I'm very pleased they're returning. I think there's a lot of potential in The IT Crowd, and after seeing all 6 episodes now I was craving for more, so thank the lord there's gonna be 8 next series. And the goth better return!

This is very good news indeed. I mean, The IT Crowd didn;t exactly knock me off my feet, but it was such a *nice* program to watch. I'm over the blardy moon about Peep Show, though! Hoo-rah!

you guys serious? i thought it was such a pile of wank. so very *generic sitcom*

It seems to have split a lot of people right down the middle. Me, I go with the "funniest comedy in years". As in: I don't stop laughing from the moment the episode starts until it ends.

However, I'm starting a fansite on it, so I'll leave any detailed discussion of this for now. Really hoping to get it online this weekend, but that might be a tad ambitious.

(Although I'd hardly say it was "generic sitcom". I haven't seen a sitcom in that kind of style since Hippies in 1999.)

Generic? Predictive? non of these, its class, plain and simple, and yes so is the script, but this is what has been missing! Perfect charater building, relative plots, and its bloody funny! Thank god, its got a second season!

Graham Linehan's scripts are really good, but perhaps he shouldn't have directed. The thing I sometimes didn't like was the acting of the woman who plays Jen, but she's good in the last episode. Moss is brilliant though. At first I thought the way he speaks and everything would be annoying and they wouldn't be able to get away with the character, but he's easily the best thing in the show.

It's funny. And, for me at least, that makes it a hit.

I also think it's a slow burner. I always find it far funnier on second watching than I do on first (possibly because I miss some of the more subtle touches first time around).

I do find Jen and Roy's continual shouting to be annoying, but hopefully they'll tone that down a bit in the second series. I don't care if 'acting badly' is all Richard Ayoade is capable of performing, in this context his characterisation is spot on and Moss is the character that makes me laugh out loud the most.

Hurrah for a second series!

I think it's complete and utter shit, with no redeeming features whatsoever. But, horses for courses and all that.

Comedy is weird.

What is it about a programme that provokes one person into helpless laughter (more, incidentally, than I've ever had from Red Dwarf), and another one into stony silence?

Personal opinion aside. Do you need to have a connection between the character you are watching or relate to what they do or say? It's specific to computer IT workers, but already they have ventured beyond the Google jokes and quirks, delving into the sticky world of PMT. so really any relation to the characters is lost and the comedy is on show. I find the true and realistic stupidity funny....

"I can just hear her now... what are you *doing* Roy, what are you *doing*?"

"Well, I feel like a princess, Roy!"

"I turned round - 4 dead cyclists, *all* my fault!"

Nice to see that instead of something useful like "And The IT Crowd returns next year", Channel 4 instead decide to plug the website (fair enough), and... mobile phone clips. Sigh.

Still, it's just such a likeable series, in all respects. Right down to the effort put in to make interesting end credit sequences.

As for the connections stuff - there are things that biased towards me towards the series from the start. The fact that it's a traditionally shot sitcom, the fact that it's Lineham - and, yes, the fact that I basically AM Moss. But none of that would hold my attention beyond half an episode if I didn't think it was just brilliantly funny. That's what reviewers often miss - they try and analyse shows, and forget one of the most important aspects - Good Jokes.

The first sequence in the show is the perfect example of you *knowing* what's coming - and not caring because the build-up is hilarious anyway. "TOILETS."

Plus, Morris puts so much *energy* into the thing. As do all the cast. There's not a single "meh" performance where someone is sleepwalking their way through it - everyone just springs out larger than life onscreen. I love sitcom characters like that.

Plus: "Well they do have some convincing arguments."

>> and, yes, the fact that I basically AM Moss

Oh well thank god you said it first...

> That's what reviewers often miss - they try and analyse shows, and forget one of the most important aspects - Good Jokes.

Yes, loads of people are going 'OMG, there's some shouting, no film effect and...what's this...laughter??? No thanks.' before even thinking about whether it's funny or not, which it is. I must admit I'm a big Ted fan, and I'm wondering how popular it would be if the first series was on now for the first time. Obviously some people still hate Ted, and always will do, but it's the arguments for disliking it that annoy me, like people thinking it's just Jack saying 'feck' which they can't stand. Some people will just see the shouting in The IT Crowd.

Incidentally, one of the most perfect 30 minutes of sitcom goodness was on the other day, the Ted episode 'Tentacles of Doom'. Even though I've seen it too many times I still near enough piss myself at the moment where Dougal's looking out of the window for the bishops and Ted says 'Dougal...er, Dougal they're here' and we cut to the three bishops sitting on the sofa behind him. That doesn't actually sound funny at all typed out.