The Thick of It is a comedy about the British government that does not want you to laugh at the jokes. It wants you to feel the dread. Created by Armando Iannucci, the show follows Malcolm Tucker, a man so angry he can barely speak without breaking into a coughing fit, as he bullies his way through the corridors of power. It is a satire that treats politics as a war zone, and it is one of the sharpest shows ever made about how the sausage gets made.
The premise is simple. Malcolm Tucker is the director of communications for Number 10, and he runs the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (DoSAC) like a prison camp. Hugh Abbot, the minister, is a bumbling idiot who is constantly being told what to do. Tucker’s job is to enforce the party line, manage the press, and make sure everyone stays in line. The show is a masterclass in tension, wit, and the sheer terror of working for a man who would rather hit you than talk to you.
Trailer, via BBC.
The Core Cast
The show revolves around a tight group of characters. Peter Capaldi plays Malcolm Tucker with a fury that borders on physical performance. His coughs are not a tic; they are a weapon. He is the enforcer, the bully, and the one person in the room who knows exactly what he wants. Rebecca Front plays Nicola Murray, the junior minister who takes over the department in series three. She is smarter and more ruthless than anyone else on screen, and she runs the show with a cold efficiency that makes Tucker look like a child. Chris Addison plays Ollie Reeder, the junior policy adviser, and Joanna Scanlan plays Terri Coverley, the civil service press secretary. Together, they form the spine of the show, a group of people who know they are trapped and do not know how to escape.
The Politics Are Never Named
One of the show’s great tricks is that it never mentions the political parties by name. The characters talk about “the party” and “the other side,” but the actual names remain off-limits. This forces the viewer to focus on the machinery rather than the ideology. The policies are generic and non-ideological in the early series, and the show spends more time on process than on substance. That is the point. The Thick of It is not interested in what the government is doing; it is interested in how the government operates.
The Language Is Profane
The show is famous for its profanity. Tucker speaks in a stream of abuse, and the language is so foul that it becomes almost musical. The swearing is not gratuitous; it is a tool of the trade. Tucker uses it to control, to intimidate, and to express his frustration. The show also features storylines that mirror real-life policies and events, which gives the satire a strange kind of weight. It is a comedy, but it is not a joke.
The Coalition Years
The fourth series changes everything. After a general election, a coalition government forms, and the show shifts its focus to the new Secretary of State, Peter Mannion, played by Roger Allam. Mannion is a career politician who is trying to hold the coalition together while dealing with his new coalition partner, junior minister Fergus Williams MP. The show’s central conflict moves from the minister’s office to the negotiating table, and the dynamics shift accordingly. Nicola Murray, now leader of the opposition, is desperate for a return to power, and the show tracks her attempts to bring down the coalition.
The Legacy
The Thick of It is widely considered the 21st century’s answer to Yes Minister. Iannucci describes it as “Yes Minister meets Larry Sanders,” and the comparison holds. Both shows are about the absurdity of government, but The Thick of It is darker and more cynical. It is also more realistic, thanks to Martin Sixsmith, a journalist and former civil servant who advised the writing team. The show’s realism comes from its attention to detail, not its accuracy. The characters are exaggerated, but the systems they inhabit feel real.
The show also spawned a film, In the Loop, which is a feature-length adaptation of the series’ material. That film is excellent, but it is a different beast. The Thick of It is a pure, contained comedy about the daily grind of politics. It is a show about meetings, memos, and the endless cycle of crisis management. It is also a show about power, and how it corrupts everyone it touches.
What Works
- The writing is sharp, fast, and endlessly quotable.
- The performances are uniformly excellent, especially Capaldi’s.
- The satire is pointed and often uncomfortable.
- The show respects its audience by treating them as adults.
What Doesn’t Work
- Some of the later seasons stretch the premise thinner than it can bear.
- The coalition storyline is less tense than the earlier ones.
- The show can be relentless, and some viewers may find it exhausting.
The Thick of It is a masterpiece of television comedy. It is a show about the worst parts of politics, and it is hilarious. It is also a show about the loneliness of power, and it is heartbreaking. The show blends humor and discomfort in a way that few comedies manage, and the best moments are the ones where the laughter turns into a grim silence. That is a rare achievement.
The Thick of It is not perfect. It is too long in its later seasons, and it sometimes loses focus. But the core of the show is brilliant. It is a comedy about power, and it understands power better than most dramas. It is a show about the people who make decisions, and it shows them as they are: scared, stupid, and occasionally brave.
The Thick of It is a 9 of 10.
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