I’ve just finished re-watching the 1st season of “The I.T. Crowd“. I was reconfiguring a Laptop and needed something playing in the background.

Now one of the running jokes in the show is the answer-all response to all phone requests “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” As any of you who have had contact with Tech Support either as a customer or as a support technician will know this was a common question asked, which is why the joke made it into the show. (The show is mocking real life), Only now I have noticed a new trend, I have seen more and more Support Technicians (And senior Techie bods) use the same question response to customers and each other, but now as a “in” joke from the show, and if they think their witty cultural reference may be missed they throw in a “Have you tried shoving it up your arse?”.

Is the question now a Geek in-joke referencing The I.T. Crowd, or a common Support question that’s referenced in the show.

So my qestion is. Which came first the comment or the joke…