In The Loop
✭✭✭✭✭✩
Misses out on the final star because it’s just not quite as good as its progenitor, the excellent BBC TV series The Thick Of It. The main reason is because there’s too much at stake - part of what made The Thick Of It great was the fact that politicians would tie themselves in knots attempting to escape from their own failed machinations surrounding ridiculous policies like pet passports. In The Loop takes as its subject matter the Iraq war, a silent, unnamed yet constantly lurking presence. While this arguably makes it better satire, it lacks the pathetic edge The Thick Of It was so good at.
Special mention to Peter Capaldi who keeps delivering as Malcolm Tucker, one of the most diabolical, machiavellian personalities to ever grace the big screen. He is what the devil would be if the devil cared about British politics.
