Keywords:
	Office based comedy Alternative comedy regulars Cult status

STARRING:
Chris O'Dowd -	Roy
Richard Ayoade -	Moss
Katherine Parkinson -	Jen
Matt Berry -	Douglas
Chris Morris -	Denholm (Season 1 only)

Season

1 2 3

Transmitted:	Feb 2006 - Dec 2008	Seasons:	3
Overall Rating:		Last Updated:	30th October 2009

A sitcom set in an I.T. office, with old fashioned sensibilities in terms of production (shot on video, laugh track etc.) with a minimal cast and tiny budget. Sounds shit, right? Wrong. Reynholm Industries is a technology company, though quite what it does is something of an enigma, in the basement of which is housed the I.T. department. Two guys inhabit the office, happy to tend to the mundane I.T. needs of the denizens that work above them. Their world is turned upside dow, however, when their boss, Denholm (played with some style by the mighty Chris Morris) decides that the department needs a shake up and employs a new person. Worse, a new management person. Even worse still, a female management type person who knows absolutely squat about computers. With hilarious consequen... etc. etc. The set up is simple enough, but what gives this show such appeal is both the quality of the writing and the genuine sense of chemistry between the lead protaganists. Roy, played fairly straight by O'Dowd is a schlubby, lazy, unkempt individual who simply wants the quiet life, more than satisfied with simply sitting in the basement playing Quake. Moss, Ayoade's character, is equally keen for solitude, though his is a more nervous character, always tense with clear shades of obsessive compulsive disorder as well as a complete absence of any social skills at all. Jen, the new I.T. manager is ballsy, ambitious, but completely out of her depth in the new environment she finds herself in. Writer Graham 'Father Ted, Black Books' Linehan's gift for seeing the absurd in the most mundane of situations sparkles at times, the scripts well polished and with more than the average laugh count for sitcom fodder. Indeed, this is highly quotable stuff, if you happen to lean that way. (I don't. I'm a grown man.) Something of a sleeper hit this one, it has become more succesful as a DVD release than a TV experience in its own right but, either way, it's still going strong and a fourth series has already been given the green light by Channel 4. Perhaps only the geeks amongst you will get into this one so, if you are happy to be considered as such, this is well worth a look. NOTE - I've watched the lot, but will add ratings as I rewatch them as I am not familiar enough with individual episodes by title alone.

Season 1	Season Rating:
Yesterday's Jam	Introducing Jen, Moss and Roy. Jen begins her career at Denholm Industries, and is alarmed to discover that the Chief Exec. (Chris Morris in fine form) sends her to manage the IT Department. All well and good, just the IT section is in the basement and is inhabited by two geeks. And she knows nothing about comp-uters. A bit of a shaky start to the series, in truth, but things get better from here on in.
Calamity Jen	Jen buys some shoes that are 2 sizes too small and disfigures her own feet. Moss builds a stress measuring machine. Roy annoys the stress relief tutor to the point of violence.
50:50	Roy becomes convinced that all women want a bad boy, after a date rejects him due to a chocolate / faeces misunderstanding in the forehead area and posts a classified ad. to test his theory. Jen gets the hots for a security man, and lies to convincing him she is an expert on classical music. Harmless enough, until he appears on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
The Red Door	Roy gets stuck under a desk, with a woman on either side of him. Jen enquires about The Red Door in the basement, and Moss and Roy seem nervous. What secret lies behind The Red Door?
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The Haunting of Bill Crouse	When Jen asks Moss to help her avoid a guy she went on a bad date with, he panics when required to go off script and pretends that she has died. Roy is being menaced by a woman who vaguely resembles Bungle from Rainbow.
Aunt Irma Visits	Jen seems to be acting a bit crotchety and reveals to Moss and Roy that 'Aunt Irma is visiting,' her euphemism for her period. Shortly after, Moss and Roy begin to exhibit similar symptoms. Is menstruation contagious?
Season 2	Season Rating:
The Work Outing	Simply, one of the best comedy episodes of any show I have ever seen. When a work colleague tries to invite Jen out for what could be a date, Moss and Roy end up tagging along. Roy suggests that the potential beau is in fact gay, a theory supported when it turns out that they are going to a musical about gay lifestyle called....'Gay!' Whilst there, Roy winds up having to pretend to be disabled, and Moss is compelled to start serving behind the bar. Ball achingly funny from start to finish, this is a classic.
Return of the Golden Child	When police investigate Denholm's finances, he promptly throws himself out of a window to his death. Meanwhile, Moss tells Roy about a website that can predict the date of your death. In Roy's case: Thursday at 3pm. Roy hopes to find ways to keep his mind off his imminent demise, but attending Denholm's funeral makes that rather difficult. A decent episode, the highlight of which is the introduction of Matt Berry's wonderfully OTT Douglas, the sex crazed son of Denholm himself..
Moss and the German	Roy and Moss think they are spending too much time together and are becoming a bit like an old married couple. In an attempt to compensate, Roy winds up round Denholm Jr's to watch a movie on a 'man date' whilst Moss spends an evening with a cannibalistic German. At the same time, Jen realises that the smoking area at work is a bit like a Soviet ghetto.
The Dinner Party	Jen seems head over heels about an odious smarm bucket called Peter File (get it?) and, when some friends drop out of a dinner party they are throwing, is forced to invite Moss, Roy and Richmond. With hilarious consequences.
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Smoke and Mirrors	Roy goes to a stag party and walks around for half the day inadvertantly wearing lipstick. Moss sets about trying to remedy Jen's 'bad bra' problem and develops a revolutionary new design that sees him appearing on TV's Dragon's Den.
Men Without Women	Jen gets a promotion to Douglas' P.A. Can she survive the lascivious advances of Renholm Jr. And can Roy and Moss survive without her presence in the I.T. department? And when will they put their trousers back on?
Season 3	Season Rating:
From Hell	Jen employs a builder who Roy is convinced appeared in an episode of Builder's From Hell. Roy is forced to lend £20 to Douglas, and spends the rest of the episode agonising over it. Moss is being bullied by schoolboys and needs personal coaching to overcome his trauma's. A solid enough start to the new series.
Are We Not Men?	Jen starts to date a man who looks like a magician. Moss and Roy learn to 'speak football' in an attempt to prove that they are real men and inadvertantly become involved with a gang of armed robbers. A solid episode all round.
Tramps Like Us	Roy gets thrown out of the building by security when he ends up topless at work and begins to live like a tramp. Moss gets concussion and forgets everything he knows about everything. Douglas has his groin wired up to electrodes to prevent his sexual deviance. Jen tries to find another job: "Ich bin ein nerd."
The Speech	Jen wins Employee of the Month and, well, it goes to her head just a little. To get revenge, Moss and Roy offer to write her speech, knowing that she will say anything they write as she knows absolutely nothing about computers Douglas takes a reporter to dinner in Paris: a French restaurant in Hull.
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Friendface	New social networking site Friendface has the IT department hooked ("I feel so social.") Jen hooks up with an old friend through the site who is sickeningly successful and feels compelled to fabricate her own tales of success. Moss pretends to be her husband, a professional tennis player, whilst Roy starts dating The Joker.
Calendar Geeks	When the sexy girls on Floor 7 decide to do a nude calendar in aid of boss-eyed people, Roy is only too happy to volunteer his amateur photographer services, a hobby he made up to impress one of their number. Jen persuades them that a nude calendar of women would be sexist, that is until Douglas tells Jen that he will hold her personally responsible if the calendar isn't hot stuff. Step forward Roy and Moss' friends: The Calendar Geeks. An excellent end to the thrid season.
Jen is Fredo	Jen becomes entertainment manager, a roll that Roy likens to Fredo in The Godfather. Roy is devastated after a recent break-up. Jen uses Moss' ove of Dungeons and Dragons to her advantage. Douglas shags a feminist.	4
The Final Countdown	Moss becomes a contestant on Countdown and becomes the best player ever. The ex champ is not impressed, and challenges him toa game of Street Countdown. Jen is intrigued by department meetings she is no longer invitted to in Douglas' office. Even weirder, everyone seems to attend in dressing gowns.	4
Something Happened	Roy's masseuse kisses him inappropriately on the bottom. Douglas adopts the religion of Spaceology and wants the whole of Renholm Industries to convert. Jen falls in love with a keyboard player in a rock band.	3
Italian for Beginners	Jen pretends to be able to speak Italian to outdo another female employee. The statement backfires when she is required to translate for an important business meeting. Roy becomes obsessed about his new girlfriends claims that her parents perished at a sealion show. Moss gets trapped in a Grab The Toy machine.	5
Bad Boys
Reynholm v Reynholm