Ricky Howard

Ricky Howard
Name	Ricky Howard
Job	Temp
First Episode	Downsize
Last Episode	Judgement
Episode count	6
Portrayed by	Oliver Chris

Ricky Howard is introduced as a temp at Wernham Hogg employed by David Brent.

History

Ricky is a graduate, having "just scraped a first". (Downsize) Ricky was a contestant on Blockbusters were he won 2 goldruns, camping equipment and walkman. He also had a job when he was studying. (The Quiz)

Series 1

Ricky arrives at Wernham Hogg not too long after the news about redundancies is revealed. He is greeted by Brent with an obligatory reference to Ricky's name being a character name form popular soap Eastenders. Ricky is given a tour around the office and introduced to all the staff. (Downsize)

When being introduced to Tim Canterbury and Gareth Keenan, Gareth discovered that Tim had put his stapler in jelly. Gareth asked Ricky to be witness as David displines Tim. Tim barked back with a desert-based pun, which was followed up by Ricky offering one leading Brent to compare himself, Ricky and Tim to "Vic and Bob, plus one extra one". (Downsize)

Just before the day was over, David invited Ricky to the conference room and spoke to him about his "dreaded first day". David then told Ricky he was about to play a practical joke and in walks receptionist Dawn Tinsley. David proceeds to pretend to fire Dawn for stealing post-it notes, which brings her to tears, as Ricky sits by feeling uncomfortable. (Downsize)

When Ricky is seen at the photocopier asking for assistance from Gareth Keenan, Gareth is reluctant to help him.

While at the fictional Slough night club "Chasers", it is revealed that Ricky has been having an "office romance" with Rachel. Brent is upset by this as she is meant to be looking after her and Ricky "isn't even permanent". (New Girl)

Ricky was introduced to Donna, alongside Tim Canterbury and Gareth Keenan, as David asked them to help her settle in. David was a bit unsettled by how long their handshake lasted. Ricky, Tim and Donna later were discussing Michael Jackson's dancing when David Brent came out to tell some jokes and show off his dance moves. (Work Experience)

David asked if Ricky was looking forward to his "first big quiz" in which Ricky pointed out he had been on Blockbusters before. David believes he could do better than Ricky so insists that Ricky test him being using questions that Ricky had. When David gets it slightly wrong, he tries to test Ricky by giving him a "proper one". After ages of trying to think of one he says he wanted to ask a question about Dostoevsky and is shown up by Ricky's superior knowledge and leaves. (The Quiz)

David Brent tries to outsmart Ricky. (The Quiz)

Later on Ricky is having trouble operating the printer, and David returns to show off some Dostoevsky facts that he had researched while he was away. When Ricky begins talking about Dostoevsky's "House of the Dead", David almost immediately leaves realising that once again Ricky knows more than him. (The Quiz)

Some time later, Ricky is showing Donna how to work the photocopier, when Brent returns with some more Dostoevsky facts he has researched, identically to last time, Ricky responds showing that he knows more than Brent and Brent leaves. (The Quiz)

Ricky and Tim formed a quiz team together, called The Tits, who tied with the victors of the last 6 years; The Dead Parrots (David Brent and Chris Finch). Ricky went up against Finchy in a series of tiebreaker questions, Ricky successfully answered the question Finchy got incorrect and thus won the quiz for The Tits. However, a sore loser Chris Finch came up with a new challenge; if he could throw Tim's shoes over the building then he and Brent would have won the quiz. Finchy succeeds in doing so and berates Ricky and tells him "not to fuck with the big boys". (The Quiz)

Ricky attended the training session with the rest of the staff. (Training)

Ricky and Donna kiss. (New Girl)

Ricky asked for Gareth's help in filing some in-voices, Gareth made him wait before revealing he had no idea where he should put them. It is later revealed that evening that he and Donna are now involved. (New Girl)

Ricky joined Tim and Gareth at the Office party, when Gareth asked the two what they thought of one woman they both told Gareth she was out of his league. Gareth began having a go at Ricky who he claimed was acting "smug" because he got with Donna, whereas Gareth had listened to David when he said she was "out of bounds". (Judgement)

David Brent announced during a speech that Ricky had plans to depart the Wernham Hogg office at the start of the next week to pursue a new career. Nobody bought him a farewell present, unlike Pete Gibbons. Before leaving he and Donna told Brent that him refusing the promotion so that people could keep their jobs was a nice thing to do.(Judgement)

Trivia

• Ricky's episode count (as of Christmas Special Part 2) is 6.
  • Although he appears in Training, he has no lines.
• Ricky's Blockbusters experience mirrors Stephen Merchant's experience, down to them both being asked "Which Y had a hit with The Only Way Is Up".