All About "The Thick of It"

Armando Iannucci's satirical political comedy debuted on BBC4 in 2005. Two series, comprising of three episodes each, have now been shown as well as two hour-long specials; one focusing on the opposition party and the other on the fall-out following the Prime Minister's resignation.

Described by creator Iannucci as "Yes Minister meets Larry Sanders", The Thick of It unveils the inner workings of the corridors of power. The comedy is set around the fictional Department of Social Affairs, a 'Super Department' created out of the Prime Minister's passing enthusiasm for 'joined-up government'. Unfortunately for those working in it the PM's patronage has moved on and it is no longer so powerful: in fact maybe even in danger of being dismembered. It is up-to Hugh Abbot and his team of spin-doctors to somehow keep the department from embarrassing itself enough to be eliminated!

The show initially focused upon Hugh Abbot (Chris Langham), the put-upon MP who was dependent on his not-so-reliable team of civil servants and was continually being harassed by Number 10's foul-mouthed policy enforcer Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi).

The recent 2007 specials were somewhat of a departure from this premise. The reason being Chris Langham was un-available for filming due to a high-profile child pornography court case. It is generally agreed the production team did a great job of keeping the show going without the main star; in fact many would say the latest two specials were the best episodes yet.

The 2007 New Year's special - 'The Rise of the Nutters' - focused upon the opposition party. The plot was that Hugh Abbott was away in Australia and thus the was coast clear for shadow minister Peter Mannion and his team over at Opposition HQ to float a few new policies.

The summer special, subtitled 'Spinners and Losers', picked up where the New Year's special left off: the Prime Minister's unexpected announcement that he was resigning. Spin doctor Malcolm Tucker had just 17 hours to sort out a replacement and save his career. It was a well-timed episode as Tony Blair had just resigned for real.

What makes The Thick of It fairly unique is that the writing team (which includes am Bain, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell and Tony Roche) lay down a fantastic premise and then the cast improvise around this. The result being the very realistic feel that none of the characters quite know what they're doing.

The Thick of It is for many compulsive, hilarious and often painful viewing. It certainly hit the ground running in 2005 winning the British Comedy Award for Best New Comedy. The show also possibly holds the record for the most use of the F word in a British comedy - there are profanities everywhere!

Six new half-hour episodes are planned, however following the jailing of Chris Langham, there is now some confusion as to when these will be filmed (it was assumed that Langham could return to the show but this now clearly not the case).