The Thick of It/YMMV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • Alas, Poor Villain:
    • Malcolm being forced out of a job by someone even more villainous than himself.
    • Stewart Pearson gets a moment like this in the third season finale, when Cal "The Fucker" Richards tells him he's been fired as a joke. Sure, Stewart is an unlikeable, power-tripping master of meaningless PC hypocrisy, but he looks so...broken.
  • Crowning Moment of Awesome: An unusually high number for a strait-laced political satire. There are so many that the show now has its own section.
  • Dude, Not Funny: Steve Fleming's ill-advised Josef Fritzl joke goes down like a lead balloon. When Olly is making the "eeeesh" face at you, you know you've gone too far.
  • Ensemble Darkhorse:
    • Jamie. It's hard to believe he only appeared in three episodes.
    • The cover of the new TTOI book The Missing DoSAC Files includes the line "Attn of: Jamie MacDonald". And the Fandom Rejoiced. No, seriously, it's hard to quantify just how loved Jamie is.
  • Evil Is Sexy: Just trust us on this one, guys.
  • Fan Disservice: The (thankfully) deleted scene in which Glenn pulls.
  • Foe Yay:
    • This abounds, largely because of Malcolm's tactic of unnerving male characters by flirting with them:

Jamie: "You couldn't organise a bumrape in a barracks."

Malcolm Tucker: "Au contraire..."

    • "You know Julius, if I wasn't a heterosexual man, I would kiss you."
    • That onion bhaji didn't solely represent the 'problems' caused by Nicholson's upcoming report. Julius becomes positively lascivious when Malcolm is about.
    • ...and in turn Malcolm tends to get physical with him: "Put your hand on mine! Try and open the door..."
    • At home Nicola Murray struggles with a failing marriage to a husband who doesn't pay her much attention and never seems proud of her. At work there's a man who takes a great interest in everything she does and gives her his undivided attention... alright, it may be Malcolm but you can't really blame her for developing a crush.
    • The sexual tension between Emma and Phil is even Lampshaded by Peter Mannion.
  • Funny Aneurysm Moment:
    • Any reference to scandal or public disgrace (and, being a political sitcom, there are plenty) is made slightly painful by what happened to Chris Langham after the series went out.
    • "I look like a disgraced geography teacher..."
    • Hugh's comment to Olly about not "clicking" with the PM's wife (his assertion that she'd say "he's a social spastic and very probably a registered nonce") combines this with a good measure of Hilarious in Hindsight for those of us with particularly dark senses of humour.
    • "You made up small children! That's sick!"
  • Ho Yay:
    • Malcolm and Jamie. "You and I will have a little discussion later."
    • Malcolm seems to love shoving Olly up against walls. And once on top of a lavatory sink.
      • "I won't make a blow-job joke if you won't."
    • Malcolm's at his most blatant with Dan Miller: "You're irresistable, you know that, don't you? Talk to you later, Bad Apple..."
    • Apparently there is enough between Olly and Dan Miller to be noted by Glenn:

Glenn: "Are they..."
Hugh: "An item? He made a pretty good job of, uh, made a pretty good job of shagging Angela Heaney."
Glenn: "He could be bisexual. A lot of them are, you know."
Hugh: "Hm. It's just interesting seeing the dynamics play within... within the staff."

  • Jerkass Woobie: Malcolm Tucker.
  • Magnificent Bastard: Malcolm Tucker.
  • Moral Event Horizon:
    • "Olly, we need you to fuck Hugh for us."
    • Subverted. Olly goes through with it, but does it so that most of the bad press is focused on Glenn's behaviour rather than Hugh's.
  • Narm Charm:
  • No Yay:
    • "I'll box his ears..." Glenn and Robyn. Or Glenn and Nicola. Or Glenn and anyone...
    • Nicola's squicked face whenever Steve Fleming hugs her is positively DO NOT WANT.
  • Shipping: Malcolm and Sam. Inverted with Olly - the audience feels like screaming at Emma and Angela to stay away from him.
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