The Thick of It Cabinet Office. This concept enables different political themes to be dealt with in the programme, similar to the Department of Administrative Affairs in "Yes Minister". Hugh Abbot, played by Chris Langham, is a blundering minister heading the department, who is continually trying to do his job under the watchful eye of Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi), Number 10's highly aggressive and domineering "enforcer". The programme also features James Smith as senior special adviser Glenn Cullen, Chris Addison as junior policy adviser Ollie Reeder, and Joanna Scanlan as civil service press secretary Terri Coverley. The series was revamped for the third series
The Thick of It Malcolm Tucker is desperate for a return to power. Even though no mention is made of the words "Labour", "Conservative" and "Liberal Democrat", it is strongly implied throughout the four series that this is a dramatised reflection of real-life political parties and events rather than a parallel universe. Each political party is portrayed in equally unflattering terms, each being shown as inept, accident-prone and generally inefficient, and each having their own unique problems. For instance, the ruling party of the first three seasons, to which Abbot and Murray belong, is portrayed as being hampered by its many warring factions and