Armando Iannucci

Our man in the know bows out after a second successful run of You Have Been Watching. As ever, due to the late production of the show, it's impossible to know what Charlie Brooker's going to be lampooning with his guests. We do know that among them are regulars Rufus Hound and Josie Long. Joining them is the first man of British satire, Armando Iannucci, whose brilliant lancing of Westminster in The Thick Of It saw him have an almost Dimbleby-sized presence on election night television.

Channel 4's Alternative Election Night was good fun, if a little long. Still with only 3 results announced by midnight, it was better than all the endless, ill-informed, speculation going on over on BBC1 and ITV.

Gag of the night went to David Mitchell. "Does David Cameron actually find his wife attractive? Or, like everyone else, just feels he ought to?"

Predictably Jimmy Carr was rather less subtle, and came over all Ben Elton. "This is the most exciting election for 35 years. Margaret Thatcher can't remember a better election. Or the names of her children." Ouch!

The Thick Of It's Armando Iannucci revealed his abiding memory of the 1997 election. "I remember doing something not dissimilar to this - a live comedy show from this studio, went on for 3 hours," he recalled fondly. "My abiding memory of the entire election was sitting afterwards on a beer-sodden carpet next to Valerie Singleton watching Michael Portillo lose."

We, as you should, will be beginning election night with C4. Their Alternative Election Night is a kicking-off point, where you can watch Jimmy Carr deliver uncomfortable jokes about how ugly politicians are, Charlie Brooker deliver anger you can tell he no longer feels and Lauren Laverne make some vowels last an instant too long. The Election Special Come Dine With Me is infuriating and not just because of Brian Paddick's shirts and Rod Liddle's Julie Burchill-style provocateering. Comes to something when Edwina Currie is clearly the least annoying person on screen. Armando Iannucci is on at 10.

Armando Iannucci: The day I set up my own police force

Inspired by the Conservative manifesto, Armando Iannucci decided to take the law into his own hands.

RIP #twitterforce. Armando Iannucci winds up his force

The Thick of It creator's taste of 'big society' crimefighting renounces its protection of Wigan.

Stand up to Murdoch, Armando Iannucci tells BBC

Thick of It creator applauded as he accepts award with thanks to corporation for holding its nerve - and anti-James Murdoch gag.

'In the Loop' screenwriter's brush with Oscar

"Hi, Mum, I've been nominated for an Oscar." It's the dream call from any son or daughter. And swiftly comes back the dream reply: "Congratulations. I've got someone in fixing my boiler, so I'm going to have to go."

Only one thing is certain for Armando Iannucci...

...he'll wear Armani at the Oscars.

Mark Thompson and The Thick Of It video mashup

Just when BBC director general Mark Thompson thought his Newsnight encounter with Jeremy Paxman couldn't get any worse... it does. A BBC 6 Music fan has combined the best bits of Thommo's interview, such as they were, with clips from Armando Iannucci's The Thick Of It.

Annotated 'In The Loop' script

When this year's Oscar nominations were announced, one of the surprises was a well-deserved writing nod for the archly funny British production In The Loop. As director Armando Iannucci's comments on these script pages make clear, getting those words right wasn't easy.