stressed himself due to Roy and Moss's behaviour.
Dr. Mendall - Frances Barber: 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.
Judy - Cheryl Fergison: A horribly ugly woman that Roy gets entangled with while trying to meet a woman named Julie. Roy claims she has hair on her eyes and three rows of teeth.
Derek Pippen - Silas Carson: One of Denholm's top employees, who becomes the head of Reynholm Industries after Denholm commits suicide. He hates the IT department, and says he wants to use the basement for something a lot more useful, like "a big toilet", but is fired by Douglas Reynholm when he takes over the company.
Johann - Philip Rham: A German man, who Moss intends to learn to cook from, however he turns out to be a cannibal (cf. Armin Meiwes).
Margaret - Sarah Hadland: Margaret is a divorced friend of Jen's who tends to become "friendlier" to men after she has had a few drinks. She is partnered with Moss at Jen's Dinner party the two end up squabbling in a way that would make them seem like a couple with marriage problems.
Jessica - Catherine Shepherd: Another of Jen's friends who attends the dinner party. She talks very quickly in short bursts and makes constant use of air quotes. Richmond, however, finds her attractive, especially her skull. She and Richmond have sexual intercourse at least twice. This happens once at Jen's party and again in Richmond's "office" behind the red door in the Reynholm Industries IT basement. The couple is so loud that Roy and Moss have to play extremely loud music to drown them out, but when Jen turns the volume down, Jessica can be heard to say "Oh, look at me - having an orgasm!"
Paula - Dolly Wells: A Model friend of Jen's who was in a very bad car accident. She had major reconstructive surgery done, and now has her face obstructed by bandages. She is partnered with Roy during the dinner party, but he spends the whole of the evening trying to figure out what she would look like underneath the bandages. She has a large and flashy apartment and multiple video game consoles, making her the perfect girl for Roy. She turns down Roy's invitation for a second date because he isn't her type physically, and she feels she can do better.
Helen Buley - Amelia Bullmore: The head of BHDR Industries, who are "the top makers of that product that has something to do with our company", according to Jen.
Peter File - Orlando Seale: A former boyfriend of Jen's with whom she hosted a dinner party with several friends of theirs. A gag made in the episode is that his name is a play on the word "paedophile". At the end of the episode when he and Jen are at the airport waiting for a flight to Paris for a minibreak, his name is called several times over the intercom, other people interpreting it as 'paedophile', and Jen is seen outside calling a taxi. This character name originates from Brass Eye, a faux-news programme co-written by Graham Linehan and his writing partner Arthur Matthews, as well as others. It was created by IT Crowd actor Chris Morris. This joke is somewhat lost on many American viewers, as the word pedophile is commonly pronounced in the United States as "pEd-ah-'fI-el, rather than "peed-ah-'fIl (as mentioned by Moss at the dinner party).
Jeff Holcorn - James Bachman: A fellow film fanatic, he calls Roy in "Moss and the German" to inform him of the twist in "the new Tarantino film". He changed his name by deed poll to "Dominator"; however, Roy always refers to him by his given name.
Philip - Jamie Michie: A former boyfriend of Jen's whom Roy suspected was gay after learning he wanted to borrow Jen's copy of Heat. Suspicions were increased throughout the episode, as Philip took Roy, Moss, and Jen to a musical called "Gay, A Gay Musical", and was revealed to be friends with a number of gay men. He denied being gay at first, but came out in tears when Jen mentioned the copy of Heat he borrowed claiming he thought the relationship could work because she "looked like a man". He speaks with a Scottish accent.