The Thick Of It

After a measured start, Armando Iannucci's political farce has really begun to throw its characters into a whirlwind of events, which this week come faster than a DVD of The West Wing locked on x32 speed. Having ousted Nicola Murray in a clinical putsch, a now resurgent Malcolm Tucker relishes a new leadership that can 'stick the boot into those coked-up, cousin-fucking chinless aliens'. The heir presumptive is Dan Miller, once presented as a youthful and polished Blairite (perhaps modelled on David Miliband). His coronation is side-tracked by a series of events that has the entire cast in all its various factions (including the ludicrously dude-ish minor coalition partners) working together in perfect chaos. Meanwhile, Peter Mannion's temper is boiling over; with a couple of members of the public in his office tonight, you feel like the word 'pleb' could burst out of him at any moment.

The Thick of It: lines of the week - episode five

Everybody but everybody is on the verge of meltdown. But did the need to set things up for next week's big finale take the edge off the comedy? Tell us your favourite moments.

Peter Capaldi's comedic monster, Malcolm Tucker, has surely never performed a more ruthlessly cruel demolition job than the gutting he gave Nicola Murray MP on last night's The Thick Of It. 'You have all the charm of a rotting teddy bear at a graveside' is certainly up there with this comedy's best-ever lines.

But I do have some bad news for Tucker: Peter Mannion MP has emerged as the main man this series. He's even started to swear better...

"No smiling. Not even a wee Anne Robinson. The look we're going for should be solemn respect. Like blokes modelling underpants," scolds Malcom Tucker (Peter Capaldi) to his team in this fifth episode of Armando Iannucci's political comedy series, back after a one-week hiatus. Tonight, Nicola Murray (Rebecca Front) and Peter Mannion (Roger Allam) are both on the back foot after the unravelling of the key-worker housing sell-off policy.

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A return to form at last for The Thick of It. This series has been patchy and disappointing. Basically, the government episodes have been weak, while the opposition one (up to now) was much better. You might have thought the coalition would be a rich source of comedy, but the characters and performances on that side of the house aren't a patch on Nicola, Ollie and, obviously, Malcolm. Laughs are less about situations, more about people, performances, jokes. And writing.

All of which are back to their brilliant best in this second opposition episode. Nicola, on a train, hurtles towards Bradford and political ruin. Ollie, in a hospital bed, a worm without an appendix now, does as he's told, embraces his inner bastard and makes a metaphorical bomb. And up above, Satanic Scottish puppeteer Malcolm Tucker pulls the strings, while projectile vomiting a glorious tirade of bile over everything and everyone. The lines are so good I immediately watched the whole thing through again. Phew, faith restored.

Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) is back with us, storming around like an angry undertaker, plotting against lame-duck party leader Nicola Murray (Rebecca Front).

To orchestrate her downfall, he has deliberately put her on a train to Bradford while he sets off various PR bombs. But he needs Olly to help, and Olly is in hospital. Malcolm visits, with a bouquet, and Olly is touched. "Did you actually buy me flowers, Malcolm?" he splutters. "No, no," protests the lethal aide. "It's one of the many advantages of living near an accident blackspot."

The lavishly profane Malcolm-scenes are intercut with a frantic Nicola trying to salvage her political career from a train carriage, without the TV crew who are following her noticing. And Rebecca Front does panic brilliantly.

As it approaches its end, The Thick of It feels simultaneously darker, angrier and more despairing than ever. Is this really how government works? In the aftermath of last week's Tickell-related developments, we return to the opposition - the affair has serious implications for them too. Chiefly for Nicola, who, according to Malcolm, is 'as fucked as Caligula's favourite watermelon'. Clearly, Tucker has never been one to 'look a gift corpse in the mouth' but can he manage the logistics of betrayal at long distance? The main theme of this closing series is beginning to become clear: there's little more than a fag paper between the parties in terms of either policy or moral probity; the only real race they're engaged in is one to the bottom. If it wasn't so uproariously funny, The Thick of It would be too depressing for words...

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The Thick of It - Lines of the Week

Tucker finally puts in an appearance, with the Malcolmiest version of Malcolm we've seen for years. And what's more, the episode ended with a 'To be continued ...'