History Series / TheThickOfIt

-->'''Olly Reeder''': "When I met you this morning I thought you were the ''nice'' Scot"-

** [[FatIdiot Ben Swain]] is another big eater, with his "Magic Drawer" full of chocolate:

* [[BitchInSheepsClothing Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]]: It's a paper-thin disguise in ''[[BerserkButton Steve]]'' Fleming's case.

* BritishNewspapers: Malcolm's raison d'etre is to get them to print what he wants, when he wants. Angela Heaney, "the twatbubble from the ''Standard''", is usually pretty compliant (but becomes less so when she moves to the ''Daily Mail'').

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* CannotTellAJoke: Nicola: "Thank our fucky stars for that" ** tumbleweeds blow past**

* ComplimentBackfire: "You're like a female John Major." Ouch.

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* [[DontExplainTheJoke Don't Explain The Joke]]: Someone desperately needs to explain this concept to new press officer John Duggan.

* [[DudeWheresMyRespect Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: Malcolm has fought ''so hard'' for the party. If ''The Missing [=DoSAC=] Files'' are to be believed, however, no one has an ounce of respect for him after the election. The e-mail exchange regarding the titular missing files is also indicative that people aren't taking Malcolm very seriously anymore. The replies are snarky almost down to the last man. It's still hard to picture the characters saying any of those things to his face, however... and Ollie seems appropriately scared piss-less.
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** Paul Higgins, the actor who plays Jamie, also has his fair share of admirers in the fandom. It's those big blue eyes. Also, being in [[HoYay the 'Caledonian Mafia']] with Malcolm helps.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Olly cluelessly wandering into shot during Terri's public apology over the e-mail fracas.
** Malcolm's wall-bouncing arrival to Hugh's interview with Angela Heaney, and the barely-muted Atomic Cluster F-Bomb bollocking that he then assaults Hugh with, while in the foreground, Terri calmly asks Angela if she wants any coffee or biscuits.
** Jamie is the king of this trope. In [=S1E4=] he's often seen in the background tag-teaming victims with Malcolm, shoving people around (even women), and at one point becomes literally hopping mad. In the first special he entertains us by fellating his pen behind Julius Nicholson's back.

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* [[HesBack He's Back]]: [[spoiler: Back from being sacked, Malcolm]] as he strides down the stairs, barking orders and mobilising Number 10.

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* [[ImStandingRightHere I'm Standing Right Here]]: "Watch my lips: ''Cal Richards is not here''- Cal!"

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* [[MenDontCry Men Don't Cry]]: Played straight with Malcolm. Throughout series three there are several points where he is almost, but not quite, driven to tears. In episode eight an EyeTake reveals his red-rimmed eyes, and we can assume he saved his crying for an off-camera moment.

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* NoPartyGiven: We have the government and the opposition. Neither is ever identified by name or policy as being Labour or Conservative. But it's easy to guess who's who.

** And taking a dump is Hugh's special treat.

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** This carried over to one of Chris Addison's apearances on ''HaveIGotNewsForYou'', when TomBaker referred to him as "the boy": "I'm thirty-six! I'm ''thirty-six,'' Tom Baker!"

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** In the book they sign emails to each other as M x and S x.

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* RousingSpeech: Malcolm and The Fucker both deliver Patton-style pep talk speeches to their underlings at the climax of season three. Malcolm's is met with rousing applause and celebration, while The Fucker's ends in silence and gloom. Compare them yourself:

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* {{Scandalgate}}: Flatgate, despite Terri pointing out that NottingHill-Gate would be a lot cleverer.

--->'''Nicola''': "You're not [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Lyman Josh]], Olly, just write the fucking speech."

* [[SomebodyElsesProblem Somebody Else's Problem]]: [=NoMFuP=].

** Another foray: "I know that these are hard times for print journalists, yeah? I mean, I read that on the internet..."

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** There is also something of a gulf between Olly's opinion of himself and his abilities and everyone else's opinion of him and his abilities.

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** Peter Mannion openly hates Stewart Pearson, but even he's not sure about The Fucker replacing him - or as Stewart tells him: "[[BetterTheDevilYouKnow better the devil you know]], eh?"

--> "Lying on your back getting fed nutrients through a tube? That's my idea of a fuckin' holiday" - '''Malcolm Tucker'''

* [[WouldntHitAGirl Wouldn't Hit A Girl]]: Malcolm claims he wouldn't hit a woman. Of course, this doesn't stop him from [[spoiler:punching Glenn]]
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* [[YankTheDogsChain Yank the Dog's Chain]]: [[ButtMonkey Peter Mannion]] does an emphatically [[strike:noble]] decent thing by refusing to use Nicola's daughter's school troubles to his side's advantage. As he maintains to Stewart that they'll conduct themselves honourably, Malcolm is over at Number 10 convincing Nicola that there's no such thing as honour, which culminates in Nicola calling Mannion to tell him that nothing in his personal life is off-limits. Cue gloating from Stewart. Poor Peter.

-->'''Nicola Murray:''' Oh great, someone's just sent me a YouTube clip, which is me in front of the "I AM BENT" sign randomly intercut with bits from ''FamilyGuy''. It's not even funny! Why do people ''fucking'' do that on YouTube?

** Malcolm again: [[TheProfessionals "Bodie, Doyle, you go round the back!"]] Malcolm seems to be a fan of shows set in TheSeventies.

** By series 3 Malcolm has become something of a JerkAssWoobie, though he'd probably resent [[DontYouDarePityMe being referred to as such]] -- he likes to think of himself more as a thin, white Mugabe.

* IceCreamKoan: "Knowledge is porridge". Stewart Pearson speaks entirely in meaningless PR buzzwords.

** "Christ, Malcolm, how do you appear out of nowhere in a building made entirely out of glass?" "I'm a shapeshifter!"

** "Scruples? What are they? Those low-fat Kettle Chips?"

-->'''Nicola Murray''': "That's what this is all about for you isn't it? Fighting and fucking ''power''! Does it never occur to you that your poisonous, male obsession with conflict is making people despise politics?"
--> '''Malcolm Tucker''': "Spare me your fuckin' psycho-fanny!"

* MrFanservice: Peter Capaldi has a sizeable EstrogenBrigade, comprised mainly of [[GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave women half his age]] and ''[[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/nov/22/chart-of-lust-2009 Guardian]]'' [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2010/feb/21/red-carpet-fashion-baftas?picture=359582994 journalists]]. Many of those fans admit [[TooKinkyToTorture they'd rather enjoy a bollocking from Malcolm]].
** There is a reason Olly is the only character to get [[strike: pimped out by Malcolm]] laid. That reason is Chris Addison.
** Paul Higgins, the actor who plays Jamie, also has his fair share of admirers in the fandom. It's those big blue eyes. Also, being in [[HoYay the 'Caledonian Mafia']] with Malcolm helps.

* FatIdiot: Ben Swain. "Talking to you is like talking to a fucking whoopee cushion."
* {{Flanderization}}: Throughout the first two series and the Specials, Terri is a reasonably motivated and competent civil servant. By the third series she becomes stupider, lazier and more useless, to the the point where even the Opposition refer to her as "the useless one". She also becomes ''one hell'' of a lot bitchier.

* FoodFight: Although it is a tad one-sided...
** "Have some fuckin' chow mein!"
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Olly wandering into shot during Terri's public apology over the e-mail fracas.
** Malcolm's wall-bouncing arrival to Hugh's interview with Angela Heaney, and the ever-so-slightly muted Atomic Cluster F-Bomb bollocking that he assaults Hugh with, while in the foreground Terri calmly asks Angela if she wants any coffee or biscuits.

** Affers really is a very slow fucker-offer.
* FunWithAcronyms: "He says he wants you at [[{{Whitehall}} Number 10]] ASAFP". As this order came from Malcolm the F probably didn't stand for "feasibly".

--> "I'm in Thailand. In a sex spa. About to get a fuckin' facial."

* GranolaGirl: Stewart Pearson is a rare male example. He drinks herbal tea, cycles everywhere in full reflective jacket and safety helmet instead of taking official cars, made Peter Mannion install a wind turbine on his roof, refuses to wear suits to work and is probably far too right-on for the right-wing party he works for:

** Nicola Murray has shades of this with her dependence on Rescue Remedy and her plan to outlaw plastic toys.
* GroinAttack: When Phil Smith tells Olly [[spoiler:Emma has dumped him]] before Emma can break the news herself, Phil receives a hot cup of coffee in the groin:

* HotScoop: Hot journalists Angela Heaney (One of Olly's ex-girlfriends) and Marianne Swift, who are always looking for a way to screw Malcolm and DoSaC.
* HumiliationConga: Olly has to dance one in the second special, breaking up with his girlfriend (and in the process admitting he only stayed with her because Malcolm told him to) then being ordered to make up with her so he can use her to leak a policy (which she sees through right away), ''then'' being reduced to the status of "cheese monitor" and mocked for it by Emma and his ArchEnemy Phil.

** Terri also calls Olly's girlfriend "a complete bitch".

* DisorganizedOutlineSpeech: "And it better not be too boring, and it better not be too interesting either, okay? And it better not cost too much. It can't be an old thing, obviously, and don't make it too new."

* TheDogBitesBack: In "Spinners and Losers", when it looks like Ben Swaim has a slight chance of becoming the next Prime Minister, Olly -- who has been positioning himself as Swaim's right-hand man -- decides it's time to start throwing his weight around with Malcolm. It lasts about a minute before Malcolm shoots him down and [[ItMakesSenseInContext bluntly orders him to find some cheese]]. And in any case, events soon prove that Olly really should have made sure Swaim had more than what turned out to be a ''very'' slight chance of becoming PM.

* {{Jerkass}}: Malcolm Tucker himself.

* ErmineCapeEffect: Played with by Julius Nicholson when he is made Lord Nicholson of Arnage. He laments that he won't be allowed to wear his ceremonial robes -- including an actual ermine cape -- on the [[TheLondonUnderground Tube]] or the bus, "but I would, it would be great larks!"

--->'''Cal "The Fucker" Richards''': This government's run this country into the ground - this used to be a green, and pleasant land, now...it's the colour of the fucking BBC weather map. It looks like anaemic dogshit. This government is maimed, but it can't be shamed - [[ThisIsSparta IT. WILL. BE. FUCKED!]] Okay, let's get going...what do I call for an outside line? Is it nine, because that's what it is everywhere else?

** A DeletedScene from the Specials reveals Peter Mannion's wife's dowdy appearance has been mocked on HaveIGotNewsForYou. (Though not in any of the episodes that featured [[CelebrityParadox Rebecca Front, Chris Addison, or Miles Jupp.)]]

* AxCrazy: Jamie, the aggressive, foul-mouthed Scottish press officer who is ''[[BeyondTheImpossible even worse]]'' than Malcolm (but without any of the intelligence or wit):

* InsultBackfire: "Don't you ever, EVER, call me a bully. ''[[BeyondTheImpossible I'm so much worse than that]]''."

A spin-off movie, ''InTheLoop'', was released in 2009. An [[TransAtlanticEquivalent American version]], titled ''Series/{{Veep}}'' (being set in the office of the Vice President) has been filmed, and is scheduled to air on {{HBO}} in 2012.

** By series 3 Malcolm has become something of a JerkAssWoobie, though he'd probably resent [[DontYouDarePityMe being referred to as such]] -- he likes to think of himself more as a thin, white Mugabe.

---> '''Malcolm Tucker:''' "I just keep getting these terrible images flashing in my head, you know, of you being stabbed repeatedly in the face, or of you [[LifeOnMars in a coma]], on a life support machine, dreaming of being a gay policeman in the 1970s..."

* InsultBackfire: "Don't you ever, EVER, call me a bully. I'm so much worse than that."

* AxCrazy: Jamie, the aggressive, foul-mouthed Scottish press officer who is ''[[BeyondTheImpossible even worse]]'' than Malcolm:

A spin-off movie, ''InTheLoop'', was released in 2009. An [[TransAtlanticEquivalent American version]], titled ''Veep'' (being set in the office of the Vice President) has been filmed, and is scheduled to air on {{HBO}} in 2012.

-->'''Jamie''': "You couldn't organise [[RapeIsFunnyWhenItIsMaleOnMale a bumrape in a barracks]]."

[[{{Satire}} Satirical]] [[BritCom British]] GovernmentProcedural produced by Adam Tandy and directed by ArmandoIannucci. It is styled as a fly-on-the-wall view of the inner workings of [[BritishPoliticalSystem British politics]], with natural-sounding, partly [[{{Improv}} improvised]] dialogue and the use of [[JitterCam shaky handheld cameras]]. Intended to be as [[SlidingScaleOfRealisticVersusFantastic realistic]] as possible, the show employs several {{Whitehall}} insiders and every aspect is meticulously researched, from the office decor to the levels of swearing.

The show is essentially a [[SpiritualSuccessor 21st Century update]] of ''YesMinister'', reflecting the changes the British political system has been through in the decades between the two shows, in particular the culture of spin ushered in by [[BritishPoliticalSystem New Labour's]] SlaveToPR government. While the earlier show commented on the power of unelected civil servants, the later show portrays the government's spin doctors and the media as the most powerful influences. The show also has a distinct anti-''[[TheWestWing West Wing]]'' sensibility, sitting at the opposite end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: don't expect sharply-dressed idealists doing their best to serve their voters, ''this'' show is all about venal politicians, incompetent civil servants, and bad suits.