Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #197 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-04-02
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 174 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The corridors of Whitehall have, of course, proved a rich trough for comedy in the past, but sitting among the finest must be The Thick Of It, a terrific, insightful and desperately entertaining satire.

This complete first season follows the antics of Hugo Abbot, a simple MP, whose ongoing fight with his party’s spin doctors provides just one richly mined strand for the show. Skilfully mixing drama and comedy, and shot in the increasingly popular fly-on-the-wall documentary style, The Thick Of It manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny, yet eerily scary at the same time.

The credit, clearly, lies with the brains and the cast behind the programme. In front of the camera, both Chris Langham and the seemingly-brutal Peter Capaldi have won the plaudits, but much of the acclaim also needs lying at the doorstep of Armando Iannucci. Iannucci already has a comedy CV that few can rival, both in front of and behind the lens, and it’s testament to the quality of The Thick Of It that it stands next easily next to anything in his back catalogue.

This unmissable DVD brings together all the episodes from the little-seen-yet-rarely-rivalled maiden season (although the Christmas special is missing), and it’s a real comedy treat. Bluntly, The Thick Of It is a modern day classic, and through the DVD release, more people can finally get the chance to see why. --Jon Foster

Synopsis
From the creator of The Day Today and I'm Alan Partridge, The Thick of It is a biting comedy satire set in the world of Westminster politics. The show follows the trials and tribulations of Hugo Abbot, a lowly MP who finds himself continually harassed by the PM’s policy enforcer. The Thick of It is an award-winning and critically acclaimed series that is bolstered by the work of some of Britain’s best comedy writers and a fine cast.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding
Fantastic. Superb dialogue. A great docudrama of British government, with a wonderful Alastair Campbell character included who swears like a trooper. Much closer to what government is than the mainstream West Wing type offerings, which cannot include the bad tempers, short tempers, poor judgement, politcal spin masters, swearing, and general lack of respect that can permiate such situations. An "Office" for the poltical set. It is just a real pity it has not been shown in the US and is not available on NTSC; BCC America take note and screen this excellent series ASAP.

Greatest political sitcom for years
Despite plenty of coverage of Chris Langham's unfortunate court case and subsequent prison sentence, The Thick Of It remains as one of the greatest political sitcoms ever made. Rightly described as a mix between The Office's incredibly believable documentary production style and Yes Minister's political satire, Armando Iannucci's hidden gem lasts only a handful of episodes but manages to fit in enough stress-induced ministerial comedy to last a decade. The fast paced biography of the Minister for Social Affairs' short-lived office is a well-crafted and brilliantly acted piece of television that rarely hits a wrong note and results in a gimmeck-less must-see series.

Pure Genius
The number of laugh out loud lines and creative swearing in this work of genius defies belief. The humour is not once forced or artificial as is found in some American sitcoms (such as Friends, where the actors mug for all they are worth). This is quality satire, and a shining example of how comedy should be done. Plus it is all too frighteningly real.