Intelligence Squared Podcast

"The Thick of It: 20 Years On" (Part One)

Guests: Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison, Rebecca Front
Host: Miles Jupp
Date: October 3, 2025
Venue: Alexandra Palace Theatre

Episode Overview

This special episode commemorates 20 years since the debut of The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci’s razor-sharp political satire. Host Miles Jupp is joined by Iannucci himself and stars Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison, and Rebecca Front. Together they revisit the show’s origins, production stories, the evolution of British political satire, and insights into their creative process. The discussion is candid, playful, and peppered with anecdotes—both humorous and insightful—about creating one of the UK’s most influential comedies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Genesis of The Thick of It

(05:32–09:04)

• Armando Iannucci recounts the inspiration:

  • Drawn from making a documentary on "Yes Minister," he noticed how the political dynamics had changed by the Blair era:

    “What was different… was that the dynamic had changed… It was more the minister and his or her phalanx of unelected aides, and the pressure they were put upon by Number 10 and the Treasury… they were called ‘Enforcers’... Malcolms of this world.” (07:31)

  • The show’s “rough and ready, raw” mockumentary style aimed to reflect the chaos and behind-the-scenes anxiety of modern politics.
  • The series was greenlit with a small budget and shot in unused office spaces over a matter of days.

• Shifting the Satirical Lens:

  • Iannucci recognized the growing influence of 24-hour media and government spin, inspiring a focus on “spin doctors” and special advisors (Spads).

2. Casting Stories and Character Development

(09:04–22:33)

Peter Capaldi & Malcolm Tucker

(10:34–15:56)

• Capaldi describes his “lull” in his career and how a bad mood at his audition (frustrated by pointless casting calls) serendipitously matched the energy of Malcolm Tucker:

  “By the time I got to Armando’s… my patience was running out… I went into this darkened little room in Soho… and [Armando] said, ‘Just improvise. Fuck this, fucking…’ So I didn’t realize that I was in the perfect zone to play this tired but talented creature.” (11:09–14:38)

• Iannucci describes a pivotal moment:

  “It was when you turned, I thought, oh, there’s Malcolm Tucker… there it was.” (15:03–15:56)

Chris Addison & Ollie Reeder

(16:15–18:31)

• Addison, originally a stand-up comic, invented a “Mail on Sunday” journalist character at a political comedy night, which led Iannucci to assume he was an actor.
• The show’s “Spad” roles were crafted to reflect hyper-youthful, ambitious special advisors, often informed by real-life anecdotes and interviews.

Rebecca Front & Nicola Murray

(18:43–22:33)

• Front highlights her intent not to be the “sensible one”; inspiration came from her conversation with a Labour spin doctor, who said:

  “Oh, if she believed in something.” (21:23)
  This belief made her character an “absolute nightmare” for Malcolm.

• Her real-life fears (phobias of lifts, trains) ended up incorporated into scripts, feeding the show’s “lived-in” realism.

3. Collaborative Chaos: Melding Script and Improvisation

(26:47–31:24)

• The Show’s Mythic Improv:

  • Myth-busting: The show was tightly scripted, but the process involved rehearsal improvisations which influenced the final shoot.

    “We’d have a table read… then Armando would say, right, we’re gonna rehearse that scene, but you’re not gonna read off the script… just get from A to B, respond to what you hear…” - Chris Addison (27:04)

  • Iannucci often encouraged scenes to be reordered depending on the energy in the room:

    "Very often those versions would be... everything that's written in the script, but a slightly different order... it seemed more appropriate to whoever was saying the line next..." (28:06–28:44)

• Filming Style:

  • The technique included shooting with two cameras and no actor marks, allowing for radio-mic’d movement and natural interactions, seeking a documentary “caught on the fly” energy.

• Capturing Authenticity:

  • The team sometimes reshot scenes once actors settled into character, and even inserted unscripted moments if they reflected reality ("What if these two met in a corridor?").
  • Iannucci described having actors mic’d even off-camera for richer sound layers.

4. On-set Experience, Tone, and Legacy

(31:24–37:53)

• Emotional Energy:

  • Front felt focused and weirdly relaxed working this way, despite the pressure:

    “I’m one of those people who… I’m anxious if I’m allowed space to be anxious; if there is no space, I’ve just got to focus.” (31:52–32:13)

  • Capaldi emphasized the process stripped away conventional acting safety nets:

    “What Armando did was he threw out all of the things that you were used to working with on a set… And it was one of the most educational… You had to be alive in the moment… It kind of made me an actor at last, was doing this.” (32:20–34:42)

  • Addison recalled the underlying sense of playful mischief:

    “It felt like a game. My main memory is of giddiness, you know… Because there was mischief in the air.” (34:42)

5. Memorable Moments and Quotations

On the Casting Process:

• Capaldi, describing his bad mood at his audition:

  “The description should really have been: an MP walks in who looks exactly like Peter Capaldi.” (11:09)

On Incorporating Real Life into Script:

• Front recalling advice from a political insider:

  “What would make my character a complete nightmare for Malcolm? …‘Oh, if she believed in something.’” (21:23)

On Method Acting and On-Set Reality:

• Capaldi on the new acting demands:

  “You became utterly reliant upon the script and upon telling the story in the moment… It kind of made me an actor at last…” (32:20–34:42)

• Armando on observing Capaldi practice swearing for Malcolm’s tirades:

  “You could just see Malcolm Tucker in this glass room swearing constantly again and again and again for like hours and hours…” (36:22–36:50)

On Collaboration and Joy:

• Addison on on-set fun:

  “It always felt like a game. My main memory is of giddiness…” (34:42)

6. Notable Panel Interactions & Personality

• Multiple playful jabs about each other’s career trajectories, with ongoing jokes about who “brought sense” to the operation and how the actors’ personal phobias and idiosyncrasies were “cannibalized” by the writers (23:21–23:25).
• Candid confessions about nerves, chaos, and the adrenaline of working without a net.

Major Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | |-------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:32–09:04 | Creation and intent of The Thick of It | | 10:34–15:56 | Peter Capaldi’s audition as Malcolm Tucker | | 16:15–18:31 | Chris Addison’s route from standup to Spad | | 18:43–22:33 | Rebecca Front on character development and phobias | | 26:47–31:24 | The show’s unique blend of writing and improvisation | | 31:24–37:53 | On-set energy, filming style, and lessons learned |

Conclusion

The discussion not only celebrates The Thick of It’s legacy, but lifts the curtain on the exhilarating chaos of its production—the creative risks, collaborative process, and personal quirks that defined it. The conversation delights both seasoned fans and newcomers, illuminating how the show’s unique mix of script, improv, and razor-sharp observation turned it into a cult classic and template for modern satire.

If you love inside-showbiz stories, British comedy, or have ever wondered how political satire strikes so close to home, this episode is essential listening.