The British sitcom Peep Show explores the lives of two men in Croydon, London.

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Peep Show, a British sitcom airing from 2003 to 2015, follows the dysfunctional lives of Mark Corrigan and Jeremy Usbourne. Sharing a flat in Croydon, these two men navigate adulthood, career failures, and disastrous relationships, all while grappling with their own deep-seated insecurities and social ineptitude in modern London.

The series centers on Mark Corrigan, a loan manager who is portrayed as intelligent but socially and sexually awkward. Mark is the owner of the flat in Apollo House, which he shares with his lodger, Jeremy Usbourne. While Mark is often viewed as the moral center of his surroundings, he is plagued by paranoia and a chronic fear of loneliness, leading him into doomed romantic relationships. His professional life is equally turbulent, moving from a long-term position at JLB to roles at a Mexican restaurant and a bathroom equipment retailer, before returning to loan management at Met City Bank.

Jeremy, or Jez, is a work-shy freeloader who considers himself a talented musician despite having little skill. His relationship with Mark is the most developed in the show, characterized by a cycle of mutual loyalty and petty vindictiveness. Jez is financially reckless and relies on support from his mother, while his romantic life is marked by impulsivity and a series of failed connections. His friend, Super Hans, is a drug-using fantasist whose erratic behavior and stream-of-consciousness speech often provide a chaotic counterpoint to the protagonists' lives.

The show also features Sophie Chapman, a colleague of Mark who becomes a central figure in his life. Initially viewed through Mark's unreliable perspective as a kind-hearted woman, she is later revealed to be impulsive and abrasive. Their relationship is defined by a lack of common interests and a mutual desire to conform to societal expectations, eventually culminating in a disastrous marriage and the birth of their son, Ian. Other key figures, such as the aggressive businessman Alan Johnson, further complicate the lives of the flatmates, highlighting the show's exploration of social Darwinism and the absurdity of modern existence.

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