The Work Outing

The Work Outing

Episode Number	Series Two, Episode 01
Original Airdate	August 24, 2007
Recurring Guest Star:	Richmond - Noel Fielding
Previous Episode:	Aunt Irma Visits
Next Episode:	Return of the Golden Child

The Work Outing is the first episode of series 2 of The IT Crowd.

Summary[]

Dashing Phillip drops in from the sixth floor to ask Jen to the theatre, but a possible date turns into a work outing when Moss and Roy invite themselves. The evening spirals towards disaster, leaving Jen to wonder whether Phillip is who he claims to be.

Plot line[]

Win — Roy wins £450 at online poker, only to lose it all moments later.

Roy, Moss, and Jen are in the basement when Phillip from the sixth floor knocks on the door and asks to borrow their copy of Heat magazine and if Jen would go to the theatre with him. Moss and Roy invite themselves along as well when Roy finds out that Laura Knightly, a famous actress from The Bill will be in the show. Phillip leaves and then comes back as he'd forgotten the copy of Heat magazine, leading to Roy convincing Jen that Phillip is gay.

Jen, Moss, and Roy are leaving the basement as Richmond walks in and asks where they are going. Roy tells him that they are going to the theatre and invites Richmond as well. Richmond declines the invitation and warns them not to go as well.

Nogood — Richmond monologing "An ill wind is blowing..."

At the theatre they realise that they are going to see a gay musical set in the 80s and Roy and Moss don't like the idea. Jen spots Phillip looking at a woman and is relieved as she comes to the conclusion that it means he cannot be gay and goes over to greet him.

While waiting to go in a man comes up behind Phillip and tickles him. Phillip introduces him as Jerome, the man that got them the tickets. Jerome loves the fact that Roy is Irish and imitates his accent which makes them all more uncomfortable.

The lights come down and the show starts. Jen looks uncomfortable as Phillip starts to dance in his seat and then starts shouting. Roy tries to leave but Jen grabs his arm and tells him to wait for the interval to leave. The lights come up again and one of the actors comes into the audience to talk to them. Moss engages him in conversation much to Roy's horror especially as the man thinks him and Moss are a couple.

Chat — Moss taking part in audience participation, much to the dismay of Roy.

At the interval, Jen, Moss, and Roy gather at the bar and discuss the performance. Moss liked it but Roy and Jen don't. Jen leaves to go back into the show and Moss and Roy head to the toilets. Moss enters the toilets but leaves again when he finds they have a 'toilet guy' but Roy persuades him to go back in. They both use the urinals while the toilet guy watches them and they leave quickly after tipping the guy. Outside the toilet, they both admit to not actually going and Roy goes to use the disabled toilet.

In the disabled toilet Roy pulls the emergency chord instead of the chain to flush the toilet. The ushers start trying to knock down the door so Roy lies down on the floor. They finally knock down the door, help him sit up and carry him out of the toilet when Roy tells them that his wheelchair had been stolen. As they carry him past the staff toilets another usher knocks on the door of the staff toilets where Moss is using the toilet.

Roy is lent against a wall in the corridor and an usher brings in a wheelchair and they help Roy to sit in it. A policeman comes in and takes Roy's statement. Roy makes up a description of a Caucasian man with red hair and a beard and then leaves by joining a procession of wheelchair users. Meanwhile, Moss leaves the staff toilets and is met by an usher who thinks he is a member of staff and sends him to put on his uniform and stop slacking off.

Jen and Phillip leave at the end of the show and Phillip asks Jen what she thought of it. She tells him she didn't like it and that she thought you'd have to be gay to like it, trying to convey that she thinks Phillip is gay. He doesn't seem to notice and they go off to meet the cast.

Roy is outside in a wheelchair lift getting into a transport vehicle and the ushers are all waving goodbye to him. The manager comes over and informs all the wheelchair users that they are going to meet the cast.

Jen and Phillip walk into the backstage area and Phillip instantly starts greeting people including Jerome. Then the wheelchair group comes in and Jen spots Roy among them. Jen goes over to them and starts asking Roy questions about his wheelchair being stolen and how he became disabled. Jen then offers to get him a drink and goes to order one and Moss is behind the bar ready to serve her. Moss goes to get the drinks and knocks down a display of wine glasses.

Discovers — Jen discovers Roy is amongst the disabled guests backstage and digs deep into how he became disabled.

Laura Knightly kneels down next to Roy, hugs him and tells him she's got him two tickets to tomorrow night's show. A photographer from a newspaper comes over and takes some pictures of them together. Jerome sees Roy and goes over to him making a joke about the Irish being lazy so they need a wheelchair and then he tips the man next to Roy out of his wheelchair.

Jen and Phillip say goodnight out on the street and she leans in for a kiss but he doesn't.

Bar — Moss at the bar, as the theater closes for the night.

She asks him if he's gay and he denies it and wants to know why she thought he was gay. She brings up a lot of reasons and he finally cracks when she mentions heat magazine and admits he's gay and that he thought he could make it work because she looked a bit like a man. She walks away and hails a taxi.

Roy is once again on the wheelchair lift being waved goodbye to by the ushers. The driver suggests a sing along as they are going all the way to Manchester.

Moss is cleaning the bar and saying goodnight to everyone and he falls into the display of wine glasses again.

Guest Stars[]

Donald - Brett Allen

Ash Atalla, the producer of the IT Crowd, portrays the 'Rampant Gay Man'.

Rampant Gay Man - Ash Atalla
Jerome - Nicholas Burns
Richmond - Noel Fielding
Laura - Lydia Fox
Barman - Adam G Goodwin
Singer - Gavin Keenan
Phillip - Jamie Michie
Policeman - Guy Porritt
Dec - David Schall
Judge - Adrian Schiller
Manager - Kim Wall
Milly - Lorna Watson
Toilet Guy - Ignacio Suarez

Trivia[]

Television — Roy's shirt depicts a basic television set in this episode.

Roy's Shirt: Television.
Surprisingly, Richmond was technically correct about the oth ers trip to the theater, as he was right in claiming nothing good could come of it, as Jen's date was gay, and Roy's plan in pretending to be disabled to use the disabled toilets backfired greatly on him. As for Moss, he did claim to enjoy his first trip to the theatre, but became a bartender and was knocked out by a pyramid of glasses twice.
The song 'Friend Of Dorothy' featured in the musical may be a reference to the Gay Slang 'Friend Of Dorothy' which gay people use to discuss the sexual orientation of other men whilst also working to avoid any kind of hostility that they may face for asking others about their sexual orientation.
The title is derived from when Jen describes her date changing into a work outing, and maybe an allusion to Phillip's being "outed" as gay.
Series producer Ash Atalla, himself disabled, cameos as the 'Rampant Gay Man', that comes on to Roy on the transport vehicle.
Lydia Fox, who portrays fictional celebrity Laura Knightley, is, in reality, Richard Ayoade's wife
Graham Lineham's name can be seen on the Gay poster.

Quotes[]

A gay musical, called Gay. That's quite gay. A gay musical? Aren't all musicals gay? This must be like the gayest musical ever made. - Roy, whilst looking at the poster for the play.

Jen: How did it happen, if that's not a rude question?

Roy: Um...Acid.

Jen: What are the chances of that happening?

Roy: Oh, a hundred to one

-Jen asking about Roy's "disability"