The Thick of It Series 4

It is simultaneously a parody of itself and the best thing on TV.

'You come in here... like Doctor Robotnik'

I get that people (on other forums) are saying they have introduced the new characters into the old format and it's looking a bit stylised now that everyone gets involved in the constant mistake then crunching put downs but...I still thought it was brilliant.

Mannion and Dr Robotnik are both brilliant characters.

any excuse to give mannion and stewart (robotnik ) more screen-time is absolutely fine by me. thought it was a great episode, thank god this show is back on tv.

edit:

and i loved that glenn had turned-coat and gone over to the lib dems. exactly what his character would've done imo, they got that spot on.

It's better than pretty much anything on at the moment but there's something about this show that stops me from really loving it.

I cam almost see the actors going 'ohhh ZING!' after they deliver one of their lines of 'biting satire'.

It does what it tries to do far more successfully than the lamentable 'Twenty Twelve' (fat cheryl saying 'yah' is not particular amusing or entertaining unless you're some giddy media type) but it's not on the level of the peerless 'Yes, Minister'.

Better than most other stuff but I think that just says more about the other shows than this one.

EDIT - Purple prose removed.

There's loads of minor critiscims to throw at it but I do love it man.

Did you not feel the pain when Malcolm got got?


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You will see me again! You will fucking see me again!

And you did... In the very next episode. I agree it's a bit petty to pick holes in it when there are so few other things of it's quality on UK TV (but we can still do that if anyone wants!), but what I would say to Slippy is: Have you seen the first 6 episodes, because the dialogue is more natural, the plots are consistently funny in themselves and there is the Chris defeated performance at the centre of it, and he is someone who Im fairly certain has never said 'zing' in his life.

I fucking love TTOI. I worked very closely on the previous 2 series and had I not moved onto pastures new would have been even more so on this one. So much of it is unscripted, one take stuff. They've even employ someone solely to write the swearing/putdowns/clusterfucks

As Abs said, for a first episode where they had to set the scene I though it was pretty good, the whole coalition element will obviously provide a massive amount of inspiration for the writing team.

Can't wait for Malcom

I thought the opening episode was decent, but a lot of folk around me weren't too impressed. Like folk have said, it'll probably take an episode or two to develop the new characters (although Mannion has always been one of the best things about the whole franchise). It'll be interesting to see if the rest of this series is more like the early episodes and focuses on the politicans rather than being The Malcolm Tucker Show. Mannion is equally as strong a character as Chris Langham's Hugh, but the folk around him lack some of the depth. Can't wait to see how the rest of the series pans out.

I did lol at Malcolm's description of Star Wars.

Similarish to last episode, definitely not an episode I'd show to people new to the show but was still very good, setting up what looks like an interesting story arc. You can see Malcolm isn't firing on all cylinders in terms of the swearing but he's plotting and scheming as much as ever.

Also not sure if anyone else noticed, but the Lib Dem adviser in the first episode was the same guy who played the Daily Mail editor in the specials who got really cross at Olly. Anyway I was wondering if it was meant to be the same character or whether they just recycled the actor, but read a bit with one of the writers and apparently it is meant to be the same guy, he just left his job at the Mail and joined the government.

that the guy you mean? yeah i noticed that as well.

thought this episode was a bit weaker than the first tbh. thought some of the jokes were a bit too contrived. actually that star wars bit byram posted is a good example, as well as nicola not being able to walk properly (i mean i know she's supposed to be hopelessly inept in public but that just took it too far imo, i didn't buy it).

still raised enough laughs to keep me happy and i enjoyed tucker's scheming as always, but without the glenn/olly/terri dynamic to back it up i'm worried the opposition side of things is going to be a bit empty. ben swain is awesome but i hope we get to see the likes of julius nicholson and steve fleming again at some point.

Ah, that's interesting - given the growing sense of disillusion within DoSAC I guess we may see his connections - and Glenn's - with the old team... Either way, it definitely gives the character a bit more depth, which is something a few of other newer ones are lacking.

Thought tonight's episode was decent. Some of the ministerial gaffes are bit too ridiculous, and Phil is an awful character, but the interplay/tension between Mannion and Stuart is great. Sadly some of Stuart's terminology is a little bit too realistic for comfort...

Phil's constant sci fi references were great!

Last 2 episodes have been golden, the series finally has real direction again - everyone constantly darting off down ill conceived avenues, leaving poor Glen floundering in the middle like some never-looked-at moral compass. 'This is so fucking us'

Last night's episode was the best since the Specials. 10/10. Can't wait to see how the rest of the series pans out.

Yeah it was fucking brilliant. Love this show.

Half way through the series and there's already as many great episodes as the whole of the last series. Take back what I said about it being a parody of itself, it's fresh and vital again. Malolm's 'Good Fucking Riddance' ballon. Are they commercially available and where can I buy one? I want to picket Kele Okereke's house the day that Bloc Party split up.

"Coked up cousin fucking chinless aliens"