The Thick of It

Just a fortnight after a universally acclaimed finale brought Succession to a triumphant conclusion, one might have expected the showrunner of HBO’s mega hit to be enjoying some well-earned R&R, perhaps chartering a yacht in the French Riviera, or retreating to a mansion in the Hollywood hills.

Instead, Jesse Armstrong could be found attending a rally in arguably the least relaxing place on Earth, plonked, during a heatwave, between M&M’s, Wetherspoons and the giant Odeon in the visceral nightmare that is Leicester Square.

Having started his career in stand-up comedy before moving into screenwriting, his television career levelled up when he started working with legendary Scottish satirist Armando Iannucci in the mid-noughties. This collaboration led to a spot in the writers' room on Iannucci's seminal political comedy The Thick of It, where Smith also ended up on screen as Phil, the geeky and pompous special adviser.

Armando Iannucci, who cut his creative teeth on such wondrous radio fare as the news lampoon On the Hour, revealed recently that the inspiration for creating his era-­defining political satire The Thick of It, was the Iraq war. He was infuriated by what he saw as Prime Minister Tony Blair’s willingness to “twist the narrative” in order to justify his support for what many regarded as a woefully ill-thought-through conflict.  

Scandal 

Scandal shows the dark side of politics, the shady backdoor deals, selfish betrayals and hurtful lies. 

This Way Up – Full series available on All4​

Comedian Aisling Bea writes and stars in this touching comedy about a woman recovering from a ‘teeny little nervous breakdown’. Bea plays Aine, a witty English-as-a-foreign-language teacher trying to get her life on track in London with the help of her sister Shona, played by Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe).

Commissioned by Channel 4 and produced by What Larks Productions, Damned was previously piloted for Sky two years ago with filming of the latest production to start next month.

The show comes soon after Brand's recent return as nurse Kim Wilde in BBC's Going Forward and is her first major Channel 4 project for ten years.

By many people's reckoning, Armando Iannucci is one of our greatest and funniest TV satirists. The political classes and the grammar and conceits of television have proved fertile ground for Iannucci's wit and his team of gifted collaborators, notably Steve Coogan, Rebecca Front and Chris Morris.

Armando Iannucci, best known for creating hit political comedies The Thick of It and Veep, began his comedy career while at university, appearing in two revues at the Edinburgh Fringe.

He entered working life at the BBC where he served as a radio producer on shows such as Just a Minute and Week Ending.

It was here that he met the likes of Chris Morris, Steve Coogan and Rebecca Front, creating On the Hour, a satirical show that parodied news broadcasting and where Coogan debuted his notorious Alan Partridge character.