The Thick of It

Production

Armando Iannucci conceived the series after arguing the case for Yes Minister in a documentary for a 2004 BBC Two poll. Re-watching the older sitcom, he saw that while its political issues remained relevant, ministers were now constrained less by the Civil Service than by pressure from 10 Downing Street. Research with policy makers and journalists revealed that responsibility was increasingly given to recently graduated special advisers. BBC Four controller Roly Keating commissioned the show with a budget of £100,000, which Iannucci later said forced an experimental approach.

The first series of three episodes aired in May–June 2005, followed by a second three-episode series in October. The writing team, led by Iannucci, included Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Ian Martin, Will Smith and Tony Roche. Some dialogue was improvised, with the cast credited for additional material; Peter Capaldi estimated that 80% of the final cut came from the original script. Ian Martin served as a swearing consultant, adding colourful language before rehearsals.

Episodes

The first series follows Hugh Abbot as the new Secretary of State for Social Affairs after Cliff Lawton is ousted due to press pressure. Abbot tries to make his mark while avoiding the ire of Malcolm Tucker, the Government's Director of Communications. He misinterprets the Prime Minister's support for a benefit fraud detection unit called the 'Snooper Force', and when Malcolm learns the Treasury was bypassed, Abbot and his advisors have forty minutes to improvise a policy for a press briefing.

Later, Abbot is forced to watch clips from EastEnders and The Bill to enhance his cultural knowledge, only to find an extra was part of a focus group that influenced a policy decision. In the finale, the press discovers Abbot is keeping a second property empty by listing it and rejecting all offers, nearly forcing his resignation. The second series occurs before a cabinet reshuffle, with Ollie Reeder seconded to number 10, Terri Coverley on compassionate leave, and the department dealing with the prime minister's adviser Julius Nicholson. The department survives the reshuffle, rebranded as the Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship.

Reception

The Thick of It received critical acclaim during its original run. On Metacritic, the first series holds a score of 90 out of 100 based on 4 reviews, indicating universal acclaim. Entertainment Weekly gave the series a grade of A−, with reviewer Alynda Wheat calling it a sly Britcom resembling a C-SPAN spin-off of The Office. Margy Rochlin in The New York Times described it as urgently authentic, with a news-as-it-happens visual style where actors are often half in frame. The DVD of the first two series received a perfect score from Empire magazine, with critic William Thomas calling it the finest shot of pitch-black comic vitriol aimed at Whitehall in many a moon. A DVD of the post-series 2 specials also received a perfect score from Den of Geek's Gary Andrews, who noted that what makes the show watchable is the feeling that events could have happened behind the scenes at Westminster.

Spin-offs

In May 2008, the BBC announced filming had commenced on a feature-length adaptation named In the Loop, starring Peter Capaldi, Tom Hollander, James Gandolfini, Anna Chlumsky, Chris Addison, Gina McKee and Steve Coogan. The film follows the International Development minister after an inadvertent comment leads to him being used as a puppet by the US president and the prime minister to launch a war in the Middle East. The film premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and the 2009 Glasgow Film Festival, and was released in the UK on 17 April 2009.

It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2010. An American adaptation was announced in October 2006, focusing on a low-level US congressman and his staff, with Mitch Hurwitz as executive producer and Christopher Guest directing. ABC did not pick up the show for its 2007 autumn schedule; Iannucci called the pilot terrible and distanced himself from it. HBO later expressed interest, and in April 2009 Iannucci re-entered talks with them.