Jeremy (Peep Show)

Jeremy, a.k.a. Jez, is a fictional character in the British television show "Peep Show", which first aired on Channel 4 in 2003 and remains a cult hit. Jeremy is played by Robert Webb. At different points in the series, Jeremy's surname is given as both Osbourne and Usbourne. It is not made clear which (if either) is correct.

Personality

Jeremy is a twenty-something unemployed nobody who shares a flat with ex-university pal, Mark Corrigan. Together they are the "El Dude Brothers", a name which apparently dates from their university days, but which each now only uses as a last resort to appeal to the friendship of the other. Jeremy is outgoing and superficially confident (sometimes referring to himself as "The Jez Man"), but in truth he is only fractionally more socially adept than the self-loathing Mark. He believes himself to be a talented musician (playing keyboards in his bedroom), but in fact his music is awful and he is the only one who doesn't realise it. At the start of the show Jeremy has just split from "Big Suze", a girl with whom it seems he had a long-term relationship. Big Suze, at the beginning of series 3, reveals that their relationship meant very little to her, while Jeremy still regards her as the love of his life.

When pressured, Jeremy occasionally makes half-hearted attempts to find a job, but he is simply too lazy and in any case convinced that he is above work. It is unclear how he would support himself without Mark's continual charity (Jeremy doesn't even pay any rent) until season 5 where it is shown that Jeremy's mother supports him. This comes to an end, however, when she meets a new man who frowns upon the charity she provides. During a job interview in series 1, it is revealed that he used to be a nurse, although he displays virtually no medical knowledge whatsoever.

In the first two series, he is obsessed with attractive next-door neighbour Toni. He views her as his safety net for those moments when he inexplicably fails to score with anybody else, but in fact on the few occasions she does let him have his way, she is clearly just using him to make her husband jealous. Jeremy is turned on by anal stimulation during sex, something which has rendered Mark's electric toothbrush unusable on at least one occasion. Jeremy is notorious for his awkward sexual advances, he attempts to seduce Sophie during a weekend with Mark at the end of Series 1, and also engages in an affair with Mark's sister in Series 3. In Series 4 he sleeps with Sophie's mother, helping break up her relationship with her arsonist husband.

Although Jeremy only engages in heterosexual relationships, there are several indications of homosexual desires and experiences, including the revelation that he has had sex with more than four men. This theme is discussed by the producer Phil Clarke and script editor Ian Morris in their commentary to Episode 4 of Series 3.

Jeremy's family was shown in Series 5 when his great aunt died and he was hoping to receive twenty thousand pounds which he was then denied. It was also shown that Jeremy has been living off handouts from his mother, to whom he is incredibly rude. Mark seems to get along with Jeremy's mother and her new boyfriend, who was in the army.

Music

Jeremy's favourite pastime is music. He often shuts himself in his room for long periods of time to create his unlistenable "masterpieces". Jeremy hangs around with fellow musician "Super Hans" in an attempt to gain musical repute; the truth is that the opinionated Super Hans is to Jeremy, what Jeremy is to Mark - another loser who is fractionally better at hiding the fact. Super Hans often dominates Jez's endeavours, telling him what to do and even think. Although he often disagrees with Hans's ideas, he rarely voices his own opinion.

The DVD of the first series of "Peep Show" features a music video for one of Jez' tracks, entitled "Outrageous", which sounds very similar to Breathe by The Prodigy (albeit far less professionally produced). In series four, Sophie's brother Jamie expresses his love of the track. Another of Jez's tracks is featured on the Series Two DVD as an extra. "Gog's Film", otherwise referred to as "Watch Out (They're Going To Get You)" in an episode of series two, is featured with a video but no lyrics, despite lyrics quite clearly being recorded in the episode by Nancy. Other tracks are hinted at throughout the programme, such as Super Hans' drum loops and Jez playing at a Christian Rock Festival.