British Comedy Guide
The Job Lot. Image shows from L to R: Karl (Russell Tovey), Trish (Sarah Hadland). Copyright: Big Talk Productions
The Job Lot

The Job Lot

  • TV sitcom
  • ITV2 / ITV1
  • 2013 - 2015
  • 18 episodes (3 series)

Sitcom about life at a West Midlands job centre, focusing on the array of staff and customers. Stars Sarah Hadland, Russell Tovey, Jo Enright, Laura Aikman, Angela Curran and more.

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Character guide

The Job Lot. Trish (Sarah Hadland). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Trish

AKA: Patricia Collingwood.  Manager.   Played by: Sarah Hadland

Highly-strung Trish is the manager of the Job Centre and she faces a daily struggle to, well, manage.

Not long returned from a catastrophic breakdown, Trish flits about with a nervous energy and grating determination to see the positive in everything.

In the throes of the messy divorce, she leans heavily on reluctant colleague Karl, but is slowly becoming more and more confident and independent again.

The Job Lot. Karl (Russell Tovey). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Karl

AKA: Karl Lyndhurst.  Advisor.   Played by: Russell Tovey

Karl is pretty fed up with the direction his life's taken. Three years at art college got him nothing but a twenty grand student loan and a clip-on tie.

However, his position at the job centre has at least allowed him to meet Natalie, the love of his life.

Karl relies on extended toilet breaks and a secret biscuit drawer to get him through his nine to five, but what he can't see is that with limited talent, an average degree and a global recession he's lucky to be on his side of the desk.

The Job Lot. Angela (Jo Enright). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Angela

AKA: Angela Bromford.  Played by: Jo Enright

Grumpy and obstinate Angela is holding on to her job with grim determination.

Trish fired Angela a few months ago, but she's just won an employment tribunal and is back with a vengeance... and now pretty much un-sackable.

Angela is a joyless keeper of cats with an aptitude for avoiding work, a propensity to subtly undermine Trish at any opportunity, and a stunning ability to make it almost impossible for the jobseekers she encounters to even sign on, let alone find a job.

The Job Lot. Natalie (Laura Aikman). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Natalie (Series 2-3)

AKA: Natalie Mason.  Deputy Manager.   Played by: Laura Aikman

25-year old Natalie Mason is the new Deputy Manager of Brownall Job Centre, much to Angela's fury.

Fresh into job centres from the world of high-flying professional recruitment, Natalie's bright and enthusiastic to be at the coalface in helping people achieve their potential.

Chirpy, friendly and beautiful, Natalie immediately puts a smile on Steve's face; and on Trish's, being a fellow female member of staff without a deep-seated personality disorder...

The Job Lot. Janette (Angela Curran). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Janette

AKA: Janette Hodgkins.  Played by: Angela Curran

Diminutive security guard Janette is the mother hen of the centre and fiercely loyal to her boss and most of her colleagues. In particular, she'd do anything for fellow security guard Paul.

Sometimes you wonder if Janette's job title should actually be 'Cleaner', as she is often spotted with a duster or hoover in her hands.

However, Janette shows a different side to herself when watching football or when someone mentions the Great Barr branch!

The Job Lot. Paul (Martin Marquez). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Paul

AKA: Paul Franks.  Played by: Martin Marquez

Paul is stationed near the front doors with Janette, acting as one of the centre's security guards.

He is a natural charmer and blessed with the gift of the gab.

Paul uses the centre's free phones and photocopier to run a carpet-fitting business on the side - and somehow gets away with it.

The Job Lot. Bryony (Sophie McShera). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Bryony

AKA: Bryony West.  Played by: Sophie McShera

Jobseeker Bryony has an answer for everything and specialises in applying for completely unrealistic jobs.

She delights in running rings around Karl, who can't stop her from applying for MI5 and just wants to help her find a job she can do. But beneath the veneer of disdain, Bryony lacks the self-confidence to go to job interviews, something a burgeoning friendship with Danielle begins to address.

The Job Lot. Ash (Nick Mohammed). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Ash (Series 3)

Work Psychologist.   Played by: Nick Mohammed

Ash is the new Work Psychologist responsible for the Brownall district.

Utterly well-meaning and supposedly well-educated, Ash is nevertheless utterly incompetent and often succeeds in only making things worse.

The Job Lot. Graham (Tony Maudsley). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Graham (Series 1-2)

AKA: Graham Pleck.  Played by: Tony Maudsley

Graham is a conspiracy theorist with a heart of gold and an entirely original perspective on the world. He's been coming to the centre for years in the hope of finding a job, and he loves having the people there to talk to.

He seems to have been mysteriously naked from the waist up since the early nineties, and certainly isn't the sharpest tool in the box.

The Job Lot. George (Adeel Akhtar). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

George (Series 1-2)

AKA: George Dhot.  Played by: Adeel Akhtar

George likes to think of himself as a lone wolf, spending hours on surveillance in the quest for justice.

In his eyes, his work as the job centre's Fraud Officer is akin to that of a tough, inner-city police detective... although his targets are benefit cheats doing cash-in-hand jobs on the side, rather than career criminals and murderers.

The Job Lot. Tom Burns (Dylan Edwards). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Tom Burns (Series 2)

Played by: Dylan Edwards

Tom is Karl's flatmate. He was dating Trish... the two were very much in love and Tom often came to the rescue of Trish.

One problem with their relationship was that Trish was regularly giggling into the telephone (presumably at some lewd idea Tom was whispering to her) rather than getting on with the work at hand.

The Job Lot. Danielle (Tamla Kari). Copyright: Big Talk Productions

Danielle (Series 1)

AKA: Danielle Fisher.  Played by: Tamla Kari

Danielle worked at the Job Centre. A new mum, she returned early from maternity leave and was glad to be back at work and away from the nappies.

She liked having a laugh with Karl and showing off her new and improved post-baby boobs. Besides custard creams, she was the only thing that helped Karl get through his day.

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