The Thick Of It : Complete BBC Series 1 [2005]

Amazon.co.uk Review

The corridors of Whitehall have, of course, proved a rich trough for comedy in the past, but sitting among the finest must be The Thick Of It, a terrific, insightful and desperately entertaining satire.

This complete first season follows the antics of Hugo Abbot, a simple MP, whose ongoing fight with his party's spin doctors provides just one richly mined strand for the show. Skilfully mixing drama and comedy, and shot in the increasingly popular fly-on-the-wall documentary style, The Thick Of It manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny, yet eerily scary at the same time.

The credit, clearly, lies with the brains and the cast behind the programme. In front of the camera, both Chris Langham and the seemingly-brutal Peter Capaldi have won the plaudits, but much of the acclaim also needs lying at the doorstep of Armando Iannucci. Iannucci already has a comedy CV that few can rival, both in front of and behind the lens, and it's testament to the quality of The Thick Of It that it stands next easily next to anything in his back catalogue.

This unmissable DVD brings together all the episodes from the little-seen-yet-rarely-rivalled maiden season (although the Christmas special is missing), and it's a real comedy treat. Bluntly, The Thick Of It is a modern day classic, and through the DVD release, more people can finally get the chance to see why. --Jon Foster

Customer Reviews:

How can you laugh at Langham??.......2007-11-28

Bought this the other day not realising Langham was in it. As soon as he came on the screen my thoughts went to the victims of child abuse and the whole show was ruined as a comedy. I took it back and got a fll refund when I explained my reasons. I hope he never works again.

A LONG WAY SHORT OF YES MINISTER.......2007-11-18

FREQUENT USE OF THE "F" WORD CANNOT BE TYPICAL OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE PALACE OF WESTMINISTER AND IF IT IS, NO WONDER PEOPLE ARE "TURNED OFF" POLITICS AND POLITICANS

The ultimate British political comedy.......2007-10-05

This series is absolutely amazing, Armando Ianucci is one of the best comedy minds we've ever been lucky enough to experience. And this is yet another shining example of his brilliance - over the top praise? I think not!

The fly-on-the-wall style of this just adds to the sneaking suspicion we all have that this is probably closer to real life than any other political comedy.

Often compared to Yes, Minister/ Yes, Prime Minister, I would have to say that this is better. The performances alone are breathtaking. Chris Langham won awards for his portrayal of Hugh Abbot, and Peter Capaldi as Tucker is one of the best acted parts I've seen on telly ever!

This will possibly change your views on politics and the media. It probably gives you a better insight into British Politics than any thing else on television. And it's chuffing hilarious too!

The reviewer below mentions that Chris Langham has mysteriously disappeared from the packaging, I think by now most people are aware that he has recently been disgraced over charges of possessing indecent images of children and the Beeb have removed him from any promotional media.

A star air-brushed away.......2007-07-16

Great series but I see the star of this series Chris Langham has been mysteriously dropped from the packaging - there is no pic of him anywhere. I wonder why that was?

Hypnotically good.......2007-07-15

For me, the character Malcom is the reason to watch this although the rest of the team are brilliant as well. Malcom, the terryfying spin doctor, has got to be one of the best comic creations in a while. He reminds me a little of Basil Fawlty, in his manic way, especially when he is running along Westminster Bridge to try to stop
Hugh saying too much to a reporter. Unlike Basil, he has no redeeming features and always seems to come out
on top. Some viewers might have a problem with the bad language but I think in this case it is necessary.

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