The Controversial Episode That Killed The Comedy Series

Summary

• The IT Crowd
  ‘s trans episode, “The Speech,” tarnished its legacy with insensitive jokes and violence against a trans character.
• Matt Berry, who played a role in the episode, called it ”
  ridiculous and dated
  ,” distancing himself from its content.
• The controversial episode reflects a wider trend of transphobia in British comedy, causing outrage and leading to its removal from a streaming platform.

The IT Crowd was once a beloved British comedy, so how did The It Crowd trans episode mark the beginning of the end for the hit series? “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” has become a frequent quote for fans of the Graham Linehan sitcom The IT Crowdand its cast of quirky characters instantly charmed audiences with their nerdy hijinks. The show pulled in millions of viewers from around the world and even spawned a failed American remake, yet the original show only lasted for four seasons despite viewer demand.

However, The IT Crowd’s legacy has been tarnished due to season 3, episode 4’s “The Speech,” where company boss Douglas Reynholm (Matt Berry from What We Do in the Shadows) began dating journalist April Shepherd (Lucy Montgomery). The two hit it off after Douglas brushes it off when April tells him she “used to be fromIran.” When Douglas later discovers April is a trans woman and that she had been trying to say she “used to be a man,” The IT Crowd trans episode abhorrently ends in violence as an angry Douglas engages in a physical altercation with April.

The IT Crowd “Trans Episode” Explained

Why “The Speech” Was So Controversial

Throughout the episode of the Graham Lineham show — now known online as the “IT Crowd trans episode” for all the wrong reasons — various gags poke fun at trans women and undermine their identity. A musical montage shows April and Douglas doing various “masculine” activities, such as drinking beer or watching sports, which was meant to make a joke about April being a “typical man” on the inside. There are many sitcoms that made jokes now considered offensive, but the clear undercurrents of venom in The IT Crowd trans episode are uncomfortable, distressing, and can’t be excused with historical context.

To say
The IT Crowd
trans episode aged badly is an understatement.

Some viewers tried to ignore the dark undercurrent of this episode in light of the main plot, where Roy (Chris O’ Dowd) and Moss (Richard Ayoade, The Mandalorian) convince Jen (Katherine Parkinson) that the “elders of the internet” had allowed her to borrow the box containing the internet for her Employee of the Month speech. However, it ultimately became a controversial episode. To say The IT Crowd trans episode aged badly is an understatement, as even at the time of airing it was considered in incredibly poor taste.

The IT Crowd Used Violent Transphobia As A Joke

Even For The Time The Episode Was Considered Abhorrent

With a growing trend of violence against trans women, audiences started to speak out against the episode, which trivializes the issue for cheap laughs. Channel 4 decided to pull TheIT Crowd trans episode from their streaming service in 2020 after numerous complaints about the blatant transphobia it displayed. Creator Graham Linehan was furious about this, publishing on his blog that the decision infringed upon his freedom of speech. He also vowed to never work with Channel 4 again until it was reinstated.

While some fans look back fondly on the show’s best episodes, the ugly transphobia at the heart of “The Speech
“
has tainted its legacy in the eyes of many.

Graham Linehan, who also created Father Tedhas a history of anti-trans views and his Twitter account was permanently suspended in June 2020 for his frequent anti-trans remarks. The IT Crowd creator has stated he does not believe trans women are women and that transgender rights oppress women. With all of this coming to light, his attitude towards the series’ only trans character was no surprise.

The IT Crowd came to an end the season after the controversial episode, and Linehan said he was no longer excited to work on the project as he once had. There have been various attempts at an IT Crowd American reboot, but so far, none have made it to the screen. While some fans look back fondly on the show’s best episodes, the ugly transphobia at the heart of “The Speech“ has tainted its legacy in the eyes of many.

The IT Crowd’s Transphobia Reflected A Worrying UK Comedy Trend

British Sitcoms Had A Recurring Transphobia Issue

While comedy as a whole has changed over the years to be more inclusive, TheIT Crowd trans episode and its Matt Berry role showcase a troubling trend in British comedy as a whole. Outside the trans community, the episode hardly caused an uproar, which falls into an unfortunate tradition in British comedy over the years: it’s had a mean streak when it comes to representing the trans community.

British comedy shines such an unflattering light on the transgender community that it’s been mocked by shows like
King of the Hill
.

Characters like Babs from The League of Gentlemen and the Lumberjack song in the Monty Python movieThe Life of Brian are transphobic in nature, inviting laughter and derision toward the trans community. British comedy shines such an unflattering light on the transgender community that it’s been mocked by shows like King of the Hill. Other TV series, like the Matt Lucas-starring Little Britain and the reality show There’s Something About Miriamare regularly and graphically transphobic, rendering them near-unwatchable by today’s standards.

American comedy isn’t wholly innocent, such as the depiction of Chandler’s father in Friendsbut The IT Crowd trans episode demonstrates a wider problem within British comedy and takes it even further given the physical violence involved.

What Matt Berry Said About The IT Crowd Trans Episode

Along with creator Graham Lineham, others involved in The IT Crowd trans episode have spoken about the issue. In an interview with Vulture in 2021, Matt Berry, who plays the character outraged by the transgender character, was more empathetic than the show’s creator and called the episode “ridiculous and dated.” Here’s what Berry had to say about the episode that got The IT Crowd canceled:

“I don’t condone anything that that comedy portrayed, you know? I don’t share any views that the writer has.”

“The Speech” was already dated when it was released, which is evident from the abundance of complaints about The IT Crowd trans episode. However, Berry has gone on to star in a much less offensive comedy series, What We Do in the Shadowsa mockumentary about vampires that pokes fun at itself instead of alienating the LGBTQ+ community.

Though The IT Crowd is still a hilarious show with a number of classic episodes, its legacy is unfortunately tarnished by one totally misguided episode. It doesn’t help that the show’s creator is an anti-trans-rights activist, but knowing that its cast is opposed to the episode is at least a silver lining.

The IT Crowd Isn’t The Only Show With A Controversial Episode Like This

Many Sitcoms Have Had Episodes Pulled From Streaming Platforms

While the IT Crowd trans episode has gained some notoriety, it is far from the only episode of a sitcom to be pulled from a streaming platform due to controversial or offensive content that hasn’t aged well. Many TV shows have been re-examined in the age of streaming and, due to changing audience tastes and demands, ended up having episodes pulled due to them being deemed too offensive. Many of these are older shows, of course, as tastes and sensibilities have changed dramatically over the decades. However, there are some surprising and quite modern examples too.

While
The IT Crowd
trans episode is notorious for its offensiveness, both it and the show are far from alone.

Two key shows that have had episodes pulled due to offensive content are It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and South Park. It’s no secret that both shows are known for their controversial content in a way that The IT Crowd wasn’t, which is why it’s surprising that there are some episodes of the almost-always-offensive shows which streaming platforms won’t host. In South Park‘s case, the pulled episodes are mostly down to depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, which drew ire from many Islamic viewers.

As for It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, recurring use of blackface in earlier seasons led to several episodes being pulled (despite the blackface being pointed out as shockingly offensive by characters in the show itself). However, it’s not only adult sitcoms that have had episodes removed in the age of streamingas even the wholesome kids show Bluey has several episodes removed from Disney+. While The IT Crowd trans episode is notorious for its offensiveness, both it and the show are far from alone.