8.0

The IT Crowd Series 4

The IT Crowd is the quirky BBC comedy that sits somewhere between Little Britain and The Office with its offbeat humour and eerily realistic yet whacky characters. The series revolves around the IT department of large British corporation as these people rule the roost of their little IT world.

If the comedy sounds familiar, that's because the IT Crowd was penned by Graham Linehan who was responsible for series like the amazing Father Ted. It should also be noted that if you have seen the poor US version of the IT Crowd, the BBC version is far superior and is not just a pale imitation.

In relation to series 4, it's just as amusing and entertaining as the previous instalments and our favourite geeks are once again up to mischief, games and promotions... even nude aerobics! The storylines range from the bizarre to the quite absurd such as Jen (Katherine Parkinson) attempting to go for another job in the company as she sets Douglas' business acquaintances with the boys, Moss and Roy for RPG (role-playing games) as opposed to booze and strippers.

It's also amusing to see Roy wallow in his self pity after his relationship Hindenburg disaster. Another highlight from series 4 include Douglas attempting to convert his staff to "Spaceology" which we all know is a nice way of saying Scientology and needless to say, the results are amusing. And without spoiling the series any further (okay... just one more), there is also a story line that sees Roy and Moss become the Mall thugs which is a train wreck just waiting to happen. From characters getting stuck in vending machines to lying at work by letting others know you speak another language, even though some situations may seen crazily stupid, most are actually quite down to Earth and parallels reality to the letter with lots of pop culture references.

As most series generally lose their steam after a season or two, The IT Crowd Series 4 continues to hold its comedy thanks to the high quality writing and the characters. Thankfully, the actors who made this series what it is today are still involved and Katherine Parkinson (Jen), Richard Ayoade (Moss), Chris O'Dowd' (Roy) and of course Douglas (Matt Berry).

Video, Audio & Special Features

With good video and audio quality, there's little to complain about this release. There's even some fun special features that include outtakes, a guide to writing sitcoms (HA!) and some hidden extras. This is definitely one series for not just fans but those who enjoy perfect yet flawed comedy.