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The Thick of It (2005)

2005 · Comedy · political-satire, workplace-prestige

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The Thick of It is a razor-sharp British political satire filmed in a handheld mockumentary style, set inside the corridors of a fictional UK government department perpetually under siege from spin doctors, media pressure, and internal party warfare. Its engine is verbal: dense, profane, machine-gun dialogue delivered by a cast of supremely skilled comic actors, anchored by Peter Capaldi's career-defining turn as the volcanic communications enforcer Malcolm Tucker. Armando Iannucci's scripts are simultaneously hilarious and analytically acute about how modern political media management actually works — so accurate that the show reportedly predicted real Westminster events. Though formally a sitcom, it is routinely placed by reviewers alongside prestige drama as one of the finest British television achievements of the 2000s.

From the reviewers

Peter Capaldi is a force of nature as Malcolm Tucker! His ability the rip a person apart and yet get them to buy-in with ideas is a work of art.
The creativity displayed in the ways Tucker finds in insulting people is off-the-chart brilliant. One of the most memorable characters in TV history.
Not only does it work as a comedy, but it turns out to be a tremendously powerful piece of drama. Full marks to the cast, who give a powerhouse performance that is absolutely staggering.
the stories are very realistic and on some occasions this show has even managed to predict an actual occurrence in Westminster before it has actually happened, that is how intelligent this show is.
If you knew nothing about what this was and stumbled upon almost any scene for a minute or so, you'd swear you were watching a political drama.

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