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The Thick of It: The Scripts
The Thick of It is one of the funniest and most biting comedies on television. A satire on the inner workings of modern politics, it is chock-full of tales of elaborate spin-doctoring, bitter back-stabbing, and policy-making at its most outrageous. And yet, according to insiders, it's frighteningly close to the true workings of contemporary government. This exclusive collection of razor-sharp scripts and extras is a treat for fans and newcomers alike.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
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120 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 11, 2025
In The Loop written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, and directed by the latter has been the 2010 Nominee for the Oscar for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, was included by Variety in its Top 100 Best Comedies recently, and I have decided to give it a chance, only to realize that I have seen some or all of it probably some years back, I did remember situations, the gist of it, not enough to be bored: in conclusion, it was amusing, if not hilarious and good entertainment, I have a few seconds to think what my score will be for it. Nevertheless, I have more than six thousand notes on films from The New York Times’ Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made and other web pages, plus reviews of magnum opera from The Greatest Books of All Time and other lists on my blog and YouTube channel, which I am promoting here https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...
9 out of 10
I have enjoyed the work of Armando Iannucci, the other day I have written a third review – if we can call it that – on his The Death of Stalin https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... a marvelous comedy, well, it is also a tragedy really, for when you utter that cursed name, you shudder
Unless of course, you are in the MAGA aka Putin camp, and then you admire, venerate that kind of creature, to the point where you wish you have a leader like that, Orange Woland has just published the new ideas on national security, priorities, vassals and the like and I listen to The Rest is Politics in the background
This is a podcast with Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart, I heard of it from The Economist and I have been listening for last two months – I recommend it – to try and put some order in here, let me finish with In The Loop, which was a pleasure to watch, though not to the point where it would be in my Top 100
My number comedy favorite would be Monty Python’s Life of Brian https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and there would be Withnail and I, Top Secret, Dr. Strangelove coming close, The King of Comedy with Robert de Niro, also a French one
In The Loop is not just a flimsy, superficial comedy, it is also a poignant satire, albeit what happened back then is the epitome of a perfect system, administration, when compared to the disgusting Mafia outfit that has come to rule over the US and has plans to subjugate others, from Venezuela to the EU and worse, my place
Washington as ruled by the Orange Plague is closer to Dr. Strangelove https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... what with aberration and madness on display every single time, and not just once, that Orange fool posts hundreds of shitty message on a night
Rory Stewart and Alison Campbell are accurate in their analysis, with this administration in the US, we have to be vassals here, do whatever is asked, they have plans that are the replica, if not word for word, of the far-right manifestos: get the foreigners the hell out, freedom of speech, but just for our side, Russia is ok
We have seen that horror: the Saudi killer is welcomed in the White House, did he chop a journalist (and others) up?
What the fuck is the problem?
Indeed, that Orange Visigoth was attacking…the woman journalist for daring to ask a pertinent question – he is the one saying ‘quiet piggy’ to another – we are in the imperialist age, money is all that matters, the leader of the (once) free world is just like Kimmel said in his last show- a three-year-old, with tantrums and all the rest
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
9 out of 10
I have enjoyed the work of Armando Iannucci, the other day I have written a third review – if we can call it that – on his The Death of Stalin https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... a marvelous comedy, well, it is also a tragedy really, for when you utter that cursed name, you shudder
Unless of course, you are in the MAGA aka Putin camp, and then you admire, venerate that kind of creature, to the point where you wish you have a leader like that, Orange Woland has just published the new ideas on national security, priorities, vassals and the like and I listen to The Rest is Politics in the background
This is a podcast with Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart, I heard of it from The Economist and I have been listening for last two months – I recommend it – to try and put some order in here, let me finish with In The Loop, which was a pleasure to watch, though not to the point where it would be in my Top 100
My number comedy favorite would be Monty Python’s Life of Brian https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... and there would be Withnail and I, Top Secret, Dr. Strangelove coming close, The King of Comedy with Robert de Niro, also a French one
In The Loop is not just a flimsy, superficial comedy, it is also a poignant satire, albeit what happened back then is the epitome of a perfect system, administration, when compared to the disgusting Mafia outfit that has come to rule over the US and has plans to subjugate others, from Venezuela to the EU and worse, my place
Washington as ruled by the Orange Plague is closer to Dr. Strangelove https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... what with aberration and madness on display every single time, and not just once, that Orange fool posts hundreds of shitty message on a night
Rory Stewart and Alison Campbell are accurate in their analysis, with this administration in the US, we have to be vassals here, do whatever is asked, they have plans that are the replica, if not word for word, of the far-right manifestos: get the foreigners the hell out, freedom of speech, but just for our side, Russia is ok
We have seen that horror: the Saudi killer is welcomed in the White House, did he chop a journalist (and others) up?
What the fuck is the problem?
Indeed, that Orange Visigoth was attacking…the woman journalist for daring to ask a pertinent question – he is the one saying ‘quiet piggy’ to another – we are in the imperialist age, money is all that matters, the leader of the (once) free world is just like Kimmel said in his last show- a three-year-old, with tantrums and all the rest
Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – I am on Goodreads as Realini Ionescu, at least for the moment, if I keep on expressing my views on Orange Woland aka TACO, it may be a short-lived presence
Also, maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the benefits from it, other than the exercise per se
There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know
As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...
Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works
‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’
July 1, 2013
Probably only for those who have watched the show and can hear Malcolm Tucker screaming in their heads. I suppose it could be funny on its own, but that would take some imagination. Great to see lines in print that I totally missed upon hearing it mumbled on screen and didn't realize their full comedic potential.
It also has a brief introduction from Armando Iannucci, pointing out that each episode has a very typical sitcom structure: two apparently unrelated plot lines develop until they both clash, leading to chaos. I hadn't realize how intricate the episodes were, writing-wise. (Or that Ollie's character really is a dick. I hadn't noticed that either, since Chris Addison makes him not seem so dickish.) Reading this will remind you that even though everything looks improvised....it's really not.
It also has a brief introduction from Armando Iannucci, pointing out that each episode has a very typical sitcom structure: two apparently unrelated plot lines develop until they both clash, leading to chaos. I hadn't realize how intricate the episodes were, writing-wise. (Or that Ollie's character really is a dick. I hadn't noticed that either, since Chris Addison makes him not seem so dickish.) Reading this will remind you that even though everything looks improvised....it's really not.
May 27, 2024
Absolutely fantastic companion to the series. Getting to see the scripts of the first two series was absolutely amazing. I could hear the actors' voices as I read them - particularly Peter Capaldi's. About the only thing I could wish for would be the scripts for the third and fourth series.
April 13, 2020
i wanna read this book. is there somewhere online i can read it 4 free? hELP pLEASE!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews