When the first series of The IT Crowd aired in 2006, it has to be said that we at TV Scoop were not exactly huge fans. Personally, I was put off by the very first episode because one of the main jokes was Jen insisting on wearing a pair of stilettos despite them destroying her feet. Women like shoes. Funny. I didn’t watch the rest of the series, but I was willing to give it another go when the second series came to our screens, and while I was still not entirely convinced by the opener, it did grow on me as the series continued. The IT Crowd returned for its third outing last night, and obviously I was hoping for something more akin to the second series than the first – was I disappointed?

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I’m actually quite sorry to say that I was left a little underwhelmed by this episode, but I have learned the error of my former ways, and I’ll certainly be watching the rest of the series this time around. Because while this wasn’t the strongest of episodes, there were still four major reasons to enjoy it – and those reasons are Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, Chris O’Dowd and Matt Berry.

It really is a strong cast, all of whom I’d like to see in many more projects. The comedy buffs among you will know that Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry have worked together extensively in the past, on the stupidly brilliant Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, Man To Man with Dean Learner, and Berry’s Jesus Christ Superstar pastiche AD/BC: A Rock Opera.

Last night, Ayoade, as the socially inept but utterly lovable Moss, got the best line as is so often the case. Roy offered to do some role play with him to help him stand up to chavvy bullies, to which he responded: “Well, it certainly helped me learn how to buy sandwiches.” Bless. Matt Berry (Douglas Reynholm), similarly, has such a bizarre, brilliant voice, that I could watch him all day. Sure, he plays pretty much the same, arrogant character in most things he does, but he does it well, and that’s all I care about.

Chris O’Dowd, who has such awesome comic timing and presence, hasn’t been in many UK television shows, but has a few film roles coming up (including the rather impressive-looking Richard Curtis flick The Boat That Rocked). His storyline – that he sticks to someone like glue after lending them money, just to make sure he gets it back – was rather underdeveloped, and not all that entertaining, and likewise Jen’s story in which she tried to work out whether a builder working on her house was likely to piss in her sinks, seemed pretty unimaginative.

It was the thin writing, then, that let this episode down. I’m more than happy to spend half an hour in the company of these talented comedy performers and their characters, but, on the evidence of this episode at least, they are not being particularly well-served by the script – and while I’m cautiously optimistic for the rest of the series, it’s a rare show indeed that can survive on the charisma of its cast alone.