In the Loop small roles, Samantha Harrington, Eve Matheson, and Will Smith. The only characters from the show, however, are Malcolm Tucker (Capaldi) and Jamie McDonald (Higgins), with brief appearances by Tucker's secretary Sam Cassidy (Harrington) and journalist Angela Heaney (Lucinda Raikes). The other "Thick of It" actors who appear play new characters, albeit very similar to the ones they portrayed in the series. Likewise, Anna Chlumsky went on to portray a similar but nominally different character in the subsequent American series, "Veep". The writing of "In The Loop" followed the methods developed during "The Thick of It" television series. Co-writer Jesse Armstrong
The Simpsons Spin-Off Showcase well as having similarities to "My Mother the Car". The Love-matic Grampa machine singing "Daisy Bell" in a distorted manner when its electrical circuits are failing is a reference to HAL from the 1968 film "". Grampa also references "All Quiet on the Western Front", when Moe says he "wrote the book on love". Moe's date, Betty, looks somewhat like Tress MacNeille, the actress who voiced her. "The Simpson Family Smile-Time Variety Hour" is a parody of the 1960s and 1970s live variety shows. Mainly it is a parody of "The Brady Bunch Hour", a short-lived spin-off of the 1970s