BBC Confirm Return Of 'The Thick Of It' For Fourth Series, Following Leveson Inquiry

It's The Return Of Malcolm Tucker

Malcolm Tucker had better get his coins ready for the swear box.

The foul-mouthed spin doctor will be returning for a fourth series of The Thick of It, Armando Iannucci's award-winning political comedy, the BBC confirmed today.

Malcolm Tucker can't get into Number 10 any more, but he's waiting...

In the light of the Leveson Inquiry, it seems perfect timing for another round of government embarrassments, ministerial cock-ups, Coalition backstabbings, frantic policy U-turns and burying bad news on good news days.

Iannucci is a busy man - his American version of the show, Veep, is currently airing in the US and on Sky Atlantic and has been commissioned for a second series already. This comes on the back of his Oscar-nominated comedy In The Loop, which took some of the cast of The Thick of It on a fact-finding mission to Washington, back in 2009.

Back in London, Series 4 sees the return of Roger Allam as Peter Mannion MP, now an emboldened Secretary of State, ably abetted by his special team of advisers, and ably undone by his new Coalition partners.

Meanwhile, defiantly NOT keeping their powder dry in opposition are Nicola Murray MP (BAFTA winner Rebecca Front) and... yes, snoozing dragon Mr Malcolm Tucker, aka actor Peter Capaldi.

Chris Addison, Joanna Scanlan, James Smith, Olivia Poulet, Will Smith, Ben Willbond, and Rebecca Gethings are all back for more, with Addison and Iannucci among those directing episodes of the seven-parter, due to air in the autumn.

Iannucci says of Series 4: "This series takes The Thick of It into exciting and uncharted territory: a new Coalition Government, and Malcolm and Nicola fretting in the wings. For the first time too a storyline takes us all the way through the series right to the bitter, bitter end, with Government and Opposition convulsed in an incident that questions every political convention imaginable, but in a funny way."

Below are some of Malcolm Tucker's best moments - BEWARE: Malcolm Tucker is not family-friendly viewing...

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