Satire is dead

Leo McKinstry

David
Excellent analysis. I could not agree more. On Saturday night, despite being a political junkie, I actually found myself switching over to other channels because I so bored with it. Tucker used to exude menace. Now he's just a joke. And all that stuff with Nicola Murray's piercings was just absurd, not remotely funny. As George Walden wrote on Saturday, when Brown declares that Cathy Ashton "is a powerful voice" there is no room for satire anymore about the Brown regime.

J H Holloway

Ok, TTOI has stumbled slightly in the last two episodes, but only because they have lost the sparseness and empty space that defined the original formula.

There has been a bit too much slapstick and large-group-shouting recently, but It'll be a long day before TTOI can be written off.

The last R5 Live episode was a bit over-egged but it did really show how the backroom spin doctors try and manipulate the media. I've been on Richard Bacon's show and the whole TTOI episode (spin doctors aside) was perfectly true to life.

I have to admit that I'd love to write some real swearing for the programme, though a couple of my lines from my extensive CiF blogging have been harvested, including 'Christ on a Bendy Bus'. (Something that's easy to check via a google search..)

So, here's a free one for Malcolm Tucker..

'You're about as much f***ing use as Lord Carrington's binoculars...'

Or is that too obscure a reference?

JohnPage

The Thin of It just doesn't have enough material. All those writers to produce something so meagre?

Rachel

So when it was attacking Blair and Brown it was 'the sharpest and most savage programme on television', but now it has turned its attention towards Cameron, it's not funny any more?

I couldn't disagree more. Thick Of It is a marvelous satire that takes on our whole political system and the media circus that surrounds it. We are shown a cast of characters trying to navigate a world dominated by a slavering tabloid press that can sink them with a soundbite. The savvy, cruel spin doctors are there to keep them afloat and 'in power'. But this power is an illusion, because all their time is taken up with maintaining their positions and trying to discredit their political enemies.

Sound familiar? This is a fantastic, intelligent and important programme, and goes far beyond party politics, no matter how many topical references may crop up. And above all, it's incredibly funny.

THX1138

Agreed, I think the Tories are funnier, the Steve Hilton character with his whiteboard and power matrix is spot on and hilarious. Lets face it's just not as good since the "kiddy fiddler" left.

Cogito Ergosum

That scurrilous American rag The Onion has its occasional gems of satire. As in its piece just over a year ago about "Ol' Jellylegs", aka Barack Obama.

JohnAnt

Quite agree. But isn't this the problem of any political satirist? The reality overtakes the satire.
No one when Brown took over could predict the complete shambles of his government, from the GE called off and then - ludicrously - denied, to this week's spectacle of a PM grieving for floods he helped to cause, and offering the traumatized people of Cumbria a parakleitos, an advocate, a Holy Sprit, in the shape of - Hilary Benn!
You couldn't make it up.

Frank P

David

I hark back to your previous post on this non-comedy on October 23rd when I commented thus on your previous puff-piece of a review:

Thought the acting, enunciation, script and direction of the clip you have linked pretty piss-poor. Shan't bother to interrupt the monitoring of real politik, particularly States-side, which is much funnier."

I rest my case, M'Lord.

Chuck Unsworth

For a moment there I thought you wrote that Sartre was dead.

Anyway, this is more like Beckett - Samuel, I mean.

Wilhelm

David

Peter Calpadi being Mr Shouty, he thinks by shouting a lot, using the F word and C word is funny,Go figure.

The programme, the cast, crew, writers is sooo smug and pleased with itself, its unbearable to watch. I wish, just wish they would stop mugging to the camera. Of course the chateratti class loooves it.

Armando should watch Yes Minister to see how its done properly. Thats witty and classy unlike '' The Fick of it '' and boy it is fick and tedious.

General Zod

so you've watched it now, Frank P? (you claimed never to have heard of Malcolm Tucker a couple of weeks ago).

Such a pity they've cowed you into curbing your pottymouth.

Naomi Muse

Can't help but agree as I switched channels because it was so tedious. It's the format that's dated, not the switch of parties.

Hard work and tedious. Arnando is usually better. A format that has overstepped its freshness and attraction and should be canned now.

Airey Belvoir

My current, favourite expression, which I expect Malcolm Tucker to use any time is "About as useful as Anne Frank's drum kit".

Percy

It was funny when we all thought it couldn't be true, now it's clearly a mild version of real life it isn't quite so funny.