Peep Show is undoubtedly one of the funniest British sitcoms of all time, as well as one of the most pioneering in terms of its unique point-of-view filming style. What makes Peep Show great is its cast of hilarious characters, each of which is so brilliantly written that almost every line they come out with acts as an indictment of their personality.
While each Peep Show character has delivered multiple quotes throughout the series that typify their personality, there is naturally going to be one that emerges as the best summary of their character.
Nancy
“Obviously, God Wanted Us To Enjoy Ourselves. I Mean, That's Why He Invented Pills And Clubs And Lube And Hardcore.”
Nancy is certainly not the brightest character in Peep Show, although there is stiff competition for the most moronic person in the series. With that being said, Nancy is a kind and free spirit who constantly seeks adventure and strives to break all kinds of taboos.
In season 2’s “Local Hero,” Nancy delivers a line while in bed with Jeremy that sums her up perfectly. It showcases what she considers to be a good time which reflects her wild nature. Nancy’s perception of what “God wanted” seems to be a little bit farfetched, and at the very least an extremely liberal take on her religion.
Gerard Matthew
“We’ll See About That. I’m Playing The Long Game.”
The main bulk of Gerard’s personality is based upon him being perpetually ill. Aside from that, he is a huge geek and genuinely a bit of a snake in the grass. It is said that all is fair in love and war, and Gerard certainly lived by this mantra when it came to trying to win Dobby’s heart, as he was constantly trying to one-up Mark behind his back.
The quote that sums up Gerard’s personality is one of his last, and he speaks to Mark about “playing the long game” with Dobby. It's one of Peep Show's most cringeworthy quotes and founded on delusion, much like the rest of Gerard's dialogue in the show. Gerard then proceeds to die later in the episode, which is just “so Gerard.”
Big Suze
“The Only Airline That Really Understands Is BA.”
Mark sums Big Suze up quite succinctly in two words: “mental posho.” Big Suze is generally stuck in her upper-middle-class bubble and often appears out of touch with reality, albeit in a rather charming way.
This is perfectly captured in season 3’s “Sisterning” when Big Suze explains to Mark that her injured sister has to fly home in budget class as if it's the worst thing in the world. Suze then goes on to say the most middle-class thing imaginable, that British Airways is “the only airline that really understands,” which provides the perfect summary of her character.
Dobby
“I’m The IT Misfit, The Man With No Name.”
Dobby is the unconventionally charming IT grunt who, thanks to her witty banter and sarcastic humor, becomes a love interest for Mark and Jeremy. Dobby is a self-proclaimed geek who resides outside of the social majority, which is one of the reasons that Mark finds her so attractive.
When introducing herself to Mark in “Spin War,” Dobby sums herself up perfectly by stating that she is an “IT misfit.” She then makes a witty (and geeky) remark about being “the man with no name,” which gives audiences an insight into her humor.
Jeff Heaney
“You Could Have You're C--- In Her, You Still Wouldn’t Have The Balls To F---.”
Jeff is easily one of the most unlikable characters in Peep Show, constantly coming across as incredibly crude and mean. He torments Mark and will say anything to get a cheap laugh with no regard for the subject of the joke.
Despite his undesirable characteristics, Jeff is naturally quite a witty person, and this is evidenced on multiple occasions throughout the show. One of Jeff’s funniest albeit crudest quotes acts as a perfect summary of his personality. He says it to Mark as a way to taunt him about his unrequited love for Sophie, which creates a moment of awkwardness and hilarity.
Alan Johnson
“I’m The Big Man, And You're A S---heel, Right?”
Alan Johnson oozes class and confidence, despite the fact that he is actually a bit of a moron. He tends to strut around thinking that he is better than everybody else, and most people seem to agree with him for some unfathomable reason.
Johnson’s confident attitude is encapsulated wonderfully in his first-ever scene, where he and Mark partake in a business training improv. Despite the conversation being for training purposes and therefore "fictional," it unsurprisingly seems as though Johnson is deadly serious when referring to himself as “the big man.”
Sophie Chapman
“I’m Having A Laugh, So I Don’t Really Give A T---.”
At the beginning of Peep Show, Sophie is portrayed as sweet, kind, and work-oriented. However, as the show progresses, Sophie falls into a downward spiral that never truly recovers from. Sophie becomes a champion of hedonistic living, dabbling in alcohol and drugs rather than focusing on her career or her general health.
Her fun-loving (and unstable) personality is perfectly summarized by a line she delivers to Mark while smoking a joint on their office’s stairwell. Sophie declares that she is “having a laugh” so does not really care about anything, which is a dangerous ethos to live by and one that has had a detrimental effect on her life.
Super Hans
“Thoughts? You Wanna Give That S--- A Rest. You’ve Been Going Thinking Thoughts Your Whole Life, And Look Where That’s Got You.”
Super Hans is undoubtedly one of the best side characters in Peep Show and has been instrumental in Peep Show’s success. Super Hans has a very eccentric personality and often acts purely on instinct and impulse, which is potentially one of the reasons that he is a prolific drug user.
Almost everything Super Hans says is comedy gold, but his advice to Jeremy in “Mark’s Woman” sums him up perfectly. Throughout Peep Show, Super Hans is rarely portrayed to put much thought into his actions. When he does speak his mind, his ideas are often founded upon delusion as opposed to any form of logic.
Jeremy Usborne
“If I Can Just Get Rid Of The Dog Corpse, There's A Chance I Still Might Get Laid Here.”
As he's one of the two main characters, audiences have access to Jeremy’s hilarious inner monologue in Peep Show, meaning they are aware of just how moronic and at times selfish he is. Jeremy’s frightening lack of empathy combined with his constant pursuit of sex gets him into trouble on multiple occasions throughout the show.
His character is perfectly summed up by the hilarious line that he delivers to Mark in season 4’s “Holiday.” Jeremy shows absolutely no remorse for killing the dog of a woman he is trying to sleep with and is still planning to try and seduce her. Funnily enough, this kind of situation is not a first for Jeremy, so it functions well as a summary of his character.
Mark Corrigan
“Butter The Toast, Eat The Toast, S--- The Toast. God, Life’s Relentless.”
Mark is somebody who moans about nearly everything, including having to butter toast every day. Mark’s gripe about buttering, eating, and passing the toast is, of course, an allegory for the tedious and cyclical nature of his life.
Like most well-written characters, most things that Mark says (or thinks) can function as an appropriate summary of his character. However, this quote sums his personality up perfectly. Not only does it typify his unique combination of intellect and pessimism, but it also showcases his tendency to present things that agitate him in an eloquent and hilarious way.