--- title: "The Thick of It" year: 2005 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it" fi1m_id: "the-thick-of-it" imdb_id: "tt0459159" tmdb_id: 4507 wikidata_id: "Q568201" fi1m_score: 94 critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-13" review_updated: "2026-10-03" updated: "2026-10-03T21:24:57.543000+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Thick of It (2005) Created by Armando Iannucci · 30m · MPA TV-MA · Comedy ## Identity The Thick of It - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** the-thick-of-it - **IMDb ID:** tt0459159 - **TMDB ID:** 4507 - **Wikidata ID:** Q568201 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459159/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/4507, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q568201 **Fi1m score: 94** · Critics 81 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* The government is in a meeting, and nobody is coming out of it with their dignity > *The Thick of It* is a sharply acted political comedy that makes ministerial chaos both funny and unpleasant. Peter Capaldi deserves the attention, though the ensemble supplies the variety that its relentless abuse sometimes lacks. ## Synopsis *The Thick of It* follows the confusion surrounding ministers and spin doctors in Whitehall. Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), a foul-mouthed political enforcer, is at the centre of the pressure and abuse. The comedy observes ministerial life at close quarters, with the business of government entangled in the management of its public image. Chris Langham plays Hugh Abbot, Rebecca Front plays Nicola Murray, and Chris Addison plays Olly Reeder. Joanna Scanlan, James Smith and Roger Allam also appear as Terri Coverley, Glenn Cullen and Peter Mannion. ## Review *The Thick of It* treats ministerial chaos as a working environment that everyone has learnt to tolerate. Armando Iannucci and his fellow writers find comedy in people trying to conduct government business under the attentions of a foul-mouthed enforcer. It is a sharply written comedy with an excellent ensemble, and we recommend it. The Whitehall setting supplies a ready target, but the pressure becomes particularly uncomfortable when it starts to resemble an ordinary day at work. Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Jesse Armstrong and Ian Martin are among the writers, and the dialogue has the confidence to sound untidy. The scripts leave room for improvisation, allowing the performers to make the confusion feel unplanned. That looseness works particularly well in a satire about spin, where even a carefully chosen phrase can get its speaker into trouble. The abuse is skilfully written, though the more rewarding comedy comes from the difficulty of getting through an exchange without making matters worse. Peter Capaldi’s Malcolm Tucker is the obvious attraction, and he earns the attention. We laughed at his abuse and disliked how readily we had joined in. Capaldi makes the enforcer’s foul language funny without making his presence comfortable; the fear is as important as the phrasing. His performance gives the ministerial panic a credible cause, so the swearing does not become merely a competition to find another offensive word. Chris Langham makes Hugh Abbot’s discomfort funny without appearing to have prepared a joke. Rebecca Front brings enough feeling to Nicola Murray for the pressure to hurt, while Chris Addison’s Olly Reeder invites considerably less sympathy. Joanna Scanlan makes Terri Coverley’s restraint funny in its own right, and James Smith gives Glenn Cullen’s indignation some weight. Roger Allam’s Peter Mannion offers a welcome change of pace from the panic. Their reactions help the insults register as something being done to people, which matters in a programme so ready to let us enjoy them. The directors include Iannucci, Becky Martin and Natalie Bailey, and the fly-on-the-wall approach suits people who have little chance to compose themselves. The apparent informality makes the writing’s precision less conspicuous, so a prepared humiliation can feel as if it has happened by accident. It also keeps the ensemble important: our interest need not stop with whoever has the sharpest line. The ministerial disorder feels credible because the performances and the observational style agree about how little dignity these exchanges should have. The weakness is repetition. Once verbal punishment becomes the expected outcome, some of the surprise goes, and Tucker can make the surrounding people seem less interesting than they are. The comparison with *Yes Minister* is useful as a guide to the subject, but it should not suggest an evening of comfortable political amusement. This programme’s aggression can become wearing, and there are stretches when we want more variation in the pressure rather than another demonstration of how well Capaldi can apply it. There is no need to be fluent in Whitehall procedure to recognise the misery of being answerable to somebody like Tucker. An appetite for cruel comedy matters more, along with a tolerance for language that earns the 18 certificate. Give it half an hour, but perhaps not immediately after a difficult day at the office. *Fi1m score 94, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are close to unanimous: seven of eight are warm. Critics call the series a political satire for the age of the spin doctor, a Yes, Minister with the manners removed, and praise the way its semi-improvised, fly-on-the-wall style makes ministerial chaos ring true. The praise gathers almost entirely around Peter Capaldi’s Malcolm Tucker, whose inventive swearing and the fear he spreads through every corridor are named again and again as the show’s engine. The one real dissent comes from the Telegraph, which finds the later series still funny but diminished, an echo of its earlier self once the move to coalition politics leaves Tucker without a peak to occupy. Elsewhere the reservations are slight: Radio Times notes a tonal shift in the finale, and several critics writing after 2012 spend as much time on the show’s influence over later satires as on the episodes themselves. The spread is narrow, apart from that single outlier. ## Straight answers **Is The Thick of It worth watching?** *The Thick of It* is worth watching for anyone with an appetite for cruel political comedy, and we scored it 89. Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker is the draw, and the ensemble around him makes the abuse land as something done to people. The one weakness is repetition: once punishment becomes the expected outcome, some of the surprise goes. **How long is The Thick of It, and what is it rated?** *The Thick of It* has episodes of about 30m and is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy series. **Where can I watch The Thick of It in the US?** *The Thick of It* is streaming on BritBox, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV in the US, and it is also available to buy from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Thick of It, and is it suitable for children?** *The Thick of It* is not suitable for children, and its 18 certificate is earned by language rather than violence. There is nothing frightening in the horror sense, but the swearing is relentless and the humiliation of ministers and advisers is meant to be uncomfortable as well as funny. Anyone who finds sustained verbal abuse wearing should approach with care. **What should I watch after The Thick of It?** After *The Thick of It*, try [*Yes Minister*](https://film.one/tv/yes-minister) (1980, Fi1m 89): For more Whitehall obstruction, delivered with immaculate courtesy and fewer obscenities. Then [*Borgen*](https://film.one/tv/borgen) (2010, Fi1m 84): A less corrosive account of political compromise, with room for private lives; and [*Office Space*](https://film.one/film/office-space) (1999, Fi1m 80): A workplace comedy for anyone who recognises the exhaustion beneath the swearing. ### Reviews we read (8) - **The Guardian**, Kathryn Flett (95/100, inferred): The critic finds Armando Iannucci's political satire a triumphant Yes, Minister for the cynical age of spin doctors, profoundly unmissable and one of the funniest things on television. She singles out the pitch-perfect portrayal of the foul-mouthed enforcer Malcolm Tucker and the frantic, authentic detail of ministerial chaos for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2005/may/22/features.review57) - **Empire**, William Thomas (90/100, inferred): The Thick of It delivers the finest pitch-black comic vitriol aimed at Whitehall in years, a welcome upgrade on earlier political satires like Yes, Minister. It excels through its fly-on-the-wall style, improvisation from a tight script, and standout performances, especially Peter Capaldi as the fearsome Malcolm Tucker. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/thick-review/) - **The Times** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the show as superbly acted and semi-improvised, highlighting its ring-true details of spin-obsessed government and the hailstorm of expletives that capture the behind-closed-doors reality. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/last-nights-tv-x2x66khdk59) - **Vulture** (90/100, inferred): The critic hails the series as hilariously obscene political satire, far superior to its US remake Veep, with Malcolm Tucker as its explosive comic centerpiece. It singles out the inventive swearing, PR disasters, and sharp character work for praise. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2012/09/the-thick-of-it-the-most-perfectly-obscene-tv-show-ever.html) - **The AV Club**, David Sims (85/100, inferred): The review highlights the show's realistic yet farcical portrayal of government dysfunction and the palpable fear inspired by Malcolm Tucker. It notes that even the formidable spin doctor is fallible. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-thick-of-it-series-1-episodes-1-and-2-1798172990) - **Radio Times**, Jack Seale (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the series' sharp satirical point that politicians and spin doctors operate in a bubble with no regard for the electorate. The finale is noted for its tonal shift and fitting exit for Malcolm Tucker. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/that-week-on-tv-the-year-the-town-hall-shrank-bbc4-the-thick-of-it-bbc2/) - **The Telegraph**, Michael Deacon (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the return of the series still funny but diminished without Malcolm Tucker at his peak, feeling like an echo of its former self amid the shift to coalition politics. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9529415/The-Thick-of-It-BBC-Two-review.html) - **Collider**, Greer Riddell (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the series a gloriously cynical workplace sitcom that holds up a mirror to British politics and its 'omnishambles.' Malcolm Tucker's profane, blistering dialogue and the show's believable disasters are singled out for praise, along with its lasting influence on later political satires. [Read](https://collider.com/the-thick-of-it-political-satire-sitcom/) ## Details - **Created by:** Armando Iannucci - **Creator:** Armando Iannucci - **Director:** Armando Iannucci, Natalie Bailey, Billy Sneddon, Tony Roche, Becky Martin, Chris Addison - **Writer:** Ian Martin, Will Smith, Sean Gray, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche, Jesse Armstrong, Armando Iannucci, Roger Drew, Sam Bain - **Producer:** Adam Tandy, Armando Iannucci, Natalie Bailey - **Cast:** Chris Langham as Hugh Abbot; Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker; Rebecca Front as Nicola Murray; Chris Addison as Olly Reeder; Joanna Scanlan as Terri Coverley; James Smith as Glenn Cullen; Roger Allam as Peter Mannion; Morwenna Banks as Mary - **Runtime:** 30m - **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA - **Release (the US):** 19 May 2005 - **Genres:** Comedy - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtJVXcuHssI ## Where to watch in the US - BritBox: streaming, hd - Peacock: streaming, hd - Peacock: free, hd - The Roku Channel: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Apple TV: add-on, sd - Amazon Prime Video: buy, hd - Apple TV: buy, sd *Checked 2026-09-13.* Also available in: AT, AU, CA, DE, FR, GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Yes Minister* (1980), Fi1m 89: For more Whitehall obstruction, delivered with immaculate courtesy and fewer obscenities — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/yes-minister.md) - *Borgen* (2010), Fi1m 84: A less corrosive account of political compromise, with room for private lives — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/borgen.md) - *The Firemen's Ball* (1967): A Czech committee makes public service look hopeless, one small embarrassment at a time - *Office Space* (1999), Fi1m 80: A workplace comedy for anyone who recognises the exhaustion beneath the swearing — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/office-space.md) - *The Death of Stalin* (2017), Fi1m 83: Iannucci takes bureaucratic panic somewhere deadlier, without losing sight of the absurdity — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it