Paperjam

The Thick of It - Christmas Special

TV // Steve // 9th January 2007

There was precisely fuck-all special about most of the Christmas telly schedule, but my frightening and vengeful God, we were looking forward to political satire-thing The Thick Of It.

Brutal. It's the only word for it really. It's possibly the only programme on telly (apart from Channel 5's "The Girl's Guide to Sex", which would merely be revision, anyway) that makes paper-jam Jim wish that the aerial socket in his flat wasn't just connected to a pigeon's arse on the roof.

If you haven't seen the two, oddly short series 1 and 2 (3 episodes each, both out on DVD this spring) - it's from the twisted mind of Armando Iannucci, who has described it as "Yes Minister meets Goodfellas". Which is spot on. Except there's more swearing-per-square second than "Goodfellas", or almost anything. And it's quality swearing.

Don't let anyone, including my parents, tell you that there is too much swearing in it. That's titwank.

Chris Langham who plays/played the slightly rubbish junior minister is, ahem, away on gardening leave while they work out what exactly he's been up to in his spare time with those photographs and some children.

This episode was meant to focus more on the opposition, but as ever, it's all about the brilliant, scheming evil Malcolm Tucker, played by Peter Capaldi. Tucker won't use one swearword where twelve will do, and he relishes every single one of them.

In this episode it's actually Jamie, his Scots assistant, that's even more harsh, asking Peter Mannion (Roger Allam, on form) "were you the forced abortion, or the lovechild? Or the guy that asphixiated himself with a kiwi?". He also excels himself with a particularly graphic description of the unusually forceful method he would use to play a colleagues' iPod.

Everyone is either a colossal shit or twisted out of shape by the bullying and general brutality. There's a surprise ending, and hopefully it'll lead to a quick full third series (um, with 6 episodes this time, please?) including the opposition, especially Roger Allam, who plays a wonderfully confused shadow minister.

It's repeated Wednesday 10th Jan at 10pm on BBC4, and Late Review presenter person Mark Lawson interviews Iannucci afterwards.

More info over at ye old BBC, and some naughty (shh) clips of previous series over at Youtube.