Spin, Swearing and Slapstick: The Thick of It
The Thick of It, devised, co directed and co written by Armando Iannucci and broadcast by the BBC,1 is the most popular and critically acclaimed political sitcom of the early twenty first century. It presents the rather minor Department for Social Affairs and Citizenship (DoSAC)2 run by a succession of mediocre ministers Hugh Abbot (Chris Langham) Nicola Murray (Rebecca Front) Peter Mannion (Roger Allam) and Fergus Williams (Geoffrey Streatfeild) While ministers come and go, the protagonist remains the same: head of communications Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) who has turned swearing into a fine art and bullying into a spectator sport. The mixture of satire, colourful expletives and well made sitcom has won over audience and critics alike. The Thick of It was awarded the BAFTA for Best Situation Comedy in 2006 and 2010. Chris Langham received a BAFTA for best comedy performance in 2006, and so did Peter Capaldi and Rebecca Front in 2010. In 2012, the latter two actors also received British Comedy Awards.