The Thick of It

[argumentativefeminist]

Please tell me theres other people out there also still overly invested in TTOI who want to swap theories/swear a lot/discuss trivia? 🤞🤞

I genuinely adore Nicola!! Malcolm, Jamie, Nicola, Sam and Emma are my favs. I find Nicola much better than Hugh tbh, I can't really find Hugh that relatable or likeable, I wasn't sad when he went! 😂

One of my all time favourites! I adore this show. Malcolm Tucker is, of course, one of the greatest characters in British TV history (a bold claim, but I stand by it!), but the show gives so many fab characters. I'm especially fond of hapless Glenn, especially those moments when he really tries to stand up for himself.

You are not alone regarding Malcolm. As for Glenn, did you cringe during his exchanges with Robyn? ne so liked her and she despised him!

Bless Glenn. He really did adore Robyn and she just wasn't having it - "I'll box his ears" was probably the best of their encounters. 😂

I can't recall exactly what Mannion says before this phrase but I love they way he says "...and controversially, a tie."

I think he's being chided by Stuart for wearing a suit/jacket on his visit to the DOSAC.

Roger Allam has the most wonderful, chocolately voice. I wonder if he does audio books?

I loved it when Glenn lost it about Tick ell. Also, I love Jamie.
And Terri and her tea shop.
Also Peter Manion. Who is the narrator for Sarah and Duck.

I loved how Nicola became stronger with Malcolm as time went on, less cowed by his ranting, and stood up for herself. I mean, it rarely worked out for her, but she did try!

I did feel for Glenn over the whole Robyn thing. Made me laugh, but bless him, couldn't ever quite catch a break.

And I love that Malcolm seemed to have a bit more respect for Glenn at times (apart from, you know, punching him in the face! Just feel like Glenn feels less of Malcolm's wrath than the others. Or maybe that's just me.

Loved Jamie too. I could honestly watch a two-hander show with just Jamie and Malcolm, Scottishly swearing their way through life!

Andy Its when Stuart is trying to make him wear the frankly hideous Paul Smith suit and Ted Baker stripy shirt combo with no tie. Cue Peter: "I'm already wearing a suit, and, controversially, a tie" 🙄 I just love the way he delivers that line too 😂

I hope Terri got her tea shop. And that holiday in the Maldives 😂

Roger Allam has the most wonderful, chocolately voice. I wonder if he does audio books?

I'm sure he does, his voice is heaven! I know for sure he is a voice actor on one of my favourite Radio 4 comedies, called 'Cabin Pressure', in which his delightful voice is often mentioned as a plot point!

bychoice Not sure if there wasn't a tiny spark of something between Nicola and Malcolm at times. But it is heartening to see her grow some "lady bollocks" over the series' 😂

I can't really find Hugh that relatable or likeable, I wasn't sad when he went!

I liked him for a while, but also wasn't sad when he left. Just the right amount of time, for me.

Also I have read various times I'm sure that he was originally meant to be the main guy, but after Langham had to leave, the focus then shifted to my beloved Malcolm. So definitely not complaints from me there!

This thread has made me laugh so much, I had completely forgotten about the tiny kettle! So many utterly perfect characters but Cliff Lawton has to be my favourite- the first scene of season one is one of the best opening scenes of anything I can remember- "It's Minister" "Yeah, get used to Cliff," but his pairing with Jamie for his comeback is even better! "To put it simply, I'm back!" "Oh just FUCK OFF!" Seen it so many times and always makes me cry laughing- he's so relatable because he just doesn't get the brutal nature of what is going on at all and persists in taking it all incredibly personally. Top moment though- Malcolm's "You will see me again!!" Chills every time. WHAT A SHOW

Andy Its when Stuart is trying to make him wear the frankly hideous Paul Smith suit and Ted Baker stripy shirt combo with no tie. Cue Peter: "I'm already wearing a suit, and, controversially, a tie" 🙄 I just love the way he delivers that line too

I actually liked the shirt.

Someone mentioned the boxed set, above. I used to have all the dvds, (they were damaged in a flood ) and the extras had quite bit of deleted scenes that were just as funny as the scenes that made the cut. I wish the version I have from iTunes had them, but, it does not

I've been trying to source deleted scenes for ages! Time to peruse the box set I think. Sorry to hear about yours Andy 😭

Jenny - Jamie: "It's shit. Utter self pity and shit."
Cliff: " But there's a germ in there somewhere, isn't there?"

Probably not verbatim but Im Cliff absolutely every time I hand in a uni essay for marking 😂

I loved TTOI. And I get asked often if the civil service is like Yes Minister, and I say it's more like TTOI.

Love just how nasty the SPAD is - we had a party when the real life Malcolm got booted out!

And the acronyms. I still call MHCLG DCLG much to the annoyance of their officials. I'd only just stopped calling it ODPM!

'I actually liked the shirt. blush'

It wasn't bad, it just definitely was not a Peter Mannion shirt. I love when Stuart tells him to try not tucking his shirt in, then says 'oh god no, you look like you've been woken up by a fire alarm' Peter is a great character. I love how they resisted making the Tory shadow minister a total bastard, that would have been lazy and obvious. He's just so totally and thoroughly fed up of all the bullshit. I very much relate

Very much agree about Roger Allam's delightful voice too

I love when he refers to Olly as a fucking knitted scarf and a fucking balaclava

My fav is when Malcolm calls Olly "Andy Pandy" - Not only is it hilarious, but it gives the added warm feeling of imagining Snuggly Malcolm watching Andy Pandy with his niece. 😍

A couple of months ago, I had to talk to my supervisor about a problem. I wasn't sure who was responsible for taking care of it. It turns out, it was her problem, not mine. I walked away from her office repeating to myself merrily, "Nomfup".

If I had said it to her, she would have laughed, having been one of the three people at work who had borrowed my dvds years ago.

Ha, yes argumentative! Very useful line for daily use 🙂. My other fave Jamie moment is of course his reaction to the 'blinky Ben' newsnight fiasco - 'the cameramen are laughing' and of course 'you don't deserve to LIVE!'

Malcolm to Olly insults are always gold.

One of my faves is when he walks into the hospital and describes Olly as "a Quentin Blake cartoon" by a way to identifying who he's looking for to a passing nurse, which is just so spot on. Subtle but so brilliant.

And of course that pivotal moment in inquiry where Olly is being presented as a victim of Malcolm's bullying but Olly blusters through it and tries to portray it as some sort of battle of equals when one of the inguiry guys starts slowly reading out the quotes captured by others (Terri?): "he threatened to tear apart Mr Reeder, stuff him, put him on wheels and donate him to an orphanage"
Olly: "Well, that's just banter..." with the most unconvincing scared little boy face on.

'the unbaked gingerbread man'
'the little man in the red and yellow car'
'Cack Efron'
'the wee ball boy with fuckin tiny shorts on'

Ah yes, the Olly insults are marvellous stuff

@Lottapianos oh my god! I forgot Cack Effron which is totally genius.

Been thinking about Nicola and whether she does develop in confidence - I always read her challenging Malcolm as more to do with his decline in status. I love it because you can read it all on his face - that series starts him plucking her out of nowhere, because she was the only one who would take the job. When she stands up to him, he tries to mask it but you can see him realising what that means about what he has become- if even a minnow like her doesn't fear him then it is really all over for him. He knows because he's always said it right from the start - in this world if you're not the one doing the stabbing you're being stabbed. He knows that she knows that he's now nothing- she's not courageous, she's a bully like everyone else in the show and knows it's safe to kick him now. I think that makes her character even better though!

Very interesting theory Jenny! I feel so bad for Malcolm at the end. He just needs to go home and have a decent meal and a good night's sleep, bless him.

That's a really good point! I tend to think of the last couple of episodes as the saddest, due to Malcolm's decline, but now you've said that, I can see where it's starting earlier and earlier.

I feel so bad for Malcolm at the end. He just needs to go home and have a decent meal and a good night's sleep, bless him.

Me too! He just seems so defeated and tired. Poor wee bastard. Huge props to the writers and Capaldi for making him sympathetic (to a point!) despite him being 'so much more than a bully'.