What do they mean by 'austere'?

I've just been watching the "Coronation Street" episode. They pick up on a guy who died about 10 years before, possibly in the studio. He sounds like a nice person, not trying to frighten anyone, just hanging out in the place where he worked. Next thing, Yvette says they've picked up on "an austere male". But he doesn't sound at all austere, so why use that word?

In fact, it seems to be a point of honour to say "austere" at least once in every episode, often when it's not the right word to use.

Perhaps the script-writer should stop using words because they sound good, and buy a thesaurus.