Moxey

Albert Arthur Moxey (Christopher Fairbank)

Character Overview[]

Moxey is a Liverpudlian plasterer with acne scars and (in the original two series) a stutter.

Character Backstory[]

Moxey is the only character not introduced in the first episode. When he arrives at the site he is initially told by the other lads to find another hut until they discover he owns a dartboard, albeit without any darts. Almost from the point he begins work in Germany he falls ill with a heavy cold and an all too familiar sight for the lads in the hut is Moxey sat with a bowl of steaming water and a towel over his head.

Moxey has a somewhat troubled past: he is a convicted arsonist – however he always tries to ensure that no-one is in the building to be burned. He does not reveal this to his friends until the end of the first series out of fear they will not want to share a hut with him. Despite his criminal record, Moxey is a friendly and kind person, frequently making tea for the rest of the lads.

Series 1[]

In Germany he spends a lot of time with Barry and joins him in his attempts to live a healthier lifestyle while stuck in the hut, this includes avoiding alcohol, eating less fatty foods, growing their own herbs and getting a sun tan; however Moxey is much less interested in the matter than his obsessive friend. Indeed Moxey faces the wrath of Barry when he eventually relents and orders a beer. In an attempt to make more money Moxey, along with Barry, join Oz in an attempt to smuggle German pornographic films to England which inevitably fails.

Series 2[]

At the beginning of the second series Moxey absconds from an open prison just to help Barry finish his house in time for his wedding. He then joins the lads on the job converting Thornley Manor for Ally Fraser but he frequently disappears, much to the confusion of his friends. He admits to them that he is on the run and the lads agree to look after him. In an attempt to evade arrest Moxey has to acquire a number of false identities, all of which result in much hilarity from the rest of the lads who struggle to get used to referring to him as Brendan Mulcahy or Francis Foggarty.

When the team head to Spain, Moxey expresses his desire to stay in the country once the job is finished as all the English criminals become exiles there. This again leads to ridicule from his friends who explain to him that all he has ever done is set fire to site huts, not pull off large bank robberies. Moxey foolishly tells an English criminal Terry Leather that the lads were responsible for a robbery that they were accused of in the newspaper which does not go down well. His shining moment is been told by a British policeman that because he is in Spain he cannot be arrested.

Series 3[]

By the third series Moxey is no longer a wanted criminal, though he still is not afraid to break the law as he steals a motorbike to get to Middlesbrough to attend Oz's fake funeral. He is working for a Liverpool thug, Mickey Startup, who controls the Black Labour in the north of England. The police recruit Moxey to help their pursuit of Startup and provide him with information on how to access the safe in his office. Moxey steals the documents along with several thousand pounds in cash, which is enough to cover his stake in the capital for the job in dismantling the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge.

These events have tough consequences for Moxey as he is discovered by Startup's hitman, Teddy Platt. Moxey is knocked out and is about to be taken away to be murdered but Platt is himself killed by two of the Kosovan bridge workers. Upon explaining his recent actions to the lads they advise Moxey to keep a low profile. When they travel to Arizona, a Middlesbrough Detective Inspector named Andy Hateley, arrives to question Moxey about Platt's murder. This causes Moxey to run off again in a manner similar to that of the second series. However his friends explain that Moxey was the victim and when Inspector Hateley discovers Moxey he informs him that the Liverpool Police are grateful for the information he provided them to have an endurance within Mickey Startup's arrest.

Series 4 And Au Revoir, Pet[]

In the fourth series Moxey applies for a position within the OED with the rest of the lads. When accepted they are assigned to Havana to refurbish the British ambassador's residence. When Oz is refused permission to work due to his criminal record Moxey unprecedentedly brings up his own criminal past. However this attempt to help does not work as the rule only applies to convictions within the last ten years and Moxey's co-operation with the police in the third series provided a glowing reference, though he reiterates he does not want this to be public knowledge. In Cuba he takes an interest in training and racing hamsters.

At the end of the series Moxey emigrates to Australia with his girlfriend Elena whom he met in Laos while working on another embassy job.