‘The Thick Of It’ returns for a fourth series
Armando Iannucci‘s award-winning political comedy series The Thick Of It is to return for a fourth series on BBC Two.
The satirical comedy will be seven 30-minute episodes, with more Government embarrassment, ministerial cock-ups, Coalition rows, backroom deals, policy U-turns, spin-doctoring and political back-stabbing.
Roger Allam returns as Peter Mannion MP, the new Secretary of State for The Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (DOSAC), supported by his team of special advisors, commanded by Number 10’s Director of Communications Stewart Pearson (Vincent Franklin) and thwarted by his new Coalition partner, DOSAC’s Junior Minister Fergus Williams MP (Geoffrey Streatfeild).
Also back are Nicola Murray MP and foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker in roles reprised by the BAFTA winners Rebecca Front and Peter Capaldi. Both are now consigned to Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, but still desperately hoping for a return to power.
The ensemble cast is completed by Chris Addison, Joanna Scanlan, James Smith, Olivia Poulet, Will Smith, Ben Willbond, and Rebecca Gethings.”
Mark Freeland, Head of Comedy, BBC, says: “I’m excited to see The Thick Of It return to our screens. With an outstanding cast and team, it is still at the bleeding edge of British politics, one of the freshest and most biting satires you’ll find on TV. No other show could coin the term ‘Omnishambles’ and see it become part of the political lexicon.”
Armando Iannucci added: “This series takes The Thick Of It into exciting and uncharted territory: a new Coalition Government, and Malcolm and Nicola fretting in the wings. For the first time too a storyline takes us all the way through the series right to the bitter, bitter end, with Government and Opposition convulsed in an incident that questions every political convention imaginable, but in a funny way.”
The series is written by Tony Roche, Simon Blackwell, Ian Martin, Will Smith, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, with additional material written by David Quantick, Dan Gaster, Georgia Pritchett and Rob Colley.
Produced by Adam Tandy, the Executive Producer is Mark Freeland for the BBC. Directed by Natalie Bailey (episodes 1 & 3), Billy Sneddon (episode 2), Becky Martin (episode 4), Chris Addison (episode 5), Armando Iannucci (episode 6) and Tony Roche (episode 7)
Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Thick of it’ will air this autumn on BBC Two.
