The Thick of It

The Thick of It

The Thick of It is a British comedy television series that satirises the inner workings of modern British government. It was first broadcast on BBC Four in 2005, and has so far completed fourteen half-hour episodes and two special hour-long episodes to coincide with Christmas and Gordon Brown's...

is a British comedy

British comedy

British comedy, in film, radio and television, is known for its consistently quirky characters, plots and settings, and has produced some of the most famous and memorable comic actors and characters in the last fifty years.-Film comedy:...

 television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 series that satirises

Satire

Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

 the inner workings of modern British government, first broadcast in 2005 on BBC Four

BBC Four

BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....

. The series follows the running of a the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship, and most episodes focus on that department's incumbent minister and a core cast of advisors and civil servants, under the watchful eye of Number 10's enforcer, Malcolm Tucker. However, over its run, the series has developed a large cast of additional characters, who form the government, opposition, as well as members of the media.

Cast

Character	Actor	Role(s)	Biography	Duration
Her Majesty's Government
Malcolm Tucker	Peter Capaldi Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film...	General Election Advisor, Former Director of Communications, Number 10	Tucker is the aggressive, profane and feared Director of Communications Public relations Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....  for the Government. He serves two main roles: acting as the Prime Minister's enforcer to ensure the cabinet ministers all follow the party line, and managing the government's crisis management PR - usually in the form of spin Spin (public relations) In public relations, spin is a form of propaganda, achieved through providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure... . He regularly uses rumours, smears Smear campaign A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...  or extreme threats of violence to achieve his ends. Tucker also appears in In the Loop In the Loop (film) In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq... . He has a long-standing rivalry with fellow spin-doctor Steve Fleming, who forces him to resign in Series 3, but Tucker regains his position, giving a foulmouthed battle speech to the Ministers at the end of the episode.	Series 1, 2, 3 & Specials
Hugh Abbot MP	Chris Langham Chris Langham Christopher "Chris" Langham is an English writer, actor and comedian. He is most famous for playing MP Hugh Abbot in BBC Four sitcom The Thick of It and as presenter Roy Mallard in People Like Us, first on BBC Radio 4 and later on its transfer to television on BBC Two, where Mallard is almost...	Secretary of State for Social Affairs (later Social Affairs and Citizenship)	Abbot is an inept Cabinet Minister who is out-of-touch with his electorate Electorate Electorate may refer to:* voters, people entitled to vote in an election* electoral district or constituency, the geographic area of a particular election* The dominion of a Prince-elector in the Holy Roman Empire... . While he believes he has some influence, he often finds himself at the mercy of events and bearing the brunt of Tucker's vitriol. He reads the New Statesman New Statesman New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s.... and has two children, Alicia and Charlie. Replaced by Nicola Murray in a reshuffle at the beginning of series 3, without appearing on-screen.	Series 1 and 2
Nicola Murray MP	Rebecca Front Rebecca Front Rebecca Front is a BAFTA Award–winning English comedian and actress best known for her performances in The Thick of It in the late 2000s, and series of critically acclaimed satirical comedies in the early 1990s: On The Hour, The Day Today and Knowing Me, Knowing You...with Alan Partridge...	Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Citizenship	Murray is promoted to Social Affairs and Citizenship Secretary in a government reshuffle in the run up to a general election. She is compromised by Tucker when he demands that she either tell her husband to resign from his job or send her daughter to a comprehensive school, rather than her preferred choice of an independent school Independent school An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the... . Her husband works for a company called Albany who were heavily involved in the government's prison rebuilding policy.	Series 3
Glenn Cullen	James Smith James Smith (actor) James Smith is an English actor well known for his part in the BBC's The Thick of It as senior special adviser Glenn Cullen and as Michael Rodgers, Director of Diplomacy at the Foreign Office in In the Loop, the film spin off of The Thick of It....	Senior Special Adviser to the Secretary of State, DoSAC	Cullen is Hugh's chief adviser and friend. He appears on ITN after swearing at a member of the public who confronts Abbot. He manages the transition to remain as Senior Advisor when Nicola Murray becomes Secretary of State and even attempts to be selected as a PPC in the looming general election of series 3.	Series 1, 2, 3 & Specials
Oliver "Ollie" Reeder	Chris Addison Chris Addison Chris Addison is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actor. He is known for his lecture-style comedy shows, two of which he later adapted for BBC Radio 4...	Special Adviser to the Secretary of State, DoSAC (formerly Junior Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State, DSA)	Reeder is a special adviser Special advisers in the United Kingdom A special adviser works in a supporting role to the British government. With media, political or policy expertise, their duty is to assist and advise government ministers.-Role:...  to Hugh Abbot and his replacement, Nicola Murray. An Oxbridge Oxbridge Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge in England, and the term is now used to refer to them collectively, often with implications of perceived superior social status...  graduate, he is arrogant but inexperienced, and is often inadvertently the cause of departmental mistakes. However, the minister often takes his ideas believing them to be vote-winners. In the specials Glenn makes a reference to having originally found Ollie working in Millbank (real life New Labour HQ). Olly was seconded to 10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....  after he slept with an opposition party worker and was told to use his relationship to gather information on opposition party policy.	Series 1, 2, 3 & Specials
Cliff Lawton MP	Tim Bentinck Tim Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland Timothy Charles Robert Noel Bentinck, 12th Earl of Portland, 8th Count Bentinck und Waldeck Limpurg is an English peer and member of the House of Bentinck...	Former Secretary of State for Social Affairs	Cliff Lawton is forced to resign as the Secretary of State by Malcolm Tucker in episode 1 of the series, and is later referenced as bearing a grudge against Abbot, although it is unclear if this is simply Malcolm's spin. Bitter about his treatment, he later appears in the specials as Jamie's stalking horse Stalking horse A stalking horse is a person who tests a concept with someone or mounts a challenge against them on behalf of an anonymous third party. If the idea proves viable and/or popular, the anonymous figure can then declare their interest and advance the concept with little risk of failure...  during the leadership contest. Jamie unceremoniously ditches him after Cliff's identity is leaked to Malcolm.	Series 1 & Specials
Dan Miller MP	Tony Gardner Tony Gardner Tony Gardner is an English actor and doctor. He qualified as a doctor at Guy's Hospital in 1987, then as a General Practitioner in 1993...	Former Junior Minister, DoSA	Miller managed to perfect the art of the strategic resignation in Episode 1.3. He was thought to be standing as a candidate for party leadership but instead supported Tom Davis. He remains unseen in Series 3, but Miller's "Cabal" was said to be gathering momentum against the Prime Minister.	Series 1 & Specials
Geoff Holhurst MP	Rob Edwards Rob Edwards (actor) Rob Edwards is a British actor.His television credits include: Doctor Who , An Englishman's Castle, Secret Army, The Fourth Arm, By the Sword Divided, The Practice, Casualty, A Touch of Frost, Dangerfield, Midsomer Murders and Dalziel and Pascoe.He attended RGS...	Backbench MP, Previously Minister in the MOD	First seen as a Minister in Episode 4, he resigns following an IT overspend after awarding the department's contract to his son's firm. He reappears during the leadership race where Malcolm refers to him as being "So backbench you've actually fucking fallen off". Holhurst is noted for his small head.	Series 2 & Specials
Nick Hanway	Martin Savage Martin Savage (actor) Martin Savage is a British film, stage and television actor.He appeared in both seasons of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's television series Extras as camp scriptwriter Damon Beesley and in The Thick of It television series specials as Nick Hanway...	Spin Doctor for Tom Davis	Hanway was the equivalent of Malcolm Tucker for Prime Minister-in-waiting Tom. However, he was made to look disloyal to Tom via a series of schemes implemented by Malcolm in Spinners and Losers. Hanway had considered himself a candidate for the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, but lost out when the job was given to Malcolm again.	Series 2 & Specials
Clare Ballentine MP	Eve Matheson Eve Matheson Eve Matheson is a British actress known for her roles as Zoe Angell in May to December and Becky Sharp in the BBC adaptation of the novel Vanity Fair.-Personal life:...	Chair, Select Committee for Education	Ballentine is the hard-hitting and well respected Chairwoman of the House of Commons Education Select Committee; she questions the department on their SEN schools policy. She was proposed as a candidate for party Leader and Prime Minister in Special Two but declined to stand, owing to a previously-unknown online gambling addiction in which she registered with her own name.	Series 2 & Specials
Julius, Lord Nicholson of Arnage	Alex MacQueen Alex MacQueen Alexander Tulloch MacQueen is an English actor. He has appeared on television, film and radio in the UK in productions such as Holby City, Hut 33, The Thick of It, and Keeping Mum....	Life Peer, former 'Blue Skies' Special Adviser to the Prime Minister	Julius Nicholson is a softly-spoken adviser to the Prime Minister Prime minister A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime... . His close relationship with the PM and blue-sky thinking means he is often in conflict with Tucker, who believes his policies are extreme and politically corrosive. In the Specials, he was in charge of the Prime Minister's Legacy project. Later in the series he was given his own department- the Advanced Implementation Unit. He follows cricket Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...  and has a nephew who is a day-pupil at Charterhouse School Charterhouse School Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...  and is a particularly fond of expensive biscuits. He reappears in Series 3 with a peerage.	Series 2, 3 & Specials
Ben Swain MP	Justin Edwards Justin Edwards Justin Edwards is an English actor and writer.Born in Hampshire, Justin studied at Manchester University, before training at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He was a member of sketch trio The Consultants, alongside Neil Edmond and James Rawlings...	Minister in the Department of Education (formerly Junior Minister for Immigration, DoSAC)	Swain is a supporter of leadership candidate Tom Davis (a "nutter") and is therefore viewed with suspicion by other characters supportive of the current party faction heading the government. He was proven to be an embarrassment on television when faced with Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Dickson Paxman is a British journalist, author and television presenter. He has worked for the BBC since 1977. He is noted for a forthright and abrasive interviewing style, particularly when interrogating politicians...  on Newsnight Newsnight Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades.... , where he blinked excessively and failed to answer any questions coherently. He has written a book about "getting ahead in politics" called "It's The Everything, Stupid". In 'Spinners and Losers' he was briefly a candidate for party leadership. He was made a Minister at some level in the Department of Education in Davis' government, and has an adversarial relationship with Nicola Murray, who sacked him as a junior minister from DoSaC in an off-screen incident.	Series 3 & Specials
Steve Fleming MP	David Haig David Haig David Haig is an Olivier Award-winning English actor and FIPA Award-winning writer. He is known for his versatility, having played dramatic, serio-comic and comedic roles, playing characters of varied social classes...	Former Minister without Portfolio & Former Acting Director of Communications, Number 10.	Appears late in series 3 as the PM's new passive-aggressive, creepy enforcer while Malcolm is "on holiday". Fleming manages to force Malcolm's resignation over an attempt to fix a crime statistics enquiry and, by the following episode, has taken over Malcolm's role at Number 10. However, Malcolm's machinations eventually lead to Julius Nicholson clearing Malcolm of wrongdoing in the crime statistics enquiry, while blaming it all on Fleming, forcing Fleming to resign after less than a week in office. We last hear that he has attempted to join Dan Miller's cabal.	Series 3
Jamie MacDonald	Paul Higgins Paul Higgins (actor) Paul Higgins is a Scottish actor. He has appeared onstage in Paul, Black Watch and in the film Complicity....	Press Officer, Number 10	Jamie is Tucker's unofficial second-in-command. He performs a similar role with an even higher level of aggression. He apparently spent five years training to be a priest Priest A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...  and is an avid fan of Al Jolson Al Jolson Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer".... . In the series he was only known by his first name, but he was given the surname "MacDonald" for his reappearance in In the Loop In the Loop (film) In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq... .	Series 2 & Specials
Ed Atkins	Rory Kinnear Rory Kinnear Rory Kinnear is an award-winning English actor who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre.-Early life:...	Press Officer, Number 10	Ed appears in Series Three, Episode One. He works in Downing Street, often reporting to Malcolm.	Series 3
John Duggan	Miles Jupp Miles Jupp Miles Jupp is a British actor and comedian, probably best known as Archie in the children's television series Balamory....	Party Press Officer	An inept press officer prone to making inappropriate comments whose big fringe is supposedly there to "hide the lobotomy scars"	Series 3
Her Majesty's Civil Service
Terri Coverley	Joanna Scanlan Joanna Scanlan Joanna Scanlan is a Welsh actress and television writer, best known for her roles in various British comedy series, such as The Thick of It, Doctors and Nurses, Getting On and Little Britain.-Getting On:...	Director of Communications, DoSAC	Notionally responsible for press relations at DoSAC, Coverley was headhunted from supermarket chain Sainsbury's where she was once Head of Press.. Professional but prudish, she is often left to "mop up" the bad press garnered by the department. She is reluctant to do anything outside of the remit of her job, and resents staying late.	Series 1, 2, 3 & Specials
Robyn Murdoch	Polly Kemp	Senior Press Officer, DoSAC	Despite her job title, Robyn is Terri's secretary, and during Terri's absence is largely ignored by the minister, Hugh Abbott who was initially under the mistaken belief that she was an unknown secretary to a man called "Robin". Invited to attend Malcolm Tucker's 8.30am briefings, Julius Nicholson has her dis-invited, and she ends up killing time in St James' Park in order that Abbott doesn't realise they are no longer represented at the 8.30 meetings. Well-meaning, but politically naive, she is often sent to do menial tasks such as photocopying and tea-making especially when Terri returns in the last episode of Series One. She finds both Malcolm and his understudy, Jamie MacDonald, partiularly terrifying.	Series 2, 3 & Specials
Sam Cassidy	Samantha Harrington	Personal Assistant to Malcolm Tucker	Malcolm Tucker's personal assistant and secretary, and often witness to many of his profanity-laden rants. Mostly appears in the backgrounds of episodes, but occasionally interacts with the main cast. Seems to be one of the few people who actually likes Tucker and is visibly upset when he gets the sack. As with Tucker, Sam also appears in In the Loop In the Loop (film) In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq... .	Series 1, 2, 3 & Specials
Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition
Peter Mannion MP	Roger Allam Roger Allam Roger Allam is an English actor, known primarily for his stage career, although he has performed in film and television. He played Inspector Javert in the original London production of the stage musical Les Misérables....	Shadow Secretary of State for Social Affairs and Citizenship	One of the "old guard" of Opposition MPs, Peter was "around in the 80's" and is thus very resistant to spin doctor Stewart Pearson's new management jargon style of public relations. He antagonises Pearson by refusing to accept his advice and his "no tie" policy. Mannion challenged the modernising party leader, JB, in his party's leadership election, which Mannion believes is the reason for Stewart's poor treatment of him. Mannion was dubbed "Cheater Mannion" by the press during a sex scandal in the mid-1990s and once served as a Junior Minister at DEFRA. He is believed by some to be analogous to Kenneth Clarke Kenneth Clarke Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke, QC, MP is a British Conservative politician, currently Member of Parliament for Rushcliffe, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice. He was first elected to Parliament in 1970; and appointed a minister in Edward Heath's government, in 1972, and is one of... .	Series 3 & Specials
Stewart Pearson	Vincent Franklin Vincent Franklin Vincent Franklin is an English actor best known for his roles in comedy television programmes. Recent roles included PR guru Stewart Pearson in The Thick of It and blunt manager Nick Jowitt in Twenty Twelve. He has appeared in a number of feature films including Vera Drake and the 2006 films...	Opposition Director of Communications	The eco-friendly, media-savvy, new-school spin man for the opposition. While Stewart is forceful and manipulative, his style is very different to Tucker, and he struggles to exert control and influence over Mannion, who refuses to take him seriously.	Series 3 & Specials
Emma Messinger	Olivia Poulet Olivia Poulet Olivia Poulet is an English actress. After studying drama at Manchester University, she has had roles on stage and in television and film. Her most recent productions include Day of the Flowers, Sherlock, Dappers, The Thick of It, Reggie Perrin and Outnumbered. She recently appeared in the feature...	Policy Adviser to the Shadow Secretary of State	Emma was Ollie's girlfriend, shamelessly used by him for Tucker's ends, but she also often steals ideas and policies from him and takes the credit. Peter is somewhat averse to her presence in his department, but she is a key ally to Stewart.	Series 3 & Specials
Phil Smith	Will Smith Will Smith (comedian) Will Smith is a British comedian, actor and writer. He was born and grew up in Jersey and is known for his love and encyclopaedic knowledge of Bergerac, as well as his posh boy persona. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and Charterhouse School. He now lives in London...	Researcher for the Shadow Secretary of State	In the department, Phil is very much Peter's man, to the point where he even writes the former's blog Political blog A political blog is a common type of blog that comments on politics. In liberal democracies the right to criticize the government without interference is considered an important element of free speech... . Phil shares a flat with Emma, although they are not great friends, and he and Ollie are immensely antagonistic towards each other. He often makes analogies to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books.	Series 3 & Specials
Cal Richards	Tom Hollander Tom Hollander Thomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is a British actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma, Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice, Pirates of the Caribbean, In the Loop, Valkyrie and Hanna.-Early life:Tom Hollander was born in Bristol and raised in Oxford, Oxfordshire, the son...	Chief of Staff to the Leader of the Opposition	Stewart's fearsome boss, nicknamed "The Fucker" by his colleagues, is much more like Tucker in his style. In his brief appearance he appears uncouth and possibly psychotic, screaming wanton abuse at the policy team and threatening to sack Stewart. Possibly a reference to Andy Coulson Andy Coulson Andrew Edward Coulson is an English journalist and political strategist.Coulson was the editor of the News of the World from 2003 until his resignation in 2007, following the conviction of one of the newspaper's reporters in relation to illegal phone-hacking.He subsequently joined David Cameron's... .	Series 3 - Episode 8
The media
Angela Heaney	Lucinda Raikes Lucinda Raikes Lucinda Raikes is a British actress, most noted for playing Karen Ball in the sitcom Green Wing and Angela Heaney in The Thick of It and its spin off film In the Loop. She has also appeared in Sensitive Skin, Extras, Casanova and 15 Storeys High. She regularly appears in theatrical...	Junior Political Correspondent, Daily Mail formerly Evening Standard Evening Standard The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...	As Ollie Reader's ex-girlfriend, Angela Heaney is often called in when the department wants to leak a story. However, due to Ollie's comparative lack of influence, she often ends up being misinformed. Initially working for the Evening Standard, she becomes less of a soft-touch when she moves to the Daily Mail. A journalist played by Raikes, presumably Angela Heaney, also appears in In the Loop In the Loop (film) In the Loop is a 2009 British satirical black comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci. It is based on the BBC Television series The Thick of It satirising Anglo-American politics in the 21st century and the Invasion of Iraq... , and Tucker mentions an incident involving Heaney near the beginning of the film.	Series 1, 2, 3 & Specials
Adam Kenyon	Ben Willbond Ben Willbond Ben Willbond is an English comedian and actor with credits on television, radio and film, including from 2005-2007 Deep Trouble on BBC Radio 4 with actor and writer Jim Field Smith. He was formerly part of the comedy duo "Ben & Arn", who won "Best Newcomer" at the Perrier Award in 1999...	Night Editor, Daily Mail Daily Mail The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...	The put-upon night editor is seen in Special Two desperately attempting to write a coherent editorial from the conflicting stories leaking from Westminster. He eventually decides to write a piece about the "Night of Spin", naming those who have annoyed him as the night's "losers".	Specials
Marianne Swift	Zoe Telford Zoe Telford -Television:Telford has appeared in the following:Absolute Power, Teachers, Agatha Christie's Poirot - Death on the Nile, Afterlife, Cutting It, The Golden Hour, Lewis, Agatha Christie's Marple - The Sittaford Mystery, as Eva Braun in Hitler: The Rise of Evil, as Abigail Thomas in The Palace, as...	Freelance Journalist	Marianne overhears Nicola telling journalists "off the record" about deleted immigration figures at The Guardian offices after a lunch. She works occasionally for the Daily Mail and appeared in Malcolm's flat as a dinner guest with Geoffrey.	Series 3
Geoffrey	Peter Sullivan Pete Sullivan Peter Sullivan is a British theatre, film and television actor known mainly for new work with theatre companies and writers from both Europe and the United States.- Biography :...	Editor, The Guardian The Guardian The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...	Geoffrey is the Editor of The Guardian and present at a lunch attended by Nicola and Malcolm. He later appears at the party conference and then at Malcolm's home when he holds a meal for journalists.	Series 3
Unseen characters
The PM	Unseen Unseen character In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.	The first unseen Prime Minister of the series, we learn that he is obsessed with leaving a "legacy" from his time in office. We also learn from Julius Nicholson that he once tried to have the chief examiner sacked over his son's retake marks. On the basis of Tom Davis's succession, it is inferred that the character was probably based on then-PM Tony Blair Tony Blair Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007... .	Series 1 & Specials
Tom Davis MP	Unseen	Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.	Tom succeeds to the premiership in the series 2 specials, having been the likely successor to the previous PM for some time, gathering a large following in the party referred to as the "Nutters". His succession is nearly derailed when rumours about his bouts of depression begin to spread. His premiership witnesses the slow decline of this government. Appears to be loosely based on Gordon Brown Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007... .	Series 3 & Specials
JB	Unseen	Leader of the Opposition Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...	JB, who is only ever referred to by his initials, is the upper-class Leader of the Opposition. JB is modernising his party in order to broaden the appeal, irritating members of the party old guard. Reluctant to commit to firm policies before the election, according to Mannion he and his "Eton Eton Eton commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England.Eton may also refer to:-Places:*Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England*Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States...  clique" like texting each other racist jokes, something Stewart Pearson describes as JB's progressive views. A thinly-veiled satire of David Cameron David Cameron David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament .... .	Series 3 & Specials