‘Satire is dead’ proclaims David Blackburn in today’s Spectator. He is referring – without the slightest hint of irony – to the BBC’s satirical masterstroke, The Thick of It. The critically acclaimed BBC4 series is back, after five years and a feature film (In The Loop), in a shiny new BBC2 Saturday night slot. And it’s gaining quite a following, particularly on the left, which is bound to get Blackburn’s goat.
The trouble seems to be that the focus of the programme has shifted, and now he is finding the biting wit in which he had previously revelled is being directed a little closer to home.
While it was letting rip about the New Labour spin machine, Blackburn saw The Thick of It as “a welcome focus for one’s anger at the Labour government”. But now its gaze has shifted to encompass the right, Dave grumbles: “[A]ll that Iannucci can do is re-hash the clapped-out gags about huskies, the Tory old guard (the Peter Mannion character is a nod towards this group), the Bullingdon Club and Tory links with the City.” You can almost hear him harrumphing.
Blackburn would have us believe that when it was attacking Blair and Brown, The Thick of It was 'the sharpest and most savage programme on television', but now it has its attention towards Cameron, it's suddenly not funny any more. He is throwing a hissy-fit – “Armando Iannucci’s show has dated,” he whines – which only serves to convince me further that it is completely on the money. Jokes can get old very quickly when you and yours are the butt of them.
But Blackburn is missing the point. The Thick of It is a far-reaching satire that takes on our whole political system and the media circus that surrounds it. It takes no prisoners. We are shown a cast of political pawns trying to navigate a world dominated by a merciless tabloid press that can sink them with a soundbite. The savvy, cruel and highly-strung spin doctors are there to keep them afloat and 'in power'. But this power is exposed as an illusion, because all their time is taken up with maintaining their positions and trying to discredit their political enemies, no matter how lofty their ideals, or indeed their ideologies.
Sound familiar? This is an insightful, intelligent and important programme, which goes far beyond party politics, no matter how many topical references may crop up. And, above all, it's incredibly funny.
