Today I watched the IT Crowd and analysed the audience pleasures in it.
The IT Crowd was written by Graham Linehan, who said that his aim with the IT Crowd to write a 'sweet, old-fashioned comedy like Dad's Army'. For this reason, none of the episodes include vulgar language or poke fun at anyone or anything in a nasty way; it is a family programme and the traditional comedy, for example physical comedy and farcical situations are part of the audience pleasures of watching the show. The episode called 'The Work Outing' is a good example of this, because when Roy says that he 'doesn't know many heterosexual men who read Heat' it is not intended as a way of making fun of homosexuals, but instead as a way of highlighting Roy's own insecurities about his sexuality; the way he vehemently denies this when Jen suggests it is part of the comedy.
The IT Crowd constructs stereotypical characters like Roy and Moss as 'standard nerds'. They are constructed this way because of how they look, for example despite the fact that he is in an office environment Roy does not wear a suit, but instead jeans and T-shirt. This makes him appear less adult and more childish. This trait is further constructed by the way his desk contains lots of childish items, for example a rubber duck, a comic book, a Rubix cube and two toy figurines; this displays his childish nature. Roy's desk is also very messy, for example it is covered in empty mugs and an apple core, suggesting that Roy is unable to look after himself or be responsible. There are posters all around the office of different bands, which look unprofessional and also show that Roy and Moss have childish mindsets. The computer hardware around the office, such as monitors, laptops, speakers and mobile phones demonstrates that Roy and Moss are very interested in computers and builds up the image of them as 'standard nerds'. The audience pleasure of seeing the way Roy is constructed is that his insecurities and flaws, such as his lack of responsibility and childishness, make the audience feel protective and affectionate towards him.
Moss is constructed as very buttoned up and protective. He is constructed this way because of the way he looks, for example he keeps his shirt buttoned up to the neck, making him appear formal and closed off; this suggests he is insecure socially and likes to keep to himself. Moss wears big, chunky glasses and has a large mop of curly hair that he unsuccessfully tries to tame; this shows how he cannot control most aspects of his life, and mimics how he cannot control his social life. Moss is extremely neat and tidy, for example he has to know how many staples he uses each time and has an obsession with counting things like money. This suggests he likes to try and control his life because of his ineptitude in other areas, such as his social abilities. Moss always uses a lot of technical language, such as 'RAM', 'invalid memory' and 'firewall' and is very good at understanding computers, creating the stereotype of him as a 'nerd'. However Moss takes everything people say to him very literally, meaning he often doesn't understand jokes or what is appropriate to talk about and what isn't, for instance when they have an office party and Roy tells Moss to tell 'the story about Amsterdam' Moss doesn't think which story would be appropriate for a social occasion, or that he should invent a story, but instead tells a truthful one about how he and Roy hired prostitutes. Because of this, Moss easily alienates people he doesn't know very well, however one of the audience pleasures of the IT Crowd is understanding Moss's little quirks and finding them an endearing personality trait.
Jen is not constructed as a nerd; she is the social relations manager of the office, and the IT department's link to the outside world. Despite the fact that the IT department is way down in the basement, forgotten about by the rest of the company, Jen manages to boost Moss and Roy's popularity 'upstairs' by using her social skills, for example when an office worker comes down to beat Roy with a shoe for being rude to her, Jen diffuses the situation by complimenting the woman's fashion sense, and offering to go shopping with her. Jen's easy, relaxed social manner makes her appealing to the audience because it is a familiar part of her personality. Jen is also constantly looking for a boyfriend, however her dates always go wrong, for example when she agrees to go to the theatre with a man who turns out to be gay. Jen's hapless love life is a running joke in the IT Crowd and her vulnerability in this area endears her to the audience; being part of the running joke is another of the audience pleasures of watching the IT Crowd.
