Background
Armando Iannucci originally conceived of a modern political satire after "arguing the case" for Yes Minister in a 2004 Best British Sitcom poll for BBC2. His idea was commissioned by Roly Keating, the controller of BBC Four, who granted Iannucci limited budget, telling him to "turn that into what you can." Iannucci created the first series of three episodes, which aired in May-June 2005, and a second series, also of three episodes, which followed in October.
Production
The series is written by a team of writers led by Armando Iannucci, who also directs the series, with Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Ian Martin, Will Smith and Tony Roche. Some of the dialogue is improvised rather than scripted (with the cast credited as providing "additional material"), and includes some very strong language. Peter Capaldi has stated that "Fundamentally 80% of the final cut is the script that we started with. The improvisation just makes it feel more real and not written." Prior to rehearsals, the scripts are sent to a "swearing consultant" in Lancaster called Ian Martin, who adds some of the series' more colourful language. The programme's producer is Adam Tandy, who has produced all of Iannucci's television projects since 2000. The programme is shot with hand-held cameras to give it a sense of vrit or fly on the wall documentary. The documentary style is furthered by the absence of any incidental music or laughter track.
On 2 April 2007, a DVD of the first six episodes was released as "The Complete First Series". It also included audio commentary, deleted scenes, and photo galleries. The two specials were released on a second DVD in April 2009.
Plot
The action centres on the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship ("DoSAC" previously the Department of Social Affairs, or "DSA", prior to the reshuffle of episode five), which supposedly came out of the Prime Minister's passing enthusiasm for "joined-up government". Thus, it acts as a "Super Department" overseeing many others, which enables different political themes to be dealt with in the programme, similar to the Department for Administrative Affairs in Yes Minister.
Hugh Abbot, played by Chris Langham, is a blundering minister heading the department, who is continually trying to do his job under the watchful eye of Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), Number 10's highly aggressive and domineering "enforcer". The programme also features James Smith as Senior Special Adviser Glen Cullen, who is not an MP, Chris Addison as Junior Policy Adviser Olly Reeder, and Joanna Scanlan as Civil Service Press Secretary Terri Coverley.
Series one and two
In the first batch of three episodes, Hugh Abbot is installed as a new minister following the forced resignation of his predecessor Cliff Lawton. These episodes follow his attempts to make his mark on the department by introducing new policies while following the party line enforced by Malcolm Tucker. Due to a series of complications and mistakes, this leads to the minister coming close to resignation on a number of occasions.
In the second batch of episodes, a reshuffle is in the offing, and the series follows the minister's attempts to keep his job. Olly is seconded to Number 10 "to phone his girlfriend" Emma Messinger, who happens to be a member of the shadow defence policy team, where he is under the close eye of enforcer Jamie. Meanwhile, Terri Coverley is on compassionate leave following the death of her father, leaving her role to Robyn Murdoch, a Senior Press Officer. The department also has to contend with the interference of the Prime Minister's "Blue Skies" adviser Julius Nicholson. The minister and the department survive the reshuffle, with the department being rebranded as the "Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship" and moved to a new building. However, the mistakes and compromises continue.
Specials
In the two specials, following the Christmas break, Hugh Abbot is in Australia and the department has to "babysit" Junior Minister for Immigration Ben Swain, who is described as a "nutter" (a supporter of prime-minister-in-waiting Tom Davis). The first special revolves around a computer problem at Immigration, which is exacerbated by the junior minister appearing in a disastrous Newsnight interview. The opposition policy advisor Emma Messinger capitalises on the error by stealing an idea from Ollie Reader, her boyfriend, to send the shadow minister Peter Mannion on a factfinding mission at an immigration centre. Meanwhile, Malcolm Tucker is concerned about his position in the government after speculating that the Prime Minister's handover to Tom Davis is expected in less than six months. Tucker conspires with Ollie to leak the Prime Minister's "legacy programme" (the PM's plan to move the handling of immigration policy to a non-political executive board) in the hope of stalling his departure, inadvertently leading the PM to resign early. The next episode follows a single night of "spin", as advisers, junior politicians and enforcers all try to better their position during the transition.
Series three
In series three, Hugh Abbot is replaced as minister by Nicola Murray, played by Rebecca Front. She is an unexpected, last-minute choice for the position, and given her inexperience and lack of staff, she is forced to retain Olly and Glenn as her advisors. The series continues to focus on the general running, or mis-running, of DoSAC, with Murray's attempts to formulate her "Fourth Sector Pathfinder Initiative" being a running thread throughout the series. However, with the cloud of the forthcoming general election and tension at 10 Downing Street looming, the series also broadened its scope to include episodes set at the annual party conference and BBC Radio 5Live. We also see more of Murray's opposite number, Peter Mannion, and other members of the Opposition first seen in the 2007 specials. The gradual breakdown of Malcolm Tucker and appearance of new threats to his dominance are also major plotlines.
Characters
See also: List of The Thick of It characters
Most episodes focus on the department's incumbent minister and a core cast of advisors and civil servants, under the watchful eye of Number 10's enforcer, Malcolm Tucker. However, over its run, the series has developed a large cast of additional characters, who form the government, opposition, as well as members of the media.
Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) is the aggressive, profane and feared Director of Communications for the Government. He serves two main roles: acting as the Prime Minister's enforcer to ensure the cabinet ministers all follow the party line, and managing the government's crisis management PR, usually in the form of spin. He regularly uses smears or threats of violence to achieve his ends. Tucker also appears in In the Loop.
Hugh Abbot MP (Chris Langham) is the Secretary of State for Social Affairs (later Social Affairs and Citizenship) in series 1 and 2. He is an inept Cabinet Minister who is generally out-of-touch with his electorate. While he believes he has some influence, he often finds himself at the mercy of events and bearing the brunt of Tucker's vitriol. He reads the New Statesman and has two children, Alicia and Charlie, whom he barely sees. Although he survives the cabinet reshuffle of series 2, he does not appear in the programme again and is replaced by Nicola Murray in a subsequent reshuffle at the beginning of series 3.
Nicola Murray MP (Rebecca Front) replaces Hugh Abbot for series 3. She is promoted to Social Affairs and Citizenship Secretary as a last-minute choice in a government reshuffle in the run up to a general election. Inexperienced and naive, she begins her tenure poorly with a number of public embarrassments over her husband's career. She also finds it difficult to maintain a healthy balance between her home and work lives, conflicting with Tucker when he demands that she send her daughter to a comprehensive school, rather than her preferred choice of an independent school. Relatively powerless in the Cabinet, her dour public image, largely encouraged by Tucker, leads her to be referred to as "glummy mummy".
Glenn Cullen (James Smith) is Senior Special Adviser to the minister. A long-standing friend of Hugh's since the campaign days, he acts as his chief adviser. He is generally politically adept, often being a voice of sense within the series, although due to his age is often ignored and emasculated by younger members of staff. Despite a number of mishaps, such as swearing at a member of the public who confronts Abbot, he keeps his job due to his loyalty to Hugh. Following Hugh's departure, he expects to retire, but is unexpectedly kept on as advisor to Nicola Murray. His home life is troubled, being divorced and with a disabled son. Originally intending to run for parliament at the next election, working with the disastrous new minister leads to him being refused permission to run as an MP.
Oliver "Olly" Reeder (Chris Addison) is a special adviser to the Secretary of State (formerly Junior Policy Adviser) to Hugh Abbot and his replacement, Nicola Murray. An Oxbridge graduate, he is arrogant, inept, inexperienced, somewhat gawky and is often inadvertently the cause of departmental mistakes. However, the minister often takes up his ideas believing them to be vote-winners. He was seconded to 10 Downing Street after he slept with an opposition party worker and was told to use his relationship to gather information on opposition party policy. He is described by Terri as "a bit morally bankrupt".
Terri Coverley (Joanna Scanlan) is Director of Communications for the department. Notionally responsible for press relations at DoSAC, Coverley was Head of Press recruited from supermarket chain Waitrose as part of an ill-advised scheme to make government run like a business.. Professional but prudish, she is often left to "mop up" the bad press garnered by the department. As a civil servant, compared to the MPs and advisors she is relatively safe in her job, a fact which she repeatedly states to their annoyance. She takes a leave of absence during series 2 due to the death of her father.
Episodes
Main article: List of The Thick of It episodes
The first run of three episodes screened on BBC Four from 19 May 2005. A further three episodes were transmitted 20 October 3 November 2005. The six episodes were repeated on BBC Two in early 2006, and later on BBC America together as a single series. The subsequent DVD release of all six episodes calls them The Complete First Series.
An hour-long Christmas special, "The Rise of the Nutters", aired in January 2007 with a further ten episodes planned for later on in the year. However, Chris Langham did not reprise his role as Hugh Abbot, due to legal allegations against him, and his subsequent conviction has ruled him out of any further roles. To fill this void, Iannucci introduced new characters into the series forming the opposition.
Another one-off hour-long episode "Spinners and Losers" aired on 3 July 2007. It was followed by a 15 minute extra episode through BBC Red Button, following the same story from the opposition's point of view.
For Series 3, transmission switched to BBC Two, with subsequent repeats on BBC Four. The series ran for eight episodes from 24 October 2009 to 12 December 2009. As a Red Button extra, each episode had an accompanying 10 minute documentary titled Out of The Thick of It broadcast immediately afterwards and on the BBC Comedy website, which featured cut scenes, specially written scenes and, later, discussion of the programme by the series' writers, makers and with figures involved in British politics.
American adaptation
Main article: The Thick of It (US TV series)
On 27 October 2006, it was announced that The Thick of It would be adapted for American television, focusing on the daily lives of a low-level member of the United States Congress and his staff. Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz would be the executive producer, along with Armando Iannucci and Richard Day. The pilot was directed by Christopher Guest, and produced by Sony Pictures and BBC Worldwide. The cast included John Michael Higgins, Oliver Platt, Michael McKean, Alex Borstein, and Wayne Wilderson.
ABC did not pick up the show for its 2007 Autumn schedule, Iannucci distanced himself from the pilot stating "It was terrible...they took the idea and chucked out all the style. It was all conventionally shot and there was no improvisation or swearing. It didn't get picked up, thank god." Other networks including HBO, Showtime, and NBC expressed interest in the show, and in April 2009, Iannucci re-entered talks with HBO over the possibility of an American adaptation.
In the Loop
Main article: In the Loop (film)
The title card of In The Loop
In May 2008, the BBC issued a press release stating that filming had commenced on a feature length adaption named In the Loop starring Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Peter Capaldi, Gina McKee and Steve Coogan.
In the Loop premiered in the US at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and in the UK at the 2009 Glasgow Film Festival. It was released on 17 April 2009 in the United Kingdom. Although many of the cast return, the only actual returning characters are Malcolm Tucker, Jamie (given the surname "McDonald" for the film) and a very brief cameo from Samantha Harrington as Malcolm's secretary Sam, with series regulars Chris Addison, James Smith, Joanna Scanlan, Alex MacQueen, Olivia Poulet, Eve Matheson, and Will Smith playing new characters altogether.
See also
Politics in fiction
List of British TV shows remade for the American market
Yes Minister
The New Statesman
References
^ British Comedy Awards 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ Awards at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ a b c Interview with Armando Iannucci, at bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
^ Alastair Campbell, "Was I offended by this brutal spinmeister? No. I was bored" in The Guardian, 24-03-2009
^ Parker, Robin (6 April 2009). "The Thick of It to return". Broadcast. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/news/the-thick-of-it-to-return/2016613.article. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
^ "The Thick Of It back for a new series on BBC Two". BBC Press Office. 2009-04-27. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/04_april/27/thick.shtml. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ Iannucci, Armando (14 October 2009). "New series of Thick of It starts on BBC2. Saturday 24th Oct, at 10.10pm. Will be repeated later each week on BBC FOUR.". Twitter. http://twitter.com/AIannucci/status/4861933882. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
^ BBC Programmes - The Thick of It: Series 3: Episode 1
^ Britain's Best Sitcom, bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 24 January 2009
^ Armstrong, Stephen (16 July 2006). "Television: Why our sitcoms need to pack a punch". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article686618.ece. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
^ Cast list at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
^ Interview with Armando Iannucci atUncut.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
^ Above and Beyond, interview with Chris Addison by David Whitehouse in The London Paper, Wednesday 20 December 2006
^ BBC Press Release. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
^ a b The new PM is variously called Davies and Davis in reasonably authoritative sources. A newspaper draft in the second special clearly reads Davis, however.
^ a b c d e The Characters of series 1, BBC Press Release 08.12.2005
^ Series 1, episode 6
^ Character profile at bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 7/12/09
^ Series 3, episode 6
^ Character profile at bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 7/12/09
^ Series 3, episode 1
^ Series One, Episode Two
^ Character profile at bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 7/12/09
^ Paramount Comedy.com. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ BBC Press Release. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
^ Hollywood Reporter.com. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ "Christopher Guest Jumps Into 'The Thick of It'". Zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-christopherguestdirectingthethickofit,0,7175185.story?track=rss. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ "Platt, 'Piz' Pluck Pilot Parts". Zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-pilotcasting-oliverplattchrislowell,0,2672707.story?track=rss. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ "'Gilmore' Regular Joins ABC Pilot". Zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-gilmoregirlsmelissamccarthyjoinsabcpilot,0,3297088.story?track=rss. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ "Sometimes buzz about TV pilots is just a lot of hot air". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/21/DDG0MPU2QM1.DTL. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
^ a b Rosser, Michael (2009-04-24). "Iannacci in talks with HBO over US Thick of It". Broadcast. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2009/04/iannacci_in_talks_with_hbo_over_us_thick_of_it.html. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
^ "Rejected by ABC, political satire sparks interest". Reuters. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070604/tv_nm/thick_dc. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
^ BBC Press Office - Principal photography commences on Armando Iannucci's In the Loop , URL accessed 19 May 2008
^ Official site, URL accessed 11 March 2009
^ [dead link]
^ Ambrose Heron. "UK Release Date for In The Loop". FILMdetail. http://www.filmdetail.com/archives/2009/01/30/uk-release-date-for-in-the-loop/. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Thick Of It
The Thick of It at BBC Programmes
The Thick of It - Archived BBC Four website
The Thick of It at BBC Comedy
The Thick of It at the British Comedy Guide
The Thick of It at the Internet Movie Database
In the Loop at the Internet Movie Database
Videos
The Thick of It Special - Armando Iannucci - BBC Four on BBC YouTube channel
The Thick of It: Spinners and Losers - The Opposition - BBC Four on BBC YouTube channel
The Thick of It at TV.com
Categories: 2005 television series debuts | 2000s British television series | 2005 in television | 2005 in British television | BBC television sitcoms | Political television series | Satirical television programmes | The Thick of ItHidden categories: All articles with dead external links | Articles with dead external links from November 2009
Armando Iannucci originally conceived of a modern political satire after "arguing the case" for Yes Minister in a 2004 Best British Sitcom poll for BBC2. His idea was commissioned by Roly Keating, the controller of BBC Four, who granted Iannucci limited budget, telling him to "turn that into what you can." Iannucci created the first series of three episodes, which aired in May-June 2005, and a second series, also of three episodes, which followed in October.
Production
The series is written by a team of writers led by Armando Iannucci, who also directs the series, with Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Ian Martin, Will Smith and Tony Roche. Some of the dialogue is improvised rather than scripted (with the cast credited as providing "additional material"), and includes some very strong language. Peter Capaldi has stated that "Fundamentally 80% of the final cut is the script that we started with. The improvisation just makes it feel more real and not written." Prior to rehearsals, the scripts are sent to a "swearing consultant" in Lancaster called Ian Martin, who adds some of the series' more colourful language. The programme's producer is Adam Tandy, who has produced all of Iannucci's television projects since 2000. The programme is shot with hand-held cameras to give it a sense of vrit or fly on the wall documentary. The documentary style is furthered by the absence of any incidental music or laughter track.
On 2 April 2007, a DVD of the first six episodes was released as "The Complete First Series". It also included audio commentary, deleted scenes, and photo galleries. The two specials were released on a second DVD in April 2009.
Plot
The action centres on the fictitious Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship ("DoSAC" previously the Department of Social Affairs, or "DSA", prior to the reshuffle of episode five), which supposedly came out of the Prime Minister's passing enthusiasm for "joined-up government". Thus, it acts as a "Super Department" overseeing many others, which enables different political themes to be dealt with in the programme, similar to the Department for Administrative Affairs in Yes Minister.
Hugh Abbot, played by Chris Langham, is a blundering minister heading the department, who is continually trying to do his job under the watchful eye of Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), Number 10's highly aggressive and domineering "enforcer". The programme also features James Smith as Senior Special Adviser Glen Cullen, who is not an MP, Chris Addison as Junior Policy Adviser Olly Reeder, and Joanna Scanlan as Civil Service Press Secretary Terri Coverley.
Series one and two
In the first batch of three episodes, Hugh Abbot is installed as a new minister following the forced resignation of his predecessor Cliff Lawton. These episodes follow his attempts to make his mark on the department by introducing new policies while following the party line enforced by Malcolm Tucker. Due to a series of complications and mistakes, this leads to the minister coming close to resignation on a number of occasions.
In the second batch of episodes, a reshuffle is in the offing, and the series follows the minister's attempts to keep his job. Olly is seconded to Number 10 "to phone his girlfriend" Emma Messinger, who happens to be a member of the shadow defence policy team, where he is under the close eye of enforcer Jamie. Meanwhile, Terri Coverley is on compassionate leave following the death of her father, leaving her role to Robyn Murdoch, a Senior Press Officer. The department also has to contend with the interference of the Prime Minister's "Blue Skies" adviser Julius Nicholson. The minister and the department survive the reshuffle, with the department being rebranded as the "Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship" and moved to a new building. However, the mistakes and compromises continue.
Specials
In the two specials, following the Christmas break, Hugh Abbot is in Australia and the department has to "babysit" Junior Minister for Immigration Ben Swain, who is described as a "nutter" (a supporter of prime-minister-in-waiting Tom Davis). The first special revolves around a computer problem at Immigration, which is exacerbated by the junior minister appearing in a disastrous Newsnight interview. The opposition policy advisor Emma Messinger capitalises on the error by stealing an idea from Ollie Reader, her boyfriend, to send the shadow minister Peter Mannion on a factfinding mission at an immigration centre. Meanwhile, Malcolm Tucker is concerned about his position in the government after speculating that the Prime Minister's handover to Tom Davis is expected in less than six months. Tucker conspires with Ollie to leak the Prime Minister's "legacy programme" (the PM's plan to move the handling of immigration policy to a non-political executive board) in the hope of stalling his departure, inadvertently leading the PM to resign early. The next episode follows a single night of "spin", as advisers, junior politicians and enforcers all try to better their position during the transition.
Series three
In series three, Hugh Abbot is replaced as minister by Nicola Murray, played by Rebecca Front. She is an unexpected, last-minute choice for the position, and given her inexperience and lack of staff, she is forced to retain Olly and Glenn as her advisors. The series continues to focus on the general running, or mis-running, of DoSAC, with Murray's attempts to formulate her "Fourth Sector Pathfinder Initiative" being a running thread throughout the series. However, with the cloud of the forthcoming general election and tension at 10 Downing Street looming, the series also broadened its scope to include episodes set at the annual party conference and BBC Radio 5Live. We also see more of Murray's opposite number, Peter Mannion, and other members of the Opposition first seen in the 2007 specials. The gradual breakdown of Malcolm Tucker and appearance of new threats to his dominance are also major plotlines.
Characters
See also: List of The Thick of It characters
Most episodes focus on the department's incumbent minister and a core cast of advisors and civil servants, under the watchful eye of Number 10's enforcer, Malcolm Tucker. However, over its run, the series has developed a large cast of additional characters, who form the government, opposition, as well as members of the media.
Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) is the aggressive, profane and feared Director of Communications for the Government. He serves two main roles: acting as the Prime Minister's enforcer to ensure the cabinet ministers all follow the party line, and managing the government's crisis management PR, usually in the form of spin. He regularly uses smears or threats of violence to achieve his ends. Tucker also appears in In the Loop.
Hugh Abbot MP (Chris Langham) is the Secretary of State for Social Affairs (later Social Affairs and Citizenship) in series 1 and 2. He is an inept Cabinet Minister who is generally out-of-touch with his electorate. While he believes he has some influence, he often finds himself at the mercy of events and bearing the brunt of Tucker's vitriol. He reads the New Statesman and has two children, Alicia and Charlie, whom he barely sees. Although he survives the cabinet reshuffle of series 2, he does not appear in the programme again and is replaced by Nicola Murray in a subsequent reshuffle at the beginning of series 3.
Nicola Murray MP (Rebecca Front) replaces Hugh Abbot for series 3. She is promoted to Social Affairs and Citizenship Secretary as a last-minute choice in a government reshuffle in the run up to a general election. Inexperienced and naive, she begins her tenure poorly with a number of public embarrassments over her husband's career. She also finds it difficult to maintain a healthy balance between her home and work lives, conflicting with Tucker when he demands that she send her daughter to a comprehensive school, rather than her preferred choice of an independent school. Relatively powerless in the Cabinet, her dour public image, largely encouraged by Tucker, leads her to be referred to as "glummy mummy".
Glenn Cullen (James Smith) is Senior Special Adviser to the minister. A long-standing friend of Hugh's since the campaign days, he acts as his chief adviser. He is generally politically adept, often being a voice of sense within the series, although due to his age is often ignored and emasculated by younger members of staff. Despite a number of mishaps, such as swearing at a member of the public who confronts Abbot, he keeps his job due to his loyalty to Hugh. Following Hugh's departure, he expects to retire, but is unexpectedly kept on as advisor to Nicola Murray. His home life is troubled, being divorced and with a disabled son. Originally intending to run for parliament at the next election, working with the disastrous new minister leads to him being refused permission to run as an MP.
Oliver "Olly" Reeder (Chris Addison) is a special adviser to the Secretary of State (formerly Junior Policy Adviser) to Hugh Abbot and his replacement, Nicola Murray. An Oxbridge graduate, he is arrogant, inept, inexperienced, somewhat gawky and is often inadvertently the cause of departmental mistakes. However, the minister often takes up his ideas believing them to be vote-winners. He was seconded to 10 Downing Street after he slept with an opposition party worker and was told to use his relationship to gather information on opposition party policy. He is described by Terri as "a bit morally bankrupt".
Terri Coverley (Joanna Scanlan) is Director of Communications for the department. Notionally responsible for press relations at DoSAC, Coverley was Head of Press recruited from supermarket chain Waitrose as part of an ill-advised scheme to make government run like a business.. Professional but prudish, she is often left to "mop up" the bad press garnered by the department. As a civil servant, compared to the MPs and advisors she is relatively safe in her job, a fact which she repeatedly states to their annoyance. She takes a leave of absence during series 2 due to the death of her father.
Episodes
Main article: List of The Thick of It episodes
The first run of three episodes screened on BBC Four from 19 May 2005. A further three episodes were transmitted 20 October 3 November 2005. The six episodes were repeated on BBC Two in early 2006, and later on BBC America together as a single series. The subsequent DVD release of all six episodes calls them The Complete First Series.
An hour-long Christmas special, "The Rise of the Nutters", aired in January 2007 with a further ten episodes planned for later on in the year. However, Chris Langham did not reprise his role as Hugh Abbot, due to legal allegations against him, and his subsequent conviction has ruled him out of any further roles. To fill this void, Iannucci introduced new characters into the series forming the opposition.
Another one-off hour-long episode "Spinners and Losers" aired on 3 July 2007. It was followed by a 15 minute extra episode through BBC Red Button, following the same story from the opposition's point of view.
For Series 3, transmission switched to BBC Two, with subsequent repeats on BBC Four. The series ran for eight episodes from 24 October 2009 to 12 December 2009. As a Red Button extra, each episode had an accompanying 10 minute documentary titled Out of The Thick of It broadcast immediately afterwards and on the BBC Comedy website, which featured cut scenes, specially written scenes and, later, discussion of the programme by the series' writers, makers and with figures involved in British politics.
American adaptation
Main article: The Thick of It (US TV series)
On 27 October 2006, it was announced that The Thick of It would be adapted for American television, focusing on the daily lives of a low-level member of the United States Congress and his staff. Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz would be the executive producer, along with Armando Iannucci and Richard Day. The pilot was directed by Christopher Guest, and produced by Sony Pictures and BBC Worldwide. The cast included John Michael Higgins, Oliver Platt, Michael McKean, Alex Borstein, and Wayne Wilderson.
ABC did not pick up the show for its 2007 Autumn schedule, Iannucci distanced himself from the pilot stating "It was terrible...they took the idea and chucked out all the style. It was all conventionally shot and there was no improvisation or swearing. It didn't get picked up, thank god." Other networks including HBO, Showtime, and NBC expressed interest in the show, and in April 2009, Iannucci re-entered talks with HBO over the possibility of an American adaptation.
In the Loop
Main article: In the Loop (film)
The title card of In The Loop
In May 2008, the BBC issued a press release stating that filming had commenced on a feature length adaption named In the Loop starring Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Chris Addison, Peter Capaldi, Gina McKee and Steve Coogan.
In the Loop premiered in the US at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and in the UK at the 2009 Glasgow Film Festival. It was released on 17 April 2009 in the United Kingdom. Although many of the cast return, the only actual returning characters are Malcolm Tucker, Jamie (given the surname "McDonald" for the film) and a very brief cameo from Samantha Harrington as Malcolm's secretary Sam, with series regulars Chris Addison, James Smith, Joanna Scanlan, Alex MacQueen, Olivia Poulet, Eve Matheson, and Will Smith playing new characters altogether.
See also
Politics in fiction
List of British TV shows remade for the American market
Yes Minister
The New Statesman
References
^ British Comedy Awards 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ Awards at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ a b c Interview with Armando Iannucci, at bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
^ Alastair Campbell, "Was I offended by this brutal spinmeister? No. I was bored" in The Guardian, 24-03-2009
^ Parker, Robin (6 April 2009). "The Thick of It to return". Broadcast. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/multi-platform/news/the-thick-of-it-to-return/2016613.article. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
^ "The Thick Of It back for a new series on BBC Two". BBC Press Office. 2009-04-27. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2009/04_april/27/thick.shtml. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
^ Iannucci, Armando (14 October 2009). "New series of Thick of It starts on BBC2. Saturday 24th Oct, at 10.10pm. Will be repeated later each week on BBC FOUR.". Twitter. http://twitter.com/AIannucci/status/4861933882. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
^ BBC Programmes - The Thick of It: Series 3: Episode 1
^ Britain's Best Sitcom, bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 24 January 2009
^ Armstrong, Stephen (16 July 2006). "Television: Why our sitcoms need to pack a punch". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article686618.ece. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
^ Cast list at the Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
^ Interview with Armando Iannucci atUncut.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2007.
^ Above and Beyond, interview with Chris Addison by David Whitehouse in The London Paper, Wednesday 20 December 2006
^ BBC Press Release. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
^ a b The new PM is variously called Davies and Davis in reasonably authoritative sources. A newspaper draft in the second special clearly reads Davis, however.
^ a b c d e The Characters of series 1, BBC Press Release 08.12.2005
^ Series 1, episode 6
^ Character profile at bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 7/12/09
^ Series 3, episode 6
^ Character profile at bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 7/12/09
^ Series 3, episode 1
^ Series One, Episode Two
^ Character profile at bbc.co.uk, URL accessed 7/12/09
^ Paramount Comedy.com. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ BBC Press Release. Retrieved 21 June 2007.
^ Hollywood Reporter.com. Retrieved 4 January 2007.
^ "Christopher Guest Jumps Into 'The Thick of It'". Zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-christopherguestdirectingthethickofit,0,7175185.story?track=rss. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ "Platt, 'Piz' Pluck Pilot Parts". Zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-pilotcasting-oliverplattchrislowell,0,2672707.story?track=rss. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ "'Gilmore' Regular Joins ABC Pilot". Zap2it.com. http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-gilmoregirlsmelissamccarthyjoinsabcpilot,0,3297088.story?track=rss. Retrieved 2007-03-16.
^ "Sometimes buzz about TV pilots is just a lot of hot air". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/05/21/DDG0MPU2QM1.DTL. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
^ a b Rosser, Michael (2009-04-24). "Iannacci in talks with HBO over US Thick of It". Broadcast. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/2009/04/iannacci_in_talks_with_hbo_over_us_thick_of_it.html. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
^ "Rejected by ABC, political satire sparks interest". Reuters. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070604/tv_nm/thick_dc. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
^ BBC Press Office - Principal photography commences on Armando Iannucci's In the Loop , URL accessed 19 May 2008
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^ Ambrose Heron. "UK Release Date for In The Loop". FILMdetail. http://www.filmdetail.com/archives/2009/01/30/uk-release-date-for-in-the-loop/. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Thick Of It
The Thick of It at BBC Programmes
The Thick of It - Archived BBC Four website
The Thick of It at BBC Comedy
The Thick of It at the British Comedy Guide
The Thick of It at the Internet Movie Database
In the Loop at the Internet Movie Database
Videos
The Thick of It Special - Armando Iannucci - BBC Four on BBC YouTube channel
The Thick of It: Spinners and Losers - The Opposition - BBC Four on BBC YouTube channel
The Thick of It at TV.com
Categories: 2005 television series debuts | 2000s British television series | 2005 in television | 2005 in British television | BBC television sitcoms | Political television series | Satirical television programmes | The Thick of ItHidden categories: All articles with dead external links | Articles with dead external links from November 2009