Armando Iannucci wouldn't write The Thick of It now as 'politics feels fictional enough'

"Rather than joke about it, I'd sooner urge people to change it"

Peter Capaldi and the cast in Iannucci’s brilliant political sitcom ‘The Thick of It’

Right up until The Thick of It ended in 2012, the BBC comedy series satirised the inner workings of British government. Just four years later and it's become increasingly tougher to separate moments from that series and real-life events that shape today's political landscape - a sentiment echoed by co-creator and writer Armando Iannucci in a new article.

In a New Statesman article, Iannucci has revealed he would never consider bringing back his beloved show because of this very reason.

"Every time a stupid political event happens... people write to me and suggest I bring back The Thick of It," he writes: "No. Absolutely not. I now find the political landscape so alien and awful that it’s hard to match the waves of cynicism it transmits on its own."

Iannucci also expressed his views on renowned political figures, namely US Republican nominee Donald Trump and Britain's Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

"Donald Trump is popular because he seems so like the sort of figure who’d appear in a drama about a big-hitting businessman who takes on the political establishment and wins the presidency.

"Boris Johnson’s main selling point is that he feels like how someone would be portrayed in a comedy drama about an eccentric good egg tripping up the establishment and becoming prime minister."

To cap his piece, the satirist writes: "Fiction is winning out because fact is no longer making sense... Rather than joke about it, I'd sooner urge people to change it."

Iannucci went on to write and direct The Thick of It spin-off In The Loop, starring Peter Capaldi and Tom Hollander, in 2009. He also created US series Veep which is currently airing its fifth season with a season six already commissioned.