The Thick of it

A government department tries to survive the next headline in The Thick of It. Policy often has to wait while ministers and advisers work out what somebody has said, who heard it and how quickly they can change the explanation.

Peter Capaldi's Malcolm Tucker gives the series its most intimidating presence, but the comedy depends on the entire office's nervous cooperation. People compete to sound decisive while privately trying to find the person who knows what is happening. Armando Iannucci's small, crowded scenes make that confusion feel immediate.

The language is exceptionally strong, and the pace rewards attention. Underneath the verbal attacks is a precise workplace comedy about insecurity and responsibility nobody wants to accept. It is sharper and less reassuring than The West Wing, with a very different view of what fills a political working day.